Eva sobered completely when she saw Markos’s hurt reflected in those deep green eyes. ‘No, of course it isn’t. I just— It was— I didn’t expect—’
‘For me to propose to you?’ he guessed. ‘If it is any consolation, it was the last thing I expected of myself when I made this move to New York just a matter of weeks ago!’
Yes, Eva could imagine it was. She doubted that Markos had seen himself married to anyone, in his near future.
‘Why?’ she prompted bluntly.
His brows rose. ‘Why am I surprised? Or why did I propose to you?’
‘The latter,’ Eva replied dryly.
He shrugged broad shoulders. ‘Why does any man propose marriage to a woman?’ he came back defensively.
It was a defensive attitude that Eva knew was wholly merited when as far as Markos was concerned she had laughed at his proposal. ‘Markos, I wasn’t laughing at you just now, but at the irony of this situation,’ she told him huskily. ‘Did you mean what you said just now?’
‘When I proposed—?’
‘No, not that,’ Eva cut in firmly.
‘That if you married me we could have a dozen children together, if that is what you want? You really are about to cry now, Eva!’ He groaned as he saw the tears well up in her eyes. ‘I promise not to mention marriage to you again if this hysteria of emotions is the effect it has on you.’
‘Markos.’
Just the husky softness of his name was enough to silence him as Eva rose determinedly to her feet, her cheeks looking hot and flushed, her eyes glowing brightly.
‘Markos, I couldn’t marry anyone who didn’t love me in the way I’m in love with them.’
His breath caught in his throat. ‘You—’
‘In the way I’m in love with you…’
Markos became very still, his eyes a deep and glowing emerald as he stared at her incredulously. ‘You love me…?’
‘So very much,’ she breathed determinedly.
Markos blinked. ‘And after you left me yesterday I realised, at the thought of not seeing you again, how very much in love with you I am—which is why I—’
‘Will you marry me?’
He gave a dazed shake of his head. ‘I do not understand. You seemed amused just now by my own marriage proposal, and now you are asking—’
‘Will you wait here a moment?’ she asked excitedly, before turning to leave.
‘Where are you going?’ Markos called after her incredulously.
‘Eva, you cannot tell me you love me, allow me to tell you I love you, ask me to marry you, and then just leave the room—’
She turned. ‘I have something I want to show you.’
‘Eva, now is not the time for me to look at more of your designs for my apartment!’ he told her exasperatedly, and he crossed the room in long determined strides, before taking a firm hold of the tops of her arms as he looked down at her intently. ‘I love you, Eva. I am insane with love for you. I can think of nothing else, see nothing else, but you!’
‘I love you in exactly the same way, Markos,’ she assured him huskily, reaching up tenderly to cup the side of his face with her hand as she looked at him with that love glowing in her eyes. ‘I’ve known how I feel about you for some weeks now—’
‘How many weeks?’
Her lashes lowered at his continued incredulity. ‘Almost from the beginning, I think…’
‘From the beginning?’ Markos’s fingers tightened about her arms even as the love he felt for this beautiful, wonderful woman welled up strongly inside him. ‘The night we met at Senator Ashcroft’s drinks party?’