Aeromancist, The Beginning (SECOND EDITION) - Charmaine Pauls Page 0,39

a date. Love. The infinity symbol. Twenty-three February.

“When you gave it back to me, I had it engraved. Love, forever. With those words, I wanted to make it yours, and only yours. Before, it belonged to my mother. It’s all I have of her. It seemed right to me that you have it because it’s the most precious thing I own. That date proves to you that I loved you even as I left you. That’s also why I came back to Santiago. To leave you this. I couldn’t claim you. That would’ve been selfish. But I wanted you to know that I loved you, and always will.”

“Lann…” She swallowed back the tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

He took the bracelet from her and pushed it over her wrist. “I don’t expect you to say you love me. Just say you’ll marry me.”

“Would you have asked me if I wasn’t pregnant?”

He looked at her for a long moment. “Probably not,” he said softly, “but I already explained to you why—only because you deserve better.”

Cupping her nape, he pulled her close and gripped her chin in his free hand. He kept his eyes open as he kissed her gently. When she didn’t resist, he parted her lips, claiming her mouth with a groan. Then he let go to remove his glasses. Lann removing his glasses always led to one thing.

She pulled away. “You taste like coffee.”

“I had a cup with Eve.”

Suddenly, she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry because he’d said he loved her, and because it had never been his plan to stay with her, and because he’d just asked her to marry him, and because she couldn’t drink coffee. It was crazy. Damn pregnancy hormones.

She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “I can’t do it.”

“Can’t kiss me?” he asked, looking confused.

“Can’t marry you.”

“Why?”

How could she marry him and then die? It would make everything worse. She’d sign any legal papers that claimed him as the father of her child to make the adoption process go smoothly, but she wasn’t going to cause him more suffering. She wasn’t going to make Lann a widower when he never wanted to be a husband.

“God, I love coffee,” she said with longing, but her mind wasn’t on the coffee at all. She tried to diffuse the seriousness of the situation with humor. “If you love me like you say, you wouldn’t stand there and tempt me.”

His voice was tinged with disbelief. “You don’t believe I love you because I had coffee?” Then his eyes softened. “I’m sorry.” He put his arms around her. “I’ve been a selfish bastard. I’ll give it up. I promise I won’t have coffee again.”

She stepped away to escape his touch. “It doesn’t change anything.” An unwelcome sob escaped her throat. “You giving it up isn’t going to change one damn thing in my life. I still won’t be allowed to have it.”

“But I’ll suffer with you.”

“Like hell you will. You don’t even like coffee. You like tea.”

He caught her, embracing her again. “Fine. I’ll give up tea too.”

She wiggled in his arms. “Let me go.”

“No. I know you’re angry, and I know why. It’s not the coffee, or the tea, or that I love you.” When she started crying, he kissed the top of her head. “It’s all right, krasavitsa, I’m not going to let go.”

All she wanted was to be alone, to have a good cry, and then she’d be fine, but Lann held her tenderly, tightly, and it didn’t help to regain her composure. The gentler he was, the more she came undone.

“I love you, Katherine,” he said. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

He stroked her back and her arms, holding her to him, letting her cry. He whispered sweet Russian words she didn’t understand, words that were meant to soothe, until the worst of her tears abated. He allowed the storm to play itself out, and when she felt weak in its aftermath, he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

He undressed himself first before peeling her clothes off, item by item, and stretched out over her. His hair fell over her face when he kissed her. He took her hands, intertwining their fingers, and placed them at the side of her face. His tongue dipped into her mouth, soft and warm, undemanding. His lovemaking was like his kissing. This time, he gave without taking. She begged him for more, but he kept his control and shattered hers as