A Physical Affair

CHAPTER TWELVE

AN oppressive silence seemed to echo along the line.

‘Yes?’ he repeated, a little less aggressively this time.

Taking a deep breath, Keira launched into a disjointed explanation. ‘I’m sorry. About the flowers. I didn’t know, I mean, I didn’t receive them. I’ve only just found them. And read your card. I thought…’ Her voice wavered and finally died and the silence returned.

‘I arranged for them to be delivered on Monday morning,’ he said carefully.

‘I know. That is, I know now. They…’ Keira paused, unsure whether she should implicate Denver Clarkson. ‘The flowers were put in the staff-room and, you see, I didn’t go in there until this evening.’

‘And you thought I hadn’t been in contact since Sunday?’ he asked quietly.

‘Yes. I’m sorry, I should also apologise for-’ Keira swallowed again ‘-I’m afraid I may have over-reacted before, when I, when we were discussing the article.’

‘You did that,’ he acknowledged, his voice low, the tone sending shivers down her backbone, rendering Keira speechless again. ‘But in the circumstances I can appreciate how you felt.’

‘Thank you. For understanding. And belatedly for the flowers,’ Keira added quickly, shifting the receiver from one hand to the other. ‘The roses were beautiful.’

The heavy silence hung between them again and for the life of her Keira couldn’t think of another thing to say. When she wanted to say so much.

‘So,’ Eden finally broke the rising tension, ‘shall we put our last conversation behind us and start over?’

‘I… Yes. I think that might be best.’ Keira cringed at her insipid reply. Who would blame him if he-?

Eden gave a soft chuckle. ‘You know, I happen to recall another conversation we had, and, incidentally, it’s given me nightmares ever since.’ His voice was even more provocatively arousing and Keira’s sensitive nerve-endings reacted accordingly. ‘You may remember that night of Sam’s eightieth birthday party. Apart from my abject foolishness living on to haunt me, I keep thinking about something you said.’

‘What…? I mean, what did I say?’ Keira asked, her mouth dry. Her electrified body had gone full circle and now seemed completely desensitised.

‘Something about in the unlikely event that you should be overcome by a surge of uncontrollable desire you’d be sure to call me.’ He paused. ‘Remember that?’

Keira coughed nervously. ‘No. Yes. I mean I may have said something like…something like that. In the heat of the moment.’

‘I don’t suppose this call could possibly fall into that category?’

She knew they were stepping on to unfamiliar ground and a tiny voice inside her demanded caution, but her heart clamoured so loudly it easily overcame her usual reticence. She loved Eden and she had to take this chance.

Keira’s numbed body began to come back to life. ‘I rather think it might.’ Excitement careered about her body in a torrent of exhilaration. ‘However, you’re slipping into bad habits again.’

‘Which particular ones this time?’

‘Exaggerated reporting. Perhaps you need someone to edit your work.’

‘You think so?’

‘Mmm. I do.’

‘Aah. I do. Ominous words, those. And if I offered you the job?’

‘It would depend on the fringe benefits.’

‘I think we could negotiate on the fringe benefits you have in mind. In fact, fringe benefits are my speciality.’

‘I know.’

There was another earth-stopping moment of silence. ‘Keira?’ he said huskily. ‘You also said not to hold my breath waiting. I take it that holding my breath now would be reasonably safe.’

‘As the rock of Gibraltar.’

‘Stay right there. I’m coming down. And, Keira, by the time I get to you I’ll be in dire need of some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.’

‘I topped my class in first-aid. But there’s no need to over-exert yourself. I’m right outside.’

She heard his throaty chuckle as he dropped the receiver and she slowly replaced her own handpiece.

Smiling widely she crossed to the hallway but her footsteps faltered as he came out of his office. He stopped too and they stood looking into each other’s eyes.

Then Eden held out his arms and Keira ran to him. They clung together, their bodies moulded as though they were one. His mouth found hers, captured her lips, and they sank into each other. When they broke apart at last they were both breathless.

Eden shook his head slightly, his eyes shining with passion. ‘Come inside,’ he said huskily. ‘I don’t think my legs are capable of holding us up for much longer.’

He led her into the office and over to the soft leather couch. Sitting down, he pulled her back into his arms so that she was lying half across his lap, and he kissed her hungrily again.

His lips teased hers, his tongue-tip tantalising with an exquisite pleasure. Keira’s breasts swelled, her heart-beats beginning to thunder in her ears, and she moaned softly.

