One Night with Prince Charming (16 page)

Hawk's expression turned solemn, however. “Pia Lumley,
I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the very great honor of marrying me and becoming my wife? Please?”

Her first proposal.
Ever.

She'd dreamt of receiving one—from him.

And yet…and yet…

“Wh-what about Michelene?” she couldn't resist asking.

Hawk's lips twitched. “Usually a man doesn't expect a marriage proposal to be met with a question of its own.”

“Usually the woman concerned hasn't been expecting him to propose to someone else.”

“Touché, but there isn't anyone else,” he responded. “Michelene decided not to attend today after it became clear she could no longer have the expectation of becoming a Carsdale bride.”

“Oh, Hawk.” Pia's voice caught on a sob as she grasped the tiara and lowered it to her side. “I—I l-love you—” she watched as Hawk's face brightened “—and I want to marry you. B-but…”

“No buts.” Hawk slid the ring on her finger, and then rose and, taking the tiara from her, placed it on a nearby table.

He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, quieting her upset.

When he raised his head, Pia swallowed hard.

“I'm not fit to be a duchess.”

“I disagree,” he said tenderly. “Where else does the heroine of a fairy tale belong but in a palace?”

“Oh, Hawk,” she said again. “I have lived a fairy tale. Not because you're proposing that I be your duchess, but because this was a test of character. After I found out about Michelene, I considered continuing an affair until you were officially engaged. But then I realized I couldn't do it. I loved you too much, and I wanted all of you.”

His eyes sparked like brown and green flames. “You have all of me. My heart and soul.”

“Your mother won't be pleased.”

“My mother wants to see me happy,” he contradicted. “She and my father had a happy marriage, unlike those of some of their ancestors.”

“I'm not conventional duchess material.”

He shook his head. “You are in character, if not background.”

“But you're eminently responsible these days,” she protested.

Hawk smiled. “Then I suppose it's time for me to follow Lucy in her rebellion. You know, as of today, my mother already has one American in-law.”

“So far you've managed to shoot down every good reason I have for not getting married.”

“That's because there are no good reasons.” Hawk touched her cheek. “Pia, do you love me?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“And I love you desperately. That's all that matters.”

Their lips met, their bodies drawing together.

When they finally broke apart again, Hawk raised her hand. “This ring is one of the Carsdale family jewels. I didn't want to make a proposal empty-handed, but we can get you something you like better if you prefer.”

Pia shook her head. “No, the ring's perfect.”

“We got a second chance.”

She smiled, though she remained misty-eyed. “I'm glad.”

He grinned. “Your ringtone on my cell phone is the notes to the song ‘Unforgettable.'”

“Really?” she inquired with a tremulous smile. “Then I succeeded. I never wanted you to forget me. It was one of the reasons—”

She stopped and blushed.

“Yes?”

“It's one of the reasons I went to bed with you again,” she said in a rush. “I told myself that this time I'd leave you wanting more.”

“You were unforgettable the first time.”

“And yet you left.”

He nodded. “Much to my regret.”

“Because your brother died unexpectedly, and you needed to rush home.”

“I left not because our night together meant too little,” he said with a note of self-deprecation, “but because it meant too much.”

“Why didn't you tell me you were Lord James Carsdale?”

“Because I'd grown used to moving around as James Fielding. It was liberating not to have to shake off women who were overly impressed by a title and money. And frankly, it was freeing for me to avoid some of the trappings of my life as a duke's younger son. Little did I know—”

“That one day you'd be the duke yourself?”

He nodded. “And that someone—someone I've come to care about very much—would be hurt by my charade.”

“Oh, Hawk, we've lost so much time. I wanted to hate you—”

“But instead, deep down inside, you waited for me, didn't you, Pia?” he murmured, his voice low and intimate.

She nodded, caught by the sudden heat in his eyes.

“And I'll thank heaven every day for that,” Hawk said as he lowered his head to hers again.

Pia opened her mouth under his, wanting more of him, wanting to feel their customary flare of desire.

“We can't do this here,” she said eventually against his mouth between kisses. “We'll scandalize everyone.”

