Run Rosie Run (35 page)

‘My Love Muscle is hurting, baby. Gonna kiss it better?’

Rosie ran her tongue over his jaw and then her teeth.

‘Hmm,’ she said when she heard him take a tiny, quick intake of breath. ‘I’ll think about it.’

Alexander started to form a reply when her fingers skimmed his thigh. As a businessman, he knew the importance of patience in any negotiation. If she wanted to take the lead, make the first move, that was fine with him.

He found himself the recipient of warm drugging kisses as her tongue tasted, teased and tantalised his.

The feeling of floating under those seeking hands, those searching fingers made the need inside him build as did the pleasure of endlessly extending the moment.

She seemed so absorbed with the shape and the feel of his body, of the texture of the hair on his chest, his skin. The air of the bedroom became thick with Rosie’s hushed sighs and murmured endearments.

Her movements were so slow, lingering over his nipples in a way that made him moan out loud, nibbling a path across his ribcage.

Her searching fingers burned the ache in his balls as she held him, weighed him in her hand and then his pulse beat fast, too fast, until he knew he needed to take control.

In a sudden move, he rolled her beneath him.

Her face was hot, flushed with arousal and her breathing was unsteady with an shaky edge of lust.

Alexander simply watched her, needing this memory after the dark days and nights he’d endured in the week from hell.

Her eyes were almost black now with desire and waiting and wanting.

His heart spoke the words.

‘I love you.’

He watched her eyes fill.

‘I love you, my darling.’

All he could do was absorb the sensations her words caused as the sound of them filtered through his mind to arrow straight into his heart.

His mouth lowered to stop a whisper from hers.

‘Tell me again.’

He needed to hear it to make sure he hadn’t dreamt this moment.

She watched him through those dark, thick lashes while her breath came too fast.

‘I love you.’

He buried his face in her neck as his emotions threatened to break through.

Rosie closed her eyes on a groan that was as much challenge as enjoyment.

Her lips burned for his, but the experience of that clever, wondrous mouth tasting every inch of her flesh brought shocking thrills. His hands stroked her skin and left behind a rush, a high that aroused her so much she shuddered.

Languorous, long, shattering circles were drawn around the soft flesh of her breasts with his tongue, with his teeth and with his lips. The way he suckled her nipple and then licked and flicked the tortured flesh made her arch into his mouth.

But he didn’t stop.

His fingers skimmed low over her taut belly teasing, testing, until she lifted her hips for more, for that unrestrained flash of heat between her legs.

However, he was in no rush and drew out her desire, layer by slow layer with a tortuous persistence that left her weak and helpless.

His mouth now followed the path of his fingers, inch by slow inch until he was between her legs.

The way his tongue fanned the flames over her clitoris, slid around the screaming nub made her cry his name too loud and too long.

Neither were aware that the world around them ceased to exist.

All they could feel was flesh against flesh, a cry for a cry and a moan for a moan.

But now his mouth came back to hers and she could taste the evidence of her arousal on his tongue and it speared need straight to her womb.

She was crying, tears flooding her pillow as Alexander slid inside her, took her hands in his and pressed them down on the bed, one on each side of her head.

‘Look at me, baby.’

And her eyes met his as she stayed with him every step of the way.

Thrust of every slow thrust, he listened to the endless, shuddering breaths blending with his own as their lips bonded and he drank in the sweet, hot tastes of her mouth.

The Universe seemed to stop, then it all came whirling back faster and faster as his hips pumped into her again and again.

His cries of completion matched her own as his seed emptied into her again and again.

He buried his face in her throat.

Rosie wondered if she’d died and gone to heaven.

Alexander lay on top her and she had to take small shallow breaths just to stay alive. And she didn’t care. She was where she wanted, needed to be.

But then moisture on her neck made her blink.

He was shuddering and muttering something.

Her fingers tunnelled through his hair.

‘What’s the matter?’

He rolled over onto his back, pulling her into his side.

Snuggling closer she looked up into his face to find him biting down hard on his knuckles and tears trickling into his hairline, the pillow.