‘My God, Keira. What you do to me,’ he whispered thickly, and took a deep steadying breath. ‘Much more of this and-’ he raised his eyebrows expressively

‘-and you know what will happen. We’ll never get to talk.’

‘We could always talk later,’ Keira suggested, secretly amazed at her own audacity, and he groaned eloquently.

‘Very tempting.’ His eyes roved over her lips to the swell of her breasts and he lifted his hand to run his fingertip gently down to the V of her blouse. ‘Very, very tempting. But I want to get everything straight between us.’

His expression sobered and he held her gaze. ‘Those two words I mentioned before,’ he said, and Keira raised her eyebrows enquiringly.

‘I do. And all that goes with them,’ he elaborated.

Keira flushed, her lips parting in surprise, and he let his fingertips touch them gently.

‘Will you do me the honour? Marry me, Keira? Because I don’t think I could settle for anything less with you.’

‘I… Marry you? Eden, are you sure?’ she appealed to him and he smiled.

‘Everyone else knows how I feel about you, Keira Strong. You told me yourself rumours have been rife. I even considered consulting Aunt Aggie.’ He pursed his lips in mock contemplation. ‘Dear Aunt Aggie. I have this problem with the sleeves of my shirts. When I’m around a certain person I tend to wear my heart all over them. But she doesn’t seem to notice the stain. Signed, Frustrated Lover.’

Keira bit back a chuckle and he pulled her closer.

‘Am I sure? I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.’ His blue eyes levelly held hers, his expression serious again. ‘What about you?’

‘I’d love to. I mean, I love you.’ Keira gave a nervously excited laugh. ‘Yes, I will.’

He expelled the breath he had been holding. ‘Thank you,’ he said simply before he lowered his head to kiss her again, this time with long, slow sensuousness, and it was some time before he raised his head.

‘I can scarcely believe I’ve got you in my arms, my love. You know, I told myself you’d come around, that I’d make you want me, but after our altercation this afternoon, I really thought Id lost you: He shook his head. ‘Since the moment I met you you’ve had me at a disadvantage, Keira Strong. Did you know that?’

‘I’ve had you at a disadvantage?’ Keira repeated incredulously, and he nodded.

‘I quite honestly didn’t know how to act, what to say. I felt like a damn schoolboy.’

Keira laughed softly. ‘It didn’t show.’

‘Not even when we first met? No matter what I did or said, I couldn’t seem to get it right. I took one look at you up there on the balcony with Daniel and I couldn’t believe how incomprehensibly, blazingly angry I was. Then, later in the library, I knew.’

‘Knew what?’ Keira asked, her fingers resting against the solid wall of his chest.

‘That my life would never be the same. That without you a part of me would always be empty. I’d never experienced that before and I didn’t much like the feeling. It threw me into a tailspin and made me act like a prize pain in the derrière.’

‘Now that I come to think of it, you were pretty obnoxious,’ Keira teased, and he stole a quick kiss.

‘I couldn’t help myself. I did some pretty extensive nitpicking, didn’t I? Accusing you of seducing Daniel, trying to goad you, all because, as you so rightly told me, I was burningly jealous. I couldn’t decide which was worse, thinking you were married to someone else or the fact that you seemed to prefer my nephew.’

‘And then you offered yourself in his place,’ Keira reminded him, and his lips twisted self-derisively.

‘Yes. Well, I sank to a new low with that outrageous suggestion. I knew it, but part of me still yearned for you to take me up on my offer.’

‘At the time I thought you were the most arrogant man I’d ever had the misfortune to meet,’ Keira told him.

‘I rather suspected as much. And more.’

Keira fiddled with a button on his shirt. ‘But the most attractive,’ she added with a grin, and Eden grimaced.

‘Had I known that, it would have saved me a lot of confusion and indecision. Uncharacteristic confusion and indecision, I might add. I tried keeping away from you but that was a dismal failure. I just kept coming back. Not that you gave me much encouragement apart from that afternoon in your office. That gave me some hope. Even if you did back off afterwards.’

‘My retreat was self-preservation on my part,’ Keira explained. ‘I thought I was just another challenge for you.’

Eden gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘Just a challenge. You were a challenge all right, the biggest challenge of my life. And I felt that was exactly what was at stake. My whole life. I suspected I’d found the woman I wanted to share the rest of my life with so I knew how much I had to lose.’