“I hope so,” he whispered back wickedly.

For he was her wicked duke.

“Y
ou look divine. I can't wait for the wedding night.”

Pia turned from the mirror, her heart flipping over as she spotted Hawk in the doorway to the changing room.

He was dressed in a cutaway morning coat that displayed his masculine physique to perfection. She couldn't wait for the wedding night, either.

“You shouldn't be in here,” she said, her words belying her feelings. “It's bad luck to see the bride…”

She'd chosen a wedding dress with an all-over lace overlay and a chapel-length train. The dress had a dreamy, fairy-talelike quality, with a straight neckline and fitted sleeves.

It was a dress fit for a princess—or a duchess.

Hawk smiled lazily. “You might feel differently about my appearance when you realize what I've come to deliver.”

She surveyed him with mild suspicion. “I—I can't think what that would be,” she responded, feeling the weight of the tiara that held her veil in place. “Isn't it customary to present the wedding ring during the ceremony?”

In over an hour, she and Hawk would be exchanging their vows in the chapel on Silderly Park.

“First, a kiss,” Hawk said as he stopped in front of her and bent to press his lips to hers.

Pia swayed into him as she felt the warm and supple pressure of his mouth against hers.

When Hawk straightened, Pia wore a dreamy little smile. “I-if that's an indication of what you're here to deliver, then I feel compelled to warn you that we don't have the time or the appropriate easily-disposed-of attire.”

Hawk chuckled, and then bent in close. “Later.”

Pia felt a shiver chase down her spine at the promise in his voice. “Yes, well, first we have a major production to get through.”

After the ceremony, there would be a wedding breakfast for several hundred, in a bow to the dowager duchess's wishes—and somewhat inevitable in light of Hawk's title and position. And in a few weeks' time, after a honeymoon around the Mediterranean, there would be an elegant reception in New York for those who had been unable to attend the wedding.

“After this,” Hawk joked, as if reading her mind, “you'll have no end of prospective brides and hostesses seeking your event-planning services.”

“I want to assure you that you'll always be at the head of the line,” Pia teased back.

Hawk grinned. “How reassuring that I have first dibs on your talent as a party organizer in case I have any more friends who desire a wedding coordinator.”

“I thought you exhausted all of those on your way to resurrecting Pia Lumley Wedding Productions!”

“I only called in a few favors,” he disagreed modestly. “The lost veil and other capers were not my doing.”

“I should hope not.”

Hawk sobered a little. “This all brings me back to the reason for my sudden appearance here.”

Pia arched a brow. “Yes?”

He reached over and opened a nearby dresser drawer. “I put them in here earlier,” he said, withdrawing a velvet case. “I wanted to add the finishing touches to your ensemble.”

“Oh, Hawk, no,” Pia protested. “You've already given me enough.”

“Well, that is true,” Hawk conceded with a twinkle in his eyes. “The weight of my heart alone…”

She giggled.

“Nevertheless,” he continued solemnly as he opened the jewelry case in his hands, “I hope you'll make an exception for heirloom earrings.”

Pia gasped as she caught sight of a magnificent pair of diamond drop earrings.

“They were made for my paternal great-great-grandmother and presented to her on her wedding day,” Hawk said as he gazed into her eyes. “Her marriage lasted sixty-one years.”

Pia felt emotion clog her throat. “Oh, Hawk, what wonderful history and significance.”

Of course, she'd replace the simple diamond studs that she wore—something borrowed from Tamara—with Hawk's gift to her.

Hawk quirked his lips. “Don't thank me just yet. My great-great-grandmother also had eight children.”

“Oh!”

His smile widened as he leaned toward her. “Don't worry,” he said in a low voice. “I'm already committed to raising the feline Mr. Darcy.”

“Hawk?” Lucy's voice sounded from the corridor outside.

“If she finds you in here,” Pia said, “she'll be sure to scold you.”

Hawk stole a quick kiss. “I'll meet you at the altar.”

Pia knew her heart was full to bursting. “And I'll write the fairy tale with you.”

From the first day and for the rest of their lives.