Read Online Stormy the Way by Anne Hampson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Hampson
Ads: Link
him and knew the pain and pleasure of his unleashed passion as the whipcord hardness of his body came very close to demanding complete surrender. Sanity intervened and, pale and frightened, she pushed against him, and to her relief he spared her any further temptation. T must own you, my dearest. When will you marry me?'
Vibrant with suppressed ardour the voice. She managed to say in shaky tones, 'I'll marry you whenever you want me to, Leon.'
'Sweetheart! My dearest darling—' His lips found hers and a long, long silence fell before, reluctantly drawing away, he said, 'We must be gentle with Paul, my love. Shall I tell him, or will you?'
'I must tell him,' she returned rather quickly. Paul was too young to handle a situation like that. So amazed would he be that in all probability he would blurt out the truth - that Leon needn't be contrite because he and Tara weren't engaged anyway. Tara would have liked to mention Paul's inheritance, but refrained, admitting that this was not the time.
'He isn't going to take kindly to our marriage, but that can't be helped.'
Leon seemed almost callous, she suddenly realized with a frown.
Noticing it, and obviously perceiving the reason for it he added more gently, 'It's for the best, Tara dear. As I said, it's only calflove, for no young boy of twenty knows his own mind. He'll be over it in no time at all, you'll see.'
She nodded, too much in love to think of anything except her own happiness, but at the same time wishing she could tell Leon that Paul would not need to get over it, as he had never been remotely attracted to her, much less in love with her.
CHAPTER FOUR
THEY were married in England, early in the morning, leaving soon afterwards for Poros, as Leon wanted to have their first night in their own home. This suited Tara, since she could imagine no more romantic place for a honeymoon than the villa, set in its lovely exotic gardens, with the views to the mountains of the mainland just across the strait, and the delightful little harbour with its bright fishing boats and caiques splashing colour against a background of tree-clothed hills.
Sitting in the plane, Tara mused over the events of the past three weeks. Paul - and his astonishment. He was delighted, though, as Tara promised faithfully that he would receive his inheritance, as she would use her influence with her husband. Androula was at first quite shocked, anxious for 'her poor brother' until, impatiently, Paul had told her he had already got over it.
'Already? But, Paul, then you could not possibly have been in love with Tara!'
'I wasn't,' he shrugged. 'That's obvious, because I'm so happy that she's marrying Leon. And so should you be, as you've always been troubled that he'd marry some stiff woman whom you wouldn't get on with.'
'I told you it was only calf-love,' Leon had said on perceiving Paul's reaction. 'The boy won't know his own mind for years yet,' he had added on a slightly disparaging note.
'How exciting!' Joan had said, flinging her arms round Tara on her arrival at the airport with Leon. 'I just couldn't believe it when you wrote saying you were coming home to get married!' And, later, 'He's terrific! You must have the handsomest man in all Greece!'
'Is this on the rebound?' Stewart had asked with that touch of superiority he adopted towards his sister, on account of the five years'
difference in their ages. 'Are you sure you're not going to regret it?'
'I love him,' she had returned quietly. 'It's something as vastly removed from what I felt for Ricky as the Poles are from the Equator.'
He had shrugged and said,
'There's still a home here for you if everything doesn't work out as you expect.'
'Stewart!' exclaimed Joan, shocked.
'It'll work out as I expect it to,' intervened Tara with smiling confidence. 'I'll not be coming home, Stewart - only for visits, of course.'
'You're very quiet.' Leon's voice intruding into her reflection and she turned eagerly to him. Through the opposite
Vibrant with suppressed ardour the voice. She managed to say in shaky tones, 'I'll marry you whenever you want me to, Leon.'
'Sweetheart! My dearest darling—' His lips found hers and a long, long silence fell before, reluctantly drawing away, he said, 'We must be gentle with Paul, my love. Shall I tell him, or will you?'
'I must tell him,' she returned rather quickly. Paul was too young to handle a situation like that. So amazed would he be that in all probability he would blurt out the truth - that Leon needn't be contrite because he and Tara weren't engaged anyway. Tara would have liked to mention Paul's inheritance, but refrained, admitting that this was not the time.
'He isn't going to take kindly to our marriage, but that can't be helped.'
Leon seemed almost callous, she suddenly realized with a frown.
Noticing it, and obviously perceiving the reason for it he added more gently, 'It's for the best, Tara dear. As I said, it's only calflove, for no young boy of twenty knows his own mind. He'll be over it in no time at all, you'll see.'
She nodded, too much in love to think of anything except her own happiness, but at the same time wishing she could tell Leon that Paul would not need to get over it, as he had never been remotely attracted to her, much less in love with her.
CHAPTER FOUR
THEY were married in England, early in the morning, leaving soon afterwards for Poros, as Leon wanted to have their first night in their own home. This suited Tara, since she could imagine no more romantic place for a honeymoon than the villa, set in its lovely exotic gardens, with the views to the mountains of the mainland just across the strait, and the delightful little harbour with its bright fishing boats and caiques splashing colour against a background of tree-clothed hills.
Sitting in the plane, Tara mused over the events of the past three weeks. Paul - and his astonishment. He was delighted, though, as Tara promised faithfully that he would receive his inheritance, as she would use her influence with her husband. Androula was at first quite shocked, anxious for 'her poor brother' until, impatiently, Paul had told her he had already got over it.
'Already? But, Paul, then you could not possibly have been in love with Tara!'
'I wasn't,' he shrugged. 'That's obvious, because I'm so happy that she's marrying Leon. And so should you be, as you've always been troubled that he'd marry some stiff woman whom you wouldn't get on with.'
'I told you it was only calf-love,' Leon had said on perceiving Paul's reaction. 'The boy won't know his own mind for years yet,' he had added on a slightly disparaging note.
'How exciting!' Joan had said, flinging her arms round Tara on her arrival at the airport with Leon. 'I just couldn't believe it when you wrote saying you were coming home to get married!' And, later, 'He's terrific! You must have the handsomest man in all Greece!'
'Is this on the rebound?' Stewart had asked with that touch of superiority he adopted towards his sister, on account of the five years'
difference in their ages. 'Are you sure you're not going to regret it?'
'I love him,' she had returned quietly. 'It's something as vastly removed from what I felt for Ricky as the Poles are from the Equator.'
He had shrugged and said,
'There's still a home here for you if everything doesn't work out as you expect.'
'Stewart!' exclaimed Joan, shocked.
'It'll work out as I expect it to,' intervened Tara with smiling confidence. 'I'll not be coming home, Stewart - only for visits, of course.'
'You're very quiet.' Leon's voice intruding into her reflection and she turned eagerly to him. Through the opposite
Similar Books
