Maura blinked several times and frowned.
“I don’t understand,” she said, wishing her pulse would slow its sudden and frantic pace.
“I’m not sure I understand it myself,” Spencer said, coming to a halt near the moss-covered log where Maura had piled her clothes the afternoon he’d come upon her skinny-dipping. “You drive me crazy.”
Annoyance shimmered through her at the comment. “The feeling’s mutual,” she shot back. “But surely if that’s the way you feel, why on earth would you want me to stay?” she asked, puzzled by the look she could see in his eyes.
“It’s quite simple,” he said evenly.
“Then I wish you’d explain,” Maura countered, not at all sure where this was going.
“Maybe I’ll just show you.” Before she had time to draw a breath, Spencer reached out and pulled her into his arms, bringing his mouth down on hers.
Maura’s gasp of shock and wonder allowed him instant access to the inner sweetness of her mouth, a sweetness he hadn’t known he’d been craving, until now. Her response, immediate and devastating, was more than he deserved and filled his heart with hope.
He plunged his fingers into her silky hair as he’d so often dreamed of doing and, cupping the back of her head, brought their mouths and bodies closer still.
Her breasts were pressed hard against his chest, sending his blood pounding through his veins and arousing a need that clawed at his insides.
Maura’s world was spinning wondrously out of control, and she didn’t mind a bit. This was where she belonged, here in the arms of the man she loved with all her heart.
Her quest when she’d come to California had been to meet her father, the man she hoped would help her come to terms with the past.
But the happiness she felt at having finally made peace with her father was nothing compared to the joy at finding Spencer. He was the only man who made her feel alive, the only man able to touch her soul, the only man who evoked in her a depth of emotion she hadn’t known she was capable of feeling.
Slowly, achingly, he broke the kiss to stare into her eyes.
“Wh—” She stopped and tried again, finding it difficult to think when all she really wanted was to kiss him again, to taste the raw need, to feel the passion.
“What was that for?” Her voice was a breathless whisper.
“Because I needed to kiss you. Because I think I’m always going to need to kiss you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I don’t understand.”
Spencer laughed, the sound like a caress on her already-heated skin. “You keep saying that,” he responded. “But I think you understand perfectly. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have kissed me back.”
He kissed her again, all too briefly this time. “Don’t be shy, red,” he went on. “Tell me the truth. You’re in love with me, aren’t you?” His voice wavered as he spoke.
Her pupils darkened ever so slightly, and he could feel the shock and the tension humming through her. Had his gamble paid off? He’d only realized just how deep his feelings ran as he sat waiting for her outside her father’s house.
Somehow she’d crept under his guard, stealing his heart before he’d even had time to figure out it was missing.
He’d never known a woman like her. Beautiful and intelligent, proud and courageous, Maura had acted with consideration and discretion under trying circumstances.
In the wake of learning about her real father she hadn’t barged into Michael’s life—she’d quietly gone about her business, mindful of the damage she could have easily caused.
“How? I haven’t…you can’t—” Maura’s words came out in an incoherent string. “And don’t call me red,” she said, suddenly indignant.
“But I like calling you red,” he told her. “Besides, it suits you. And once we’re married I—”
“Married?” Maura’s heart shuddered to a standstill. Surely this was some kind of joke. She remembered distinctly his mother saying that she doubted Spencer would marry again. “You can’t be serious.” She was dreaming. She had to be.
“I’m perfectly serious,” he assured her, humor lacing his voice. “After all, marriage is a serious business. I made a mistake the first time around. This time I intend to get it right.”
“A mistake?” Maura was frowning now. “Are you saying your marriage to Lucy was a mistake?”
His expression changed. “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he confirmed.
“But…I thought you loved her.”
“I thought I did, too,” he answered solemnly. “I believed, foolishly, that Lucy and I had the same dreams, that we wanted the same things. I was wrong.”
“But…what happened?” she asked, needing to know, still struggling to get a grasp on what was happening. She’d either lost her mind…or…
Spencer’s smile this time was touched with sadness. He was silent for a moment, still grappling with what Lucy had done. “I’ve never told anyone this before. But when I found out Lucy had—” He broke off. He slid his hands down her arms to capture her hands.
With a sigh he met her concerned gaze. “When I found out she’d aborted our baby, a baby she’d never even bothered to tell me about, I knew our marriage was over.”