Stunned, she sat and pulled his head onto her lap.

‘What is it?’

‘I’m okay. I’m sorry. It just burst through,’ he said.

The tone of utter mortification squeezed her heart.

‘It’s okay to show emotion, Alexander. It doesn’t make you any less of a man.’

He scrubbed his cheeks, pressed his fingertips into his eyelids.

‘Christ, Jesus. You have no idea what you do to me.’

She was beginning to get an idea and it thrilled her.

‘I love you.’

Those eyes met hers and the next thing she knew she was on her back.

‘Don’t you ever do that to me again.’

No point in pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about. She’d hurt him and in the process she’d hurt herself too.

Her hand reached up to stroke that fabulous face, his cheek, his jaw.

‘I won’t ever leave you.’

His forehead rested on hers.

‘We’ll work it out. I promise.’

Rosie heaved a heartfelt sigh.

Compromise, as a wise woman once said, was key in any relationship.

‘The Bahamas sounds good to me.’

His face lit up with a smile that made her heart soar.

‘Okay. On one condition.’

She blinked as she pulled his hair, hard.

‘What’s that?’

‘The naked rule.’

Rosie’s eyes went wide in a way that made him grin.

‘The naked rule?’

‘Yeah. We’ll have a private beach, private quarters. No clothes on the beach or at home.’

Her laugh pealed around the room.

‘You pervert. I’ve always liked that about you.’

He rolled onto his back and took her with him.

His hands cupped her head, made her look into his eyes.

‘Marry me, please, Rosie.’

She read the plea, saw the anxiety and gave her heart freely into his keeping.

‘Okay.’

And how he could have forgotten the most important part of this?

He took her with him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

‘Stay there,’ he told her.

His jeans lay in a heap and he found what he was looking for in the back pocket.

Her eyes went wide as he dropped to his knees in front of her and held out the little black leather box.

‘If it’s not what you want then we’ll get something else.’

Her hand shook as she took it from him, opened it.

The way her eyes filled meant he wondered if she loved it or loathed it.

Her hand went to her mouth and those huge eyes met his and what he saw there made him heave a big breath of relief.

‘Omigod. Isn’t this your mother’s ring?’

He nodded.

‘I’ve had the principle diamond reset in platinum to bring it up to date. Do you like it?’

Her hand cupped his face as her lips met his.

‘Yes, but it’s your mother’s ring!’

Now he kissed her hard and long before he drew back.

‘And there would be no one happier to have you in our family. I love you, Rosemary Margaret Gordon.’

‘They’re going to kill me,’ Rosie told him in the voice of doom.

Walking through the rear entrance of The Dower House, Alexander held her hand, swung her arm back and forth.

‘No they won’t. I won’t let them.’

The sound of voices, too many voices, put a hitch in her stride but Alexander pulled her into the vast living space of the Ferranti kitchen.

Bronte’s gasp of shock had her whimper in a way that made her fiancé grin.

And then she was in the arms of her best friend who was doing her level best to crack her ribs.

‘What on earth have you done?’

Bronte pulled back but kept her hands on Rosie’s shoulders to study her.

‘Jeez, Bronte, I only cut my hair. Gimme a break.’

Bronte took a shaky breath even as her eyes filled.

‘I
like
it! It makes you look terribly young so if you were hoping to appear older it’s a fail. And you’ve lost weight,’ she accused her in a voice overflowing with emotion.

Janine stepped up behind Bronte, her blue eyes filled to the brim with anxiety and concern.

‘I’m so sorry, Rosie.’

Rosie gave her big eyes.

‘No. I’m sorry. I let you down when you needed me.’

‘Bullshit!’ came the response. Janine grabbed her in a hug. ‘You were right there, in bare feet and everything. I’m sorry if the whispers in town upset you.’

‘You’re not responsible for gossips or my feelings, my behaviour. I am.’

‘Can I have a hug too?’ Josh said.

He caught her in his arms and spun her around before holding her tight.

When his hands slid down to her hips, Alexander cleared his throat and those hands swiftly rose to her shoulders.

