Then he had moved towards her fast and she was in his arms, held so close she had to cling to him to stand upright. He kissed her with savage hunger, murmuring her name again and again.
'I was beginning to think they'd killed you,' he said, his voice husky. He moved his lips along her throat with feverish intensity, then returned to her mouth, parting her lips, consuming her in the flame of his own passion. 'I've been out of my mind. I wanted to tear this godforsaken little country to shreds looking for you. I'd have paid anything, done anything, to get you back safely.
Her blue eyes shone at him adoringly. 'Stonor,' she breathed softly. 'Darling…'
He drew back, looking down at her. 'Say that again.'
'Darling,' she repeated obediently, her hands touching the black hair at the nape of his neck, delving into the thick strands with fingers that seemed to have nerves in every pore, sensitive to his body in a way that made her shiver.
'Tell me you love me,' he demanded arrogantly.
Her happiness was so all-consuming that she was past preserving her pride or her self-respect. 'I love you, I love you,' she whispered.
'Again,' he ordered.
She lifted her blue eyes to his face again, a slightly rebellious expression in them now. 'Stonor?'
'I want to hear you say it,' he said, the lean face filled with the old arrogance.
'I think we still mean different things by the word love,' she said, suddenly saddened.
'Do we?' He brushed her upturned mouth with his lips. 'We'll have plenty of time to find out after we're married.'
Marie stood very still, her eyes fixed on his face. 'Married, Stonor?'
'Yes,' he said lightly. 'You've broken my spirit, damn you. How can I let you roam the world without protection when you keep getting yourself into trouble like this? I'd never have another moment's peace in case someone was kidnapping you. I'm afraid I'm going to have to carry on where your father left off, wrapping you in cotton wool, showering you with expensive presents, spoiling and adoring you…'
She took his face in both her hands, her pleading palms against his hard cheeks.
'Be serious, Stonor. Don't play one of your games.'
'I was never more serious in my life,' he retorted.
'I've said it,' she whispered. 'Why can't you?'
He was suddenly very grave, his dark eyes full of sombre thought. 'I'm afraid, Marie. Afraid of losing myself, afraid of drowning helplessly in an ocean of love. It's always been there in my nature, a weakness, the need to love with utter abandon, but I meant to fight against it for the whole of my life. I've seen what it does to men. That sort of love saps your strength. Then I met you, and when I kissed you that night in the desert I felt a terrible warning. I knew that if I let myself fall for you I would fall so far I could never get back. But by the time I'd realised it, it was already too late. I've been trying to escape from the trap ever since. I tried to convince myself you weren't worth loving, but I never quite succeeded.'
'Didn't you, Stonor?' Her blue eyes were gentle now, recognising his sincerity.
He put a hand to her golden hair, running his fingers down the silky strands. 'That hair of yours first drew my eyes—such a glorious colour! I wanted to touch it, to run my fingers through it. That was my first hint of danger. Then your blue eyes flashed at me and I felt the warning signals again—oh, I had plenty of warnings, but I ignored them all. Like a blind man walking into his fate, I let myself be caught. Perhaps I even wanted to be, secretly.'
She let her arms fall away from him and stepped back, watching him through her lowered lashes. 'You're free, Stonor. Quite free.'
He smiled grimly. 'The secret of your power, you witch, is that I no longer want to be free. For weeks I've yearned to be totally enslaved, even while I struggled against the desire to see you again. Of course I didn't come to Jedhpur to make a deal with the King—I could have done that through one of my agents. I came to see you. I had to come. I couldn't sleep at night any more. Your face was haunting my dreams, driving me mad with desire.' He reached out for her, but she evaded him.
'You still haven't said it,' she reminded him.
He stared at her, his chin raised angrily. 'I've admitted it over and over again. What else do you want?'
She did not answer, her eyes levelly fixed on his face.
He half closed his eyes and groaned. 'All right; I love you. I love you, God help me!'
Marie laughed. 'You sound as if it had been wrung from you by torture, Stonor!'
'Hasn't it?' He pulled her close with his one good hand. 'I've been denied a kiss for five full minutes. What's that but cruel torture?'
Her mouth was parted on a smile as she looked up at him. But the smile died on a gasp as his mouth descended in hard possession, melting her bones, making her shake with mounting passion. When they parted he was dark red, she was trembling.