Scandals and Secrets

As if to confirm this unspoken realization, he swept her into his arms and kissed her with a hunger that was as catching as it was comforting.

'You know, Celeste .. .' he murmured some time later.

They were curled up on the sofa together, Celeste half on Byron's lap, her head on his chest, her arms around his waist. 'I knew last night you weren't the woman you'd projected all these years. I saw you with Gemma, being so kind and caring, and I said to myself ... that's no hard-hearted, sex-mad bitch there. That's a good woman, a woman worth loving. Naturally, I panicked anew and set out to prove once again that there was nothing to my feelings but lust. Till you put me in my proper place,' he added with a dry chuckle.

'Oh, and where's that?'

'Under your heel?'

'I thought you once said it was in your bed.'

'And so it is. But only if that's where you want to be too.'

They looked at each other and Celeste felt an intense surge of desire. Maybe Byron was right. Maybe their love was a bit of a sickness. But if it was, it was a terminal one, for both of them. It had survived all these years and remained as powerful as ever to this very day. The thrill of being in his arms was a strong as it had been the first time.

'I want to be there every night of my life,' she whispered.

His head dropped to kiss her very, very slowly. 'You do realise my family is going to be scandalized if I marry you,' he said softly against her tingling lips.

'My family is going to be scandalized if I marry you.'

'Looks as if there are going to be a lot of scandalized people around Sydney, then, aren't there? Because I am going to marry you, Celeste Campbell. I'm going to do what I should have done over twenty years ago. Make an honest woman out of you.'

'Don't ask for miracles, Byron,' she teased. 'Marriage won't necessarily make an honest woman out of me.'

His head jerked back, his face stern. 'If you look at another young man again,' he warned, 'there's going to be hell to pay.'

'There's nothing wrong with looking, Byron. After all, that's all I've ever done.'

His face was both disbelieving and shocked. 'Are you saying ... ?'

'It was all pretence. I never slept with any of them.'

'Not even that hunk of a chauffeur you batted your eyelashes at and flirted with like mad?'

'Why do you think I had to let him go? I pretended so well he thought he was on to a sure thing.'

'What about that smarmy-looking Luke in the office?'

'Luke is a very clever, ambitious young man who only has designs on Campbell Jewels, not the boss.'

'God, I'm glad to hear that.'

'Say you love me again,' she rasped as she drew him down on to the sofa with her.

'I love you,' he moaned. 'More than I can say.'

'Then don't say it, darling. Show me. Show me how much.'

'I love you,' she told him afterwards for the umpteenth time, clasping her to him and refusing to let their bodies separate. 'I've always loved you.'

Byron gave a small groan. 'Don't make me feel guilty any more, Celeste. I can't bear it. When I think of what I put you through. I don't deserve your sweet forgiveness. '

'I put your through a few things myself,' she murmured, and snuggled into him. 'Have you guessed yet that it was me who stole the Heart of Fire?'

'Good God!' Byron rolled her on top of him so he could look up into her eyes. 'You little devil! But how did that Stefan creep get hold of it?' he frowned. 'You didn't give it to him, did you?'

'Never in a million years. He found it in my things and stole it as he stole my little girl. Maybe that's why he never sold it in the end, because he was afraid I would be able to trace the sale to him. Gemma told me all about finding it in his things and bringing it to you. Wasn't that an incredible coincidence? But you've no idea how upset I was when it turned up again. I was torn between setting out on another potentially fruitless search for my baby and trying to put it out of my mind. Of course I couldn't, not when the

opal's presence in Australia meant my baby might be here somewhere as well. I went to that ball, determined to find out the circumstances of its return, but found myself buying the damned thing instead, then eventually launching myself into a mad affair with the one man I had vowed never to let touch me again!'

'You ought to talk. I've been going to the dogs ever since the night you turned up at that damned ball! I haven't been able to think straight for wanting to be with you. I did all sorts of stupid things to try to put you out of my mind!'