Keira sighed. ‘And I thought you were already involved with Megan Donnelly.’

‘Megan?’ he repeated in surprise. ‘Never. Megan has been unofficially engaged to my best friend for years.’

‘I know that now. Roxie filled me in. But on Monday morning, not having received your flowers, when Daniel told me you’d left for the States I thought the worst. I didn’t know about your friend’s illness. Will he be all right?’

‘He’ll need to take things easy for a while but, yes, he’ll be fine.’ Eden frowned. ‘You thought I’d gone straight from you to Megan?’ he asked incredulously, and Keira nodded.

‘And because of my suspicions about you and Megan I’d also convinced myself you must have just wanted an affair with me.’

‘My! My! What a wonderful opinion you had of me,’ he said with feeling.

‘Well, can you blame me? Apart from Megan there was nary an edition that went out on the street that didn’t feature Eden Cassidy and an attractive female.’

‘Oh, yes! I’d forgotten the power of the Press. Come to think of it, I’ve forgotten a lot of things lately. Since I met you, sometimes I’ve been hard pressed to recall my own name.’

‘I find that hard to believe.’

‘Believe it, Keira,’ he said sincerely. ‘And believe I don’t want just a passing physical affair. I want a permanent one, an affair to last a lifetime.’

‘Are you sure you do? I mean, I’m just a plain, everyday garden variety-’

Eden stopped her with a quick kiss. ‘There’s nothing plain or everyday about you.’

‘You did tell me yourself I wasn’t in the first bloom of youth. What do you see in this boring old bag anyway?’

‘Boring old bag? What a way to describe the woman I love. You are the most stimulating, spirited, intelligent, amusing, attractive, sexy-’

Keira put her fingers gently on his lips and he nibbled her fingertips. ‘Am I sexy?’ she asked softly, and he gave a low inciting laugh.

‘Beyond belief.’

Keira’s eyes fell from the passion in his and she felt herself flush again. ‘Dennis led me to believe I wasn’t exactly a success at my wifely duties,’ she said and Eden’s grimace made her smile. ‘In fact, I used to think I just wasn’t terribly responsive.’

‘Hence your intriguing statement. How did you describe it? A highly over-rated activity.’ The corners of his mouth lifted in amusement.

‘If I recall the occasion correctly I was clutching at straws to hold you at arm’s length.’ Keira made a show of pursing her lips. ‘I suspected all the time I was fighting a losing battle.’

‘I wish you’d had the forethought to tell me,’ he said with feeling. ‘It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights.’ He looked down at her. ‘So, can I take it that you’ve revised your opinion?’

‘My opinion?’

‘That you think it’s highly over-rated.’

Keira chuckled. ‘That’s a blatant case of fishing for compliments if ever I heard one. I’ll just say your rating was-’ Keira paused ‘-phenomenal. Sensational. Not to mention spectacular.’

Eden pulled a wry face. ‘A simple yes would have done,’ he said and they laughed softly.

Then Keira sobered. ‘But when you and I did make love I-well, there hadn’t been anyone since Dennis and I was worried I wouldn’t be… It had been so long.’ Keira shrugged eloquently.

‘I’ve heard it said it’s rather like riding a bicycle. You never forget how.’

‘Would that be a male joke?’ Keira goaded, and he looked suitably offended.

‘Perhaps a little facetious,’ he agreed, ‘but in this case not exactly sexist. The pendulum can swing both ways.’

Keira glanced up at him in surprise.

‘I was apprehensive, too,’ he told her. ‘I had a gut feeling I’d met the one woman I’d been searching for all my life so you were the woman I most wanted to impress. I hadn’t done such a marvellous job of that out of the bedroom so I didn’t want to be found wanting in bed as well. Notwithstanding Daniel’s little revelation that I programme myself like a robot once a month. Once a month? He must think I’m way past my prime.’

Keira tried to swallow a giggle and failed, and Eden pulled her against him.

‘I hope that’s not cruel laughter, my love. My fragile male ego is at stake here.’

‘Rubbish! I don’t believe your ego was ever fragile in your life.’ Keira nibbled his earlobe. ‘Found wanting in the bedroom indeed,’ she repeated huskily, her warm breath making him groan softly. ‘I think I’ve already given you my assurances you were very impressive, so I think we can disregard that. Well, all except wanting and bedroom. In fact-’ Keira raised her head ‘-I really don’t think we need the bedroom either, do we?’ she asked, looking challengingly into his eyes.