No More Mr. Nice - By Renee Roszel Page 0,71

anguished state of mind. “I thought you had a meeting in Tokyo—according to Annie.” She lifted her hands to shelter her eyes from the biting snow. “She seems to chat with you on a regular basis, these days.”

He took her arm, urging her to the cover of the trees where there was some protection from the storm. “Just twice,” he amended. “She talked. I listened.” He glanced away, his expression again agitated. It was plain he was at war with himself about his feelings for the kids—his natural sensitivity versus his conscious desire to be thoroughly in command of his heart and his career.

“What happened with Tokyo? Was the trip delayed?” she asked, knowing she shouldn’t care, shouldn’t involve herself in his life anymore. But she couldn’t help it. Lord save her, she loved the man.

“No, it wasn’t delayed,” he said simply. He turned back to face her, and stood, towering over her silently, his arresting eyes filled with unbelievable warmth. The storm seemed to recede into a hushed stillness as they stared at each other. There was no world, no reality beyond the two of them, sheltered beneath a canopy of winter branches in the dwindling twilight.

Finally Lucas took her hands in his and began quietly, “I didn’t go to Tokyo today. And I may not have a job tomorrow.”

Jess regarded him gravely and prayed that his next words would not extinguish the crazy flicker of hope that had been kindled in her heart by his tender look and the touch of his hands. “I don’t understand,” she said, but her voice was so weak, she wasn’t sure he heard.

With a sudden move, he hauled her into the heat of his arms, and muttered against her cool cheek, “I’m saying, I couldn’t go to Tokyo thinking your mother might die, and you’d have to grieve alone. The last year of my grandmother’s life, she got confused, wandered off. The day she died—Well, let’s say I’ve been there, and—” He stopped, cleared a thickness from his voice. “I wanted to be with you.”

“But—but we found her,” she reminded. “You can still go.”

He shook his head. “We couldn’t take off in this storm,” he said. “The important thing is, Mamie’s all right.” He hugged her more tightly to him, gently rocking her back and forth, comforting her. “Thank God for that.”

Relishing this unexpected intimacy they might never share again, Jess clung to him and buried her face against his throat. “Oh, Lucas,” she cried. “I’m so sorry about your—”

“Dammit,” he growled, cutting her off. “I told you never to apologize to me. I made the choice to stay.” He stopped abruptly, as though fighting for control, and simply held her nestled against his supple strength. He freed a stray lock of her hair that had become trapped inside his coat, and smoothed it across the gray cashmere collar. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle, but rough with emotion. “Jess, this is hard. But what I’m trying to say is—I love you.”

Her heart stumbled perilously. “You—you love me?” she asked, staggered to hear him voice it.

He pressed her away, appraising her with a look that was nearly unbearable in its tenderness. “I do. And I want you to marry me,” he added soberly. “I’ve fought my feelings for you with all my strength, but today, when I heard your mother was missing, I knew I couldn’t leave you.” A large, gentle hand came up to brush a tear from her cheek. “Of course, if I’m out of your system, I won’t embarrass you by mentioning it again.”

Their gazes held, and for Jess, there would never be need for another verbal pledge between them. The staggering honesty in his dark eyes conveyed far more commitment than words could ever do. “Oh, Lucas. You’ll never be out of my system,” she assured him through a trembly sigh. “So, mention it, darling. Mention it over and over….”

He lifted her in his arms and struck off toward the limo. “Sweetheart,” he murmured huskily, grazing her cheek with his lips, “as soon as I get you alone, I plan to do a lot more than just mention it.”

She grinned at him, deliriously happy. He was smiling at her—really smiling—all lurking doubt and sadness gone from his expression. She stretched up and covered his mouth with hers.

He returned the kiss with all the passion he had so recently held in check, and the depth of emotion left her weak and dizzy. She settled back in his