War of Love

'Not to start with,' she reminded him reprovingly. 'You really were awful to Mummy and me.'

'I didn't want you in my life.' He grimaced. 'I had lived without love in my life for so long, and I didn't want it there then either.'

'And now?' Silke kissed the length of his jaw.

'Now I wish we were already married and I could take you away somewhere and make love to you without interruption,' he admitted huskily. 'But I doubt either Henry or your mother would let us get away with that; it will have to be the whole "white wedding" bit!'

She looked up at him searchingly. 'Not if that isn't what you want.' She shook her head. 'I was going to have that once before, and it isn't important-----'

'Silke.' He looked down at her intently now. 'I want to see you walking down the aisle to me in a silky white gown, want to watch with pride as you become my wife. Cameron was an idiot,' he grimly repeated the accusation he had made once before concerning James.

'I was never going away with him, Lyon,' Silke assured him. 'I only let you go on believing that so that you would leave.'

He nodded. 'I realise that now.'

'James's marriage had been going through a rough patch, and he—well, he thought-----'

'I don't give a damn what he thought.' Lyon's arms tightened about her possessively. 'Now that I know you love me, he isn't coming anywhere near you ever again!'

But she would send James his wedding invitation, just so that he would know she and Lyon had 'sorted things out', and that she was going to be happy; she knew James, would have enough sense not actually to attend the wedding!

'I don't want him anywhere near me again,' she dismissed lightly. 'I didn't want him near me on the two occasions you did see him.'

'Good,' Lyon said with satisfaction. 'It totally threw me when I realised he was back in your life,' he acknowledged ruefully. 'But it certainly took my mind off Henry and your mother.' He grimaced. 'Their relationship suddenly took second place in my priorities!'

'It didn't seem that way,' Silke frowned. Although, thinking about it, perhaps Lyon had become less intense about Henry and her mother after seeing James at her flat that evening...

'Quite honestly-----' Lyon gave a rueful smile

'—Henry could have married a twenty-five-year-old bunny girl after that and I wouldn't have objected!' He looked down at her teasingly.

Silke gave a soft laugh. 'You're not going to let me forget that incident in a hurry, are you?' She hugged him for the sheer pleasure of being able to do so; she loved this man with every part of her. And the miracle was, he loved her in return.

'When I'm Henry's age I'll be telling our grandchildren about the way we first met!' he warned her affectionately.

She didn't doubt he would too. And just the thought of those children and grandchildren was enough to fill her with a warm glow for their future together.

'Our children will grow up in a loving family, Silke,' he assured her huskily, looking deeply into her eyes. 'There will be none of the loneliness for them that we both knew in our own childhoods. They will have two parents who love them. And, more importantly, who love each other,' he added with satisfaction.

And they did love each other. Very much. And they would continue to do so. Silke didn't doubt it for a moment, knew that neither of them had fallen in love lightly. And it was a love that would last a lifetime.

The war was over at last. And both of them had won...