Master of Comus

Paul's blue eyes blazed down at her. 'My darling girl!'A little grin twitched at his mouth. 'Poor old Jake, I can even be sorry for him now. I could have killed him when I saw you two roll up just now...' His eyes narrowed. 'Where were you last night, by the way?'

'In a London hotel,' she said demurely.

Paul's face tightened but he waited for her to go on.

'Alone,' she said, laughing.

'Don't tease me, Leonie,' Paul said thickly. 'I have a low threshold where jealousy of you is concerned, I'm afraid. So how did you meet up with Jake?'

'By accident,' she told him, going on to explain about the dinner on the previous evening, the dancing and her decision to leave without Jake. 'But when I got out of the hotel he was already there, so I had no choice but to let him drive me here.'

'Clever Jake, he would have guessed what you'd do. What was he saying to you when I came out? He was holding your hands, wasn't he?'

'He wanted me to leave you for him,' she admitted. 'I feel responsible for having encouraged him. I was unhappy and Jake was there ... I shouldn't have let him think I might ever turn to him.'

'Poor old Jake,' Paul nodded sympathetically. 'How easy it is to feel pity for the loser when you're the winner. It was a very different story when I was terrified that he might turn out to be the winner.'

'One day Jake will meet the right woman,' Leonie said wisely. 'He wants to love someone, and that's the first step towards loving.'

'When did you start loving me?' Paul asked, kissing her neck with a slow, hot insistence.

She put her hand up to his bright-head. 'Long before I ever met you, I suspect,' she said, laughing. 'When I was a silly schoolgirl who kept a scrapbook filled with pictures of my handsome playboy cousin. I used to dream about meeting you.'

'You never told me that!'

'I would have died rather than admit it until now,' she said lightly. 'Then there you were on the plane to Greece, and you didn't recognise me ..

'What a fool I was!' he murmured wryly.

'Darling, let's go back to Comus tomorrow,' she said gently. 'We can start again there. Our second honeymoon...'

He raised himself on his elbow and looked down at her, at the black hair straying over the pillow and the passionate pink mouth, the shining eyes looking up at him. 'Yes,' he said deeply. 'The Master of Comus will take his bride home so that the whole island can rejoice over the news that a new heir is expected.'

'The Master of Comus...' she murmured. 'Argon said something about that.'

'It's the title given to the head of the family,' he explained. 'One day it will pass to our son.'

Her eyes were filled with dreams as she watched his face. 'Our son,' she murmured softly to herself. 'Oh, I' m so happy I' m afraid...'

'You need never be afraid again,' Paul said with certainty. 'I'm going to make you the happiest woman in the world.'

She laughed, her eyes filled with love and amusement. 'Oh, Paul, you're still the most arrogant, self-assured man I've ever met!'

'And you, my spitfire, are the most teasing, infuriating woman I've ever met ... and I adore you.'

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, her eyes closing in ecstatic surrender as their mouths met.