‘I would probably have done the same in her position,’ Lauri bristled angrily.
‘No, you wouldn’t,’ Alex shook his head firmly. ‘For all her confidence and air of self-assurance, you have more strength of character than Jane. You wouldn’t have collapsed, either mentally or physically, as she did. You’re a fighter. You’ve done nothing but fight me since the moment we met.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘A question of self-preservation.’
‘Explain that remark,’ he ordered curtly.
‘You’ve made no secret of your physical attraction towards me, although why it should exist I have no idea—’
‘I have,’ his gaze ran over her appraisingly. ‘Oh yes, I have.’
Lauri gave him a surprised glance. ‘I thought you said you were no longer interested.’
‘Until you grew up. I happen to think you have. But we’re diverting. Carry on with your explanation.’
Her mouth tightened. ‘You’re so bossy. I have no idea why I still—’
‘Yes?’ he prompted as she bit her lip.
‘Nothing,’ she blushed. ‘As you said, we’re diverting.’
‘But such interesting diversions,’ he grinned. ‘I believe you were about to say you were still attracted to me too.’
No such thing! She had been about to admit her love for him. She remembered how Jane—her mother, had told her that Laurence was her first love, and how he had remained the only love of her life, that he was now her last love too. Alex meant the same thing to Lauri, her first love, and her last love. ‘We were talking about my self-preservation,’ she reminded him firmly.
‘Okay,’ he sighed.
‘Right. Well, you told me at the beginning that to you familiarity always leads to boredom.’
‘I believe the word I used was contempt. And I feel far from contempt for you.’
She looked away from the warmth in his
eyes. ‘Yes, well, you made no attempt to pretend your going out with me at all was anything but a way of becoming unattracted to me. You even made me admit to being attracted to you.’
‘And how did I do that?’ They had come to a stop outside her house, the car engine off, only the sound of the heavy rain to disturb them.
Lauri blushed. ‘You know how.’
‘Like this?’ He bent forward to claim her softly parted lips, tasting their sweetness with slow enjoyment. ‘And this?’ He invaded her inner warmth with the sensuous tip of his tongue, his hand moving caressingly down her throat to cup her breast.
The air was electric between them, Lauri’s body trembling with the desire she had been denied for so long. And she was melting, melting, becoming part of Alex through sheer force of will on his part.
‘This car wasn’t designed for making love,’ he murmured throatily, his lips travelling over the creamy skin his exploring hands had revealed, working a slow erotic pattern to the rosy peak of her breast, holding her tightly against him at her cry of pleasure.
She swallowed hard. ‘Making love?’ she questioned his description, as she had done once before.
‘Yes, damn you!’ He looked up at her with deep blue eyes. ‘Making love!’
‘Alex …?’
‘I love you, you stupid child,’ he rasped angrily.
Shock warred with anger. ‘Alex, you can’t tell a girl you love her in that fashion,’ she admonished, laughter finally winning.
‘I just did. But if it makes you any happier …’ His hands came up to cup each side of her face, and he took his time kissing each delicious feature, finally moving back to look at her as if he wanted never to see anything but her face. ‘I know I’ve been a brute to you at times, darling Lauren, but I took one look at those flashing green eyes, freckled snub nose, and adorable—kissable—mouth,’ his actions suited his words. ‘And I knew I’d met the girl I was going to marry.’
‘You certainly didn’t act like it,’ she complained, still not able to believe what he was saying to her.