to feel again, and yet it was so beautiful that she couldn't regret it.
For years she'd lived celibate from choice, trying to believe it was enough. Now she knew that she'd made an old woman of herself too soon, and that it was a crime against her young, ardent flesh. It was a crime also against her heart, which wanted to swell with joy at her lover's embrace, as it did now.
Daniel held her for a long time, kissing and caressing her, gently rousing her desire without rushing her. She had what she needed, which was time to relax, to move at her own speed, while still knowing that he was in control, and she could trust him.
'Lee, my darling…' he murmured at last. 'I want you so much…'
'Yes,' she whispered. 'Yes…'
At once he rose, lifting her off the sofa and cradling her against his chest. Despite her weight he almost; ran up the stairs and kicked open the bedroom door.
He undressed her slowly, touching her with reverent hands. In his arms she felt precious, valuable. How different from Jimmy's selfish lust, which had taught her to shrink from sex. But then she banished Jimmy. He had no place in the miracle that was happening now. Daniel's worshipful ardour enclosed her, shutting out all thoughts but him.
When they lay naked together he kissed her body all over. His movements were gentle but his arms about her were strong, as though he wouldn't risk her escaping. Even then she could sense the determined, possessive male behind the smooth exterior. A predator, she thought hazily, but a delightful predator- a tender, loving predator, such as every woman dreamed of but so few were lucky enough to find.
And then the moment came when she was one with him, and everything was perfect. She'd been half afraid that it would feel strange and unwelcome, that her own fear might cause the ultimate union to destroy the love that had been quietly growing between them. But now all fear fled away. How could it feel strange to love Daniel when he understood her so well and cared for her with such sensitivity? His concern was all for her.
She could feel the effort it cost him to leash back his own passion until she was ready, but he didn't fail her. She had a glorious sense of ease, of relaxing even in the midst of mounting excitement, and when the final moment came she yielded to it readily, knowing that this was right as nothing in her life had been right before. The cry she gave was not only of passion, but also of wonder and gratitude.
He held her for a long time, kissing her tenderly until her flesh had stopped quivering and some of her shattered sensations were restored to normal.
'Are you all right, darling?' he whispered.
'Perfectly all right-and so happy,' she said in a choking voice.
'I warned you, didn't I?' he said with his gentle, heart-stopping smile. 'I'm ruthless when it comes to getting what I want.' He ran his hand down until his fingers were caressing the satin skin of her flat stomach. 'Who knows?' he mused wistfully. 'I might already have you in my net?'
'No,' she said gently. 'Don't build up your hopes, Daniel. I'm not pregnant.'
'You can't really be sure of that.'
'Yes, I can. Completely sure.'
He pulled back a little and looked down at her appraisingly. 'I didn't really take you by surprise at all, did I?' he asked at last.
'Not a bit.'
'You came prepared?'
'That's right. I had a few last-minute qualms tonight, but I made my decision days ago.'
'Which means I'm not the wily seducer I was priding myself on being?'
'Fraid not!'
His fingers were still tracing a gentle path in circles that narrowed down as they neared the tops of her legs. His eyes were alight with self-mocking humour.
'To think of all the trouble I went to tonight-soft lights, sweet music. And all the time I was trying to lure you into my trap you were actually two steps ahead of me, wondering why I was taking so long.'
Lee joined in his laughter and shifted her position slightly so that his fingers naturally found their way home. She stretched luxuriously and slipped her arms round his neck before saying, 'Let's say I made my own choice. I'm here because it's where I want to be.'
'Ah…' His murmur was so soft that she had to strain to hear it. 'Your own choice-I'm so glad. Lee, my darling, I'm so very, very glad.'
CHAPTER SIX
The week that followed passed far too quickly for Lee. She moved in to Daniel's home and began to learn the kind of person he was. The years with Jimmy hadn't taught her that a man could be passionate and funny, fierce and tender, authoritative and humble. It was like being a girl again, in love for the first time, knowing that life would never be the same now this one man had drawn back the curtain on a new world.
They slept wrapped in each other's arms and Lee would awake with her head resting on his smooth brown chest. It was the sensation of warmth and safety that struck her first. Daniel's arms tight about her always made her feel as though nothing could go wrong with her world.
He delighted in getting up first and bringing her a cup of tea. He would hover while she sipped it, enquire, 'Is madam satisfied?' then hurry away to start the breakfast. Being waited on made her feel like a queen. Sonya had sometimes done so, on birthdays and Mother's Day, but as Sonya cooked with one eye on the stove and the other in a book the results weren't encouraging. Daniel gave all his loving attention to creating tempting dishes for his lady.
Although she had the week off, Lee kept in touch with Gillian, checking on the bookings that were coming in.
'Can't you forget work for five minutes?' Daniel complained. 'Relax.'
'I'll never relax until I get where I want to be,' Lee insisted.
'And where's that?'
'At the top. The very top. I get a lot of big commissions but I don't get the top rates, and I'm not first in the queue.' She sighed. 'I guess I'll just have to keep plugging away.'
'Plugging away isn't always the answer,' Daniel said thoughtfully.
'Then what is?'
'You need something extra to get your name known outside the circle of commissioning editors. If you were to win fifty million on the lottery everyone would queue up to have you take their pictures, just to say they'd met you.'
Lee chuckled. 'And why would I be taking pictures if I'd won fifty million?'
'Well, that's the flaw in the argument, of course, but you get the idea. You've got to make people want to say they've met you.'
'Fine. Any suggestions?'
'I'll work on it. But later.' He took her in his arms. 'Just now I have other ideas.'
She discovered that Daniel was a demon cook, with a well-stocked freezer and a library of recipes.
'Cooking for a growing child taught me some self-defence techniques,' he confessed. The trouble is, I became too good. Phoebe never bothered to learn. Why should she when her old man can do it for her?'
'Why should she anyway?' Lee asked impishly. 'Just because she's a girl?'
'Nonsense! If I can do it, she can do it. That's equality.' He struck an attitude. 'It's time men were liberated from the kitchen sink. Give us freedom! Value us for our brains.'
'Hang your brains! Give me your body,' Lee said, kissing him ruthlessly.
He put up a half-hearted struggle, protesting, 'That's all very well, but what happens when my hair falls out and my waistline expands?'
'Then I shall get me a toy-boy,' she said, silencing further argument.
Afterwards she was never able to remember details of that glorious time. They became a blur of days spent getting up late, picnicking at midnight, and discovering each other in endless passionate hours.