Maura inhaled sharply, seeing the pain in his eyes. “Oh, Spencer, how awful. I’m so sorry.” Her heart went out to him.
Spencer smiled and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “We’ll have babies, lots of babies…” he promised, a catch in his voice.
“We’ll have…” she began incredulously. “Spencer wait! You’ve lost me.” She felt as if she’d walked into the middle of a rehearsal for a play, only no one had given her a script and she didn’t know her lines. “What do you mean, we’ll have babies? You don’t even like me.”
Spencer shook his head. “That’s not true. I do like you…I just didn’t trust you. I knew you were hiding something, and that got in the way of everything.
“I wish you’d confided in me about Michael, but I understand why you didn’t. And I can only admire you for the way you’ve handled everything. I’ve never known a woman like you. You’re the most beautiful, most patient, most dedicated, most caring person I’ve ever met.” He came to a halt. “Don’t you get it!” He tugged her closer and brought her face to within inches of his.
He gazed into her eyes, seeing the confusion, the fear and the hope.
“I love you, Maura O’Sullivan,” he said, his voice throaty with emotion. “I think I fell in love with you the night I met you in Kentucky, when I asked you to come to California and you told me what I could do with my invitation.
“And I fell a little deeper the day I kissed you right here by the lake. And deeper still when I caught you skinny-dipping—”
“You love me?” Her tone was incredulous, as if he’d told her pigs could fly.
“Dammit, red. I just said I did,” Spencer said exasperatedly. “Would you put me out of my misery, please?” he begged. “Say you’ll marry me. Say you love me. Say something.” His voice wavered ever so slightly, and as she met his gaze she could see behind his teasing bravado a look of fear and vulnerability.
Spencer Diamond afraid, vulnerable? It hardly seemed possible. And she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
“Dear God, woman! Speak to me.” Desperation edged his voice.
Joy exploded through her, and she smiled, her heart aglow with love. “Oh, Spencer…” She spoke his name on a sigh. “I do love you, I love you with all my heart. I was afraid to—”
Her words were silenced as his mouth claimed hers in a kiss so tender, so achingly sweet, he stole her heart a second time.
His kiss deepened, igniting a response she was only too eager to give. Here in Spencer’s arms she’d found her home…her family…at last.
Spencer reluctantly broke the kiss to forge a trail of kisses across her jaw to her ear. He kissed her earlobe then nibbled at the sensitive area below it.
“Spencer…do you know what you’re doing to me?” Maura’s voice was a husky whisper of desire. Her body was on fire, her skin aching for his touch, his caress.
“The same as you’re doing to me, my love,” Spencer replied, his breathing rapid, his heart racing. “Maybe we should cool off a little.…What about a dip in the lake…a skinny-dip, that is.”
Maura’s laugh was a little shaky. “That sounds very tempting,” she said, straining closer.
Spencer groaned. “I want to make love to you, here, now.” His tone was urgent, and when she felt his hand cup her breast, she gasped at the new and erotic sensation that spiraled through her.
“And I want you,” she said with quiet desperation. “Only I haven’t…I mean…I’ve never—” She ground to a halt.
Spencer instantly pulled away to look into her eyes, seeing the innocence shining in their depths. He framed her face with his hands. Was there no end to the surprises this woman had for him? “You’re a virgin?”
Maura nodded. “Is that bad?”
“Bad?” Spencer repeated dumbfounded. He kissed her long and hard. “It’s the most wonderful gift you could ever give, and after the way I’ve treated you, certainly more than I deserve.” His tone was heartfelt. He sighed. “We’d better go before I lose my resolve.”
“But, Spencer, I thought…Don’t you want me?” She blurted out, suddenly unsure.
“Of course I want you,” he assured her. “But when we make love for the first time, I want everything to be perfect for you, for us. I can wait…it won’t be easy, believe me, but I can wait. Just don’t make me wait too long.”
“What about a June wedding?” she replied, and wondered what she’d done to deserve the love of a man like Spencer.
“June it is,” he agreed. “And why don’t we ask your father if he’d like to give you away,” Spencer suggested.
Maura’s heart swelled with love. She felt tears gather in her eyes. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”
Spencer kissed her again, a soft delicate kiss that made her sigh.
“Let’s go tell my folks there’s going to be a new Diamond in the family.”