The Perfect Temptation (68 page)

to the dock. And if he thought for one minute
that she was

going
to
sail off and wait for
him
to come on the next ship-

"It
is difficult to
say," her uncle mused aloud. "She has a

special place in his heart and there
will
be many suitors willing

to offer great riches for her."

Aiden bristled; she could see
It
in the widening of his

stance, the squaring of his shoulders. ''Then
we'll go to

Kedar,"
he replied, his
tone flinty, "tell
him
to name his

price, and I'll send for it."

"I think it would be best
if
you waited for
him
to-"

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Alex interrupted,
dropping her

valise and parasol and stepping up to stand
with them. "But I

haven't gone anywhere. I'm right here and I
will not be removed

from this matter."

Before either of them could muster a protest
or an apology,

she planted the palm of her hand in the center
of

Aiden's chest and backed him away from her
uncle. When

she had
him
a sufficient distance, she took the front of his

shirt in hand and drew
him
to a stop. "John Aiden?" she said,

looking up into sparkling, laughing green
eyes.

His grin was wide and bright. "You never
call me John

Aiden."

Her anger dissolved in an instant. God, how
she loved

him. How impossible it was
to
think of living without him.

''That's because," she admitted, laughing
softly, "I'm so

very rarely irritated with you."

She was his; the love of
his
life. She always had been. She

always would be. He knew it in his heart and
deep in
his
soul.

Mindful of those watching them, Aiden slipped
his arm

around her waist and drew her close. "You
are absolutely

beautiful," he said softly, his words for
her ears alone. "You

take my breath away every time I look at you.
Alex, you're

everything to me. My happiness, my heart, my
life. I can't

live without you. I don't want to live without
you. I love you."

He bent his head and brushed a kiss across her
lips, then

straightened to solemnly ask, "Will you
marry me, AlexT'

She twined her fingers in the hair at his nape
and arched a

brow as a smile tickled the comers of her
mouth.
'Will
you

remember tomorrow your solemn vow to never be
happy?"

He'd been a such a fool for so long. God only
knew why

Alex had as much patience with him as she did,
but he'd be

forever
grateful
for the incredible gift of it. "Sometimes what

you least expect comes to you from where you
least expect it

when you least expect it And sometimes, Alex,
the
gift
is so

brilliant, so magnificent, that it completely
changes the way

you see the entire world. I've set that vow
aside.
In
loving you

I've realized that I
made
it for the wrong reasons."

"And
will
you someday set aside your vows to meT'

"Never," he promised from his heart.
"I'll make them for

every reason that's right. I'll stand before
God and swear on

my soul to hold them sacred. There will never
be another

woman, Alex. I
will
love only you, hold only you into all

eternity. Please stay. Please tell me that you
love me."

Her joy was boundless and complete. "What
will
come,

will come, Aiden. We can't know what it will
be. But I do

know that I love you with all my heart and
that I'm destined

to face whatever life brings always in your
arms, always protecting

your heart and our love. Yes, Aiden. I'll
marry you."

"Thank you,"
he
murmured, bending down to kiss her

slowly and with a reverence that filled her
soul to overflowing.

Only when the fires of passion
flared,
when their breaths

caught, did he draw away. Grinning, he cleared
his
throat

and asked, "So what do we do now,
darling? Do we go to
In
dia

and ask your father's blessing?”

She shook her. head.
"Kedar
knows that love
is
the blessing,"

she assured him, smiling and easing out of his
embrace,

certain of her course. ''We bid the others a
safe journey."

Hand in band, they turned and made their way
back to her

family. Sarad was the only one who didn't look
supremely

pleased and so Alex deliberately began with
him. "Please

tell my father that I have chosen love and
that I will bring

my husband to meet him before the year is
out!'

He snorted, but one comer of his mouth
twitched upward.

"Kedar
will be
disappointed. But he will also understand

your choice as no one else can. Mark the days
of your promise

well, my niece. Your father will."

Alex nodded and turned
to
Mohan. Aiden released her

hand and she reached out to smooth his dark
hair as she said,

"I'll always be your sister, you know.
If
you
need
me, I'll be

there for you. I'll watch you and remind you
to be a good and

honorable ruler. And I'll pray that you
someday find a love

as perfect as I have."

"I am happy for you, Alex. I am glad that
I was able
to

playa small part in making Aiden see the
wisdom of loving

you. I think the ploy to make him jealous of
other men was a

masterful one. Do you not agree?"

"It
was absolutely
brilliant." She bent down and hugged

him close and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
''Thank you, little

brother."

"I
will
see you in one year?” he asked, his bravado cracking

as she straightened and drew away.

"If
not once or twice
before," Aiden assured him, reaching

past her to ruffle the hair she'd just
smoothed.

To the sound of his laughter, she turned
to
face the hardest

of her farewells. "Thank you,
Preeya," she said, the tears

welling in her eyes
as
she took her hands in her own. "For

always watching, for keeping my secrets and
hoping for my

great happiness. For sharing your wisdom and
making me

be strong when I didn't think I could be.
If
Brahma sees fit
to

bless me with children, I will have Aiden
bring me to you so

that your love can
see
them safely into the world."

"No tears at our parting, Alex," she
gently admonished,

her smile soft and gentle. "You have
chosen well and wisely.

Aiden is a good
man.
A strong man. There will be many,

many children, Alex. You will be in India
often. It will

please your father to hold his grandchildren.
I will see you

again before the year is gone. And I will be
prepared and

waiting for you."

Alex hugged her close and kissed her,
lingering for a

while, reluctant to let her go, determined to
banish the

welling
tears
before she stepped away and Preeya could see

them. After several long moments, she gave the
effort up as

futile. With a chagrined smile, a sniffle, and
a quick brush of

her eyes with her fingertips, she stepped away
and turned to

the man standing at Preeya's side.

"At least we don't have
to
say good-bye, Sawyer. I will

miss having you around the house, though. I've
enjoyed your

company."

He cleared his throat. 'Thank you for saying
so, Miss

Radford. I am sure that our paths will cross
in the days

ahead. And most assuredly when you and Mr.
Terrell visit in

India."

"Whoa!" Aiden exclaimed from behind
her. "Did I hear

that correctly? You're going to be in India
when we get

there?"

Again Sawyer cleared his throat. "You
understood correctly,

sir. When his lordship returns, I intend to
submit my

notice, and immediately leave my life here to
become a part

of Preeya's."

Stunned, Alex looked back and forth
between
them.

“How-"

"I
was asked to
translate
one
conversation;'
Mohan

quickly explained.
"I
assure
you that
I learned
nothing
of an

untoward
nature and that
I
was
greatly
disappointed."

''Carden
is
going
to
kill
me."
Aiden chuckled. He extended

his
hand
to Sawyer.
''Congratulations.
The
matter
of

my imminent death aside,
I
sincerely
wish
you
both
every

happiness."

''Thank you, sir."

Aiden hugged Preeya
and
planted
a kiss
firmly
on
her

cheek.

"Aiden says that he's very happy
for
you
both:' Alex

translated for the stunned and furiously
blushing woman,