He moved closer. I couldn’t really see it in the shadows, but I felt it. Felt him.
I swallowed, suddenly feeling a bit weak in the knees. ‘Um…well…’
‘Ah, I remember.’ His voice was smooth as a freshly polished iceberg, and ten times as dangerous. It was a voice that could make kings quiver in their boots. ‘You were just about to tell me how you feel about me, Miss Linton.’
‘Was I?’
‘Yes. You were.’
His tone was hard. Uncompromising. Commanding.
I swallowed again. My throat was bone dry. Why in heaven’s name was this so hard?
‘How about,’ I whispered, standing up on my tiptoes until my eyes were on a level with his, ‘if I just show you?’
And I kissed him.
Not with fire.
Not with passion.
With love.
Softly.
Slowly.
Silently.
And Mr Rikkard Ambrose, the arctic iceberg in human form, melted under my touch. He made a sound in the back of his throat I had never heard before - a needy sound.
Mr Rikkard Ambrose needing something?
Oh, sure, he wanted lots of things - money, power, the one hundred and seventy-hour work week - but need? He’d never really needed anything before. Yet to judge by the way his arms slid around me, pulling me so close I could hardly breathe, he needed me now. He needed me with a vengeance!
Breaking away from his mouth, I placed another gentle kiss on his cheek. The words began to tumble out of me, and there was nothing in the world I could have done about it.
‘I.’
One more kiss, on his other cheek.
‘Love.’
And a third that I somehow, stretching up farther than I would have thought possible, managed to press on his forehead.
‘You.’
His arms tightened even more, cutting off my air completely. I didn’t mind in the least. Oh, exquisite, fantabulous suffocation! Wouldn’t it be spiffing to die this way? Why care that my life would be over, as long as I was in his arms?
‘Again!’ His voice was more cold and commanding than I had ever heard it - and I loved it! Loved him. ‘Say it again!’
That was Mr Rikkard Ambrose. Always get two for the price of one.
‘I love you.’
His lips claimed mine for one fiery, fierce, heart-wrenching second. ‘Again!’
A laugh escaped me, echoing in the dark hallway. It was a laugh that felt lighter and happier than any in my life. ‘Again? How many times until you’ve had enough?’