It was an old Romany phrase, meaning 'Is all well here?' But it was literally translated as 'Is there heart here?' which seemed rather appropriate.
'Yes,' Kev said softly.
'There is nothing you need?'
'For the first time in my life,' Kev admitted, 'there is nothing I need.'
Cam smiled. 'Good.' Nonchalantly tucking his hands in his coat pockets, he braced a shoulder against the door frame.
'What is the situation at Ramsay House?' Kev asked, half-dreading the answer.
'There were a few moments of chaos this morning, when it was discovered that you were both gone.' A diplomatic pause. ' Harrow 's been insisting that Win was taken against her will. At one point he threatened to go to the parish constable. Harrow says if you don't return with Win by nightfall, he'll take drastic action.'
'What would that be?' Kev inquired darkly.
'I don't know. But you might give a thought to the rest of us having to stay at Ramsay House with him while you're out here with his fiancee.'
'She's my fiancee now. And I'll bring her back when I damn well please.'
'Understood.' Cam 's lips twitched. 'You intend to marry her soon, I hope?'
'Not soon,' Kev said. 'Immediately.'
'Thank God. Even for the Hathaways, this is all a bit untoward.' Cam glanced over Merripen's disheveled form and smiled. 'It's good to see you at ease finally, Merripen. If it were anyone but you, I'd say you actually looked happy.'
It was not easy to shed the habit of privacy. But Kev was actually tempted to confide in his brother, things he wasn't even certain he had words for. Such as the discovery that the love of a woman could make the entire world seem new. Or his wonder that Win, who had always seemed so fragile and in need of protection, had emerged as an even stronger presence than he.
'Rohan,' he asked quietly, to keep Win from overhearing, 'I have a question…'
'Yes?'
'Do you conduct your marriage the way of the gadje or the Rom?'
'Mostly the way of the gadje,' Rohan said without hesitation. 'It wouldn't work otherwise. Amelia is hardly the kind of woman who could be treated as a subordinate. But as a Rom, I will always reserve the right to protect and look after her as I see fit.' He smiled slightly. 'You will find a middle way, just as we have.'
Kev scrubbed his hand through his hair and asked guardedly, 'Are the Hathaways angry about what I've done?'
'You mean carrying Win off?' 'Yes.'
'The only complaint I heard was that you took far too long.'
'Do any of them know where we are?'
'Not that I'm aware of.' Cam 's smile turned wry. 'I can buy you a few more hours, phral. But have her back by nightfall, if for no other reason than to shut Harrow up.' He frowned slightly. 'He's an odd one, that gadjo r
Kev gave him an alert glance. 'Why do you say that?'
Cam shrugged. 'Most men in his position would have done something, anything, by now. Destroyed some furniture. Gone for someone's throat. By this time, I would have turned all of Hampshire upside down to find my woman. But Harrow only talks. And talks.'
'About what?'
'He's said quite a lot about what his rights are, what he's entitled to, his sense of betrayal… but so far it hasn't occurred to him to express any concern about Win's welfare, or consider what she wants. Overall, he acts like a child whose toy has been taken from him and who wants it to be given back.' Cam grimaced. 'Damned embarrassing, even for a gadjo.' He raised his voice and called to the unseen Win, 'I'm leaving now. Good day, little sister.'
'And to you, Mr. Rohan!' her cheerful voice floated back.
They unpacked a feast from the basket: cold roast fowl, a variety of salads, fruit, and thick slices of seedcake. After devouring the lot, they sat before the hearth on a quilt. Dressed only in Kev's shirt, Win sat between his thighs while he brushed the tangles from her hair. He ran his fingers repeatedly through the length of silk, which gleamed like moonlight in his hands.
'Shall we go for a walk, now that I have my clothes?' Win asked.
'If you like.' Kev held her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck. 'And afterward, back to bed.'
She shivered and made a sound of amusement. 'I've never known you to spend so much time abed.'
'Until now I've never had a good reason.' Setting the brush aside, he pulled her into his lap and cradled her. He kissed her lazily. She pushed upward with increasing demand, making him smile and pull back. 'Easy,' he said, stroking her jaw. 'We're not going to start that again.'
'But you just said you wanted to go back to bed.'
'I meant to rest.'
'We aren't going to make love anymore?'
'Not today,' he said gently. 'You've had enough.' He brushed his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. 'If I made love to you again, you wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow.'
But as he was discovering, any challenge to Win's physical stamina was met with immediate resistance. 'I'm quite well,' she said stubbornly, sitting up in his lap. She spread kisses over his face and throat, everywhere she could reach. 'Once more, before we go back. I need you, Kev; I need-'
He quieted her with his mouth, and received such an ardently impatient response that he couldn't help chuckling against her lips. She drew back and demanded, 'Are you laughing at me?'
'No. No. It's only… you're adorable, you please me so much. My eager little gadji…' He kissed her again, trying to calm her. But she was insistent, stripping off his shirt, pulling his hands to her naked body.
'Why are you so anxious?' he whispered, lying back on the quilt with her. 'No… wait.… Win, talk to me.'
She went still in his arms, her small frowning face close to his. 'I'm afraid to go back,' she admitted. 'I feel as if something bad will happen. It doesn't seem real that we can truly be together now.'
'We can't hide here forever,' Kev murmured, stroking her hair. 'Nothing will happen, love. We've gone too far to turn back. You're mine now, and no one can change that. Are you afraid of Harrow? Is that it?'
'Not afraid, exactly. But I'm not looking forward to facing him.'
'Of course not,' Kev said quietly. 'I'll help you through it. I'll talk to him first.'
'I don't think that would be wise,' she said uncertainly.
'I insist on it. I won't lose my temper. But I'm going to take responsibility for what I've done. I would hardly leave you to handle the consequences without me.'
Win lowered her cheek to his shoulder. 'Are you certain nothing will happen to change your mind about marrying me?'
'Nothing in the world could do that.' Feeling the tension in her body, he ran his hands over her, lingering on her chest, where every heartbeat was a hard, anxious collision. He rubbed a circle to soothe her. 'What can I do to make you feel better?' he asked tenderly.
'I already told you, and you wouldn't,' she said in a small, sullen voice, and that drew a smothered laugh from him.
'Then you'll have your way,' he whispered. 'But slowly, so I won't hurt you.' He kissed the spaces behind her earlobes and moved down to the smooth whiteness of her shoulders, the pulse at the base of her throat.
More softly still he kissed the plump curves of her breasts. Her nipples were bright and stung-looking from all his previous attentions. He was careful with them, his mouth gentle as he covered a swollen peak.
Win made a little movement, gave a faint hiss, and he guessed the nipple was smarting. But her hands came to his head, holding him there. He used his tongue to make languid circles, sucking only enough to keep the tender flesh inside the clamp of his lips. He spent a long time at her breasts, keeping his mouth soft, until she moaned and stirred her hips, needing more than the faint, feathery stimulation.
Dragging his lips down between her thighs, Kev rooted in the hot silk of her, finding the delicate blunt point of her clitoris, using the velvet flat of his tongue to paint and caress. She clutched his head more tightly and sobbed
