"That was what I originally wanted to do, but when you were dancing with me..." She stopped and looked up at him.

"I wanted you then, Matt, and I think it was knowing that I wanted you

that helped to convince me that we had been lovers. I think that deep

down somewhere I wanted us to have been lovers."

When he kissed her she wrapped her arms around him, holding on to him tightly, trembling a little when he told her how much he loved her, how much he wanted her not just for now but for the rest of their lives.

"I've waited a long time to find you," he told her lovingly.

"And now that I have found you, I don't want to wait any longer. Will you marry me, Nicki? "

When she nodded her head, he kissed her again, and this time it was she

who initiated their lovemaking, touching him with loving, knowing hands, exulting in his response to her. "Well, now, Mrs. Hunt, I think we should drink a toast to the person who made all this possible, don't you?"Less than an hour ago they had arrived at their honeymoon villa on thesmall French Caribbean island. Outside the sun was setting in a ballof orange fire. Inside the villa the air conditioning hummed. The girl who had greeted them on their arrival explaining that there was a meal for them in the fridge, had gone, and they were on their own.

As she took the gla.s.s of champagne Matt was handing her, Nicola laughed

teasingly at him.

"Jonathon," she guessed, giving him a deliberately provocative little pout.

"Jonathon," Matt agreed with a grin, putting down his gla.s.s and holding

out his arms to her, telling her, "It goes dark very early here, doesn't it...?"

"Very," Nicola agreed, straight-faced.

"In fact, it's so dark already, it might almost be bedtime..."

"You took the words right out of my mouth,"

Matt told her, nibbling on her earlobe.

"But what about our supper?" Nicola pretended to protest as he picked her up.

"Later," Matt told her.

"Much, much later. Right now I've got far more important things on my mind than food."

"Much more important," Nicola agreed softly.

"Much, much more important."

end.