With a big grin he studied her features, flicked his fingers over her hair.

‘What’s this, penance? Where’s the hair-shirt?’

Trust him to hit the nail on the head.

‘Shut up.’

Then she turned to face Nico and the look on that harsh face made her flinch.

His eyes narrowed into icy slits.

‘I am very unhappy with you,
cara mia
.’

Her eyes never left his.

‘I’m sorry, Nico.’

Then he shook his head, cast his eyes to heaven, held out his arms.

‘Come here.’

She flew into his arms, buried her face in his shirt.

‘Okay. I think she’s suffered enough,’ Alexander told them in a gruff voice.

He wound his arm around her waist and moved with her to the centre of the room.

‘I hope you have the good stuff chilling because Rosemary Margaret Gordon has agreed to marry me.’

Bronte and Janine’s screams of joy might have shattered glass.

By the time the champagne was flowing and happy tears were dried, talk naturally segued into The Wedding.

‘I’m not waiting for her a minute longer. It’s not as if we don’t know each other,’ Alexander said.

Since the announcement Rosie was sitting on his knee.

He refused to let her go and she wasn’t putting up much of a fight.

But then he looked at her.

‘If that’s okay with you? Do you want a Big Day with all the chaos that surrounds it?’

Nope. Rosie shook her head. She was going to have her dream wedding and that meant small and intimate.

‘We phoned my parents first and they said to do what we want. I’d like a small friends and family celebration held at the Chapel in Ludlow Hall.’

Bronte’s eyes filled again.

‘How lovely. How perfect. When?’

‘Two weeks?’ Rosie suggested.

Alexander’s face was rubbing against her neck as he whispered his approval and she turned to receive his kiss.

‘It’s doable,’ Janine said into the shocked silence. ‘Is the Chapel free?’

By the tone of her voice she’d morphed into the Yoda of organisation that had made such a big impact on the smooth running of Sweet Sensationss.

‘
Si,
’ Nico said in a stunned voice.

‘But, what about a dress, the cake, the invitations?’ Bronte asked in a faint voice.

‘All the people I want there are sitting right here along with my parents and a few others like your father, Bronte, and maybe close friends like Coco and Louise.’

Rosie turned to Alexander. ‘We swore a promise at school that Bronte, Janine, Coco and Louise would come to my wedding.’

He grinned, kissed her right on the mouth, with tongues.

‘A promise is a promise.’

‘And I want a traditional fruit cake. Four tier with fresh flowers, ivory rosebuds, with champagne ribbon. We’ve plenty of fruit cake in the freezers.’

Then her eyes went all dreamy.

‘And I want an ivory silk dress I saw online. Nipped in waist, full skirt. No veil. Maybe a head dress.’

Bronte clicked her fingers.

‘We’ll fly to Rome. I know just the woman who’ll sort you out. You might need Prozac to get you through it, but she’s awesome. We’ll get shoes too while we’re there.’

‘Alexander and I will go with you,’ Nico said. ‘We have business to attend to. If we leave early in the morning we can be back by late evening.’

‘Good idea,’ interrupted Janine. ‘Or you can stay the night and I’ll stay here with Boo at The Dower House with the nanny.’

Now Bronte gave her friend a huge smile.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Positive. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.’

Rosie clapped her hands and bounced on Alexander’s knee in a way that made him wince.

She flung her arms around his neck and beamed big happy eyes into his.

‘We’re going to Rome. Woo Hoo!’

Then she gave him a wicked look that did something amazing to his system.

‘Can you make me a member of the mile high club?’

Aaand she was back!

THE END

Many thanks for reading Run Rosie Run.

Please consider leaving a review. Thank You!

LETTER FROM C.C MACKENZIE

Dear Reader,

Most of us have a secret dream. Rosie’s was that Alexander S. Ludlow would fall madly in love with her. My dream was always to be a writer. When I started writing the Ludlow Hall series four years ago, it was with the goal of entertaining myself, to hone my writing craft and hope others would enjoy my stories. My dream came true.