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Page 362
stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, and she closed her eyes, leaning toward him.
When she was tucked up close against him once more, she heard him whisper gently into her ear, "Mariah, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"
Once more, she pulled back to study him. No more did his expression reflect the stony distance that had been so familiar. He had bared his emotions to her, and now she reveled in the loving warmth in his eyes, the hopeful smile on his solid, narrow lips.
"I would be proud to," she replied, her voice quivering with emotions of her own.
As though to seal the promise, he placed his lips upon hers, gently at first. His taste was intoxicating, like the ale from the barrels nearby. She wove her fingers into his hair.
For an instant, she let herself think of how chafed and work-hardened her hands had become. She was proud of them once more. Their dryness and calluses showed her adjustment to this time in which she'd chosen to remain.
She used her hands to draw his head tighter toward hers, and felt him deepen the kiss.
"Mariah," he whispered harshly against her mouth. His tongue forged a path between her teeth, and she met it eagerly with her own, letting him set a darting, familiar rhythm that left her weak.
His hands roved the length of her back, and she let her own venture along the smoothness of his shirt, then pulled it from the waistband of his trousers. She sleeked her hand along his heated bare skin. He pulled her closer yet, and as he squeezed her buttocks she strained forward, feeling him harden. As she ground herself against him, she heard a whimper and realized it was her own.
"Ah, mes amis!"
"Damn!" Thorn whispered, pulling away to glare at René. Mariah didn't feel in the least embarrassed. She'd walked in on a similar scene between Holly and René when she'd first returned to the inn.
Now, the other couple stood with their hands linked, equally huge smiles lighting their faces. "You look a lot

 
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