To Eternity by Daisy Banks Page A

large rocket drew her attention. “Look!” She caught her breath. A chest-thumping roar shook him at the explosion of thousands of tiny blue sparkles that dissolved into bright cerise blooms.
    â€œSo beautiful,” she said as the last floated down.
    He nodded. For the first time since they’d met, he’d discovered her true power over his body and soul. She believed in him as a person. To Sian, he wasn’t the beast, or a rich man in need of sensual body satisfaction. He’d known admiration for his strength, for his wealth, for his home, for his prowess, and even Julia’s sweet gifts had offered him tenderness, but Sian eclipsed them all. The light of her love warmed him and wouldn’t let him hide. For her, he must be more man than he’d ever been before. While they were here, there could be no room for such meanderings of the mind though, since her ability to pick up his thoughts was growing daily. This night, he would concentrate on the present alone. They would love like the couples around them, bound by this simple experience to remember.
    The last of the colors faded into swirls of smoky mist. “I’m so glad we came tonight,” she whispered, her breath warm against his throat.
    â€œYes,” he said, aware of how she’d chipped away another chunk of his disguise built with such care over so long. At its simplest, Sian wished for them to live in the same way as those who stood around them tonight. A fresh batch of fireworks erupted, screaming into the night. Sian lifted her gaze to the sky. Incandescent streams of silver and gold, shot through with brilliant blue, wove a path to hide the stars.
    She tilted her head so she faced him. He brushed a stray strand of hair from across her lip and placed a gentle kiss there as the magnificent display ended. Together, like others around them, they slowly moved in the misty, gunpowder-scented night. He linked his arm through hers. They ambled back to where Monty stood by the car. Magnus helped Sian into the back seat. He joined her and gave a nod to Monty.
    Sian rested her head on his shoulder, relaxed and quiet. He gazed out the window as the dark countryside slipped by. If he had any courage at all, he ought to return her to the life she knew before they met. No other course was humane or compassionate.
    â€œMagnus,” she whispered. She angled her face so her lips could press against his.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œYou do understand, even if you send me away, I’ll want to come back to you?” Her words caressed his jaw.
    He sucked in a breath. Private thought might have become a thing of the past, certainly when they were physically close, but that didn’t stop him cursing his stupidity for allowing his thoughts to dwell on their future. The perfection of her in his embrace, the sensation of hope, the prospect of harmony and peace together, he couldn’t bear it. He edged back from her. “You accept I have lived a long life?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou accept I am different from others?”
    She nodded, smiled.
    He glanced to the driver, glad Monty’s presence made further discussion difficult. “Then, please forgive my musings?”
    Her smile grew, and she kissed him again, her lips soft as a moth’s wing on his skin. “Of course, Magnus, at least until we are home.”
    * * * *
    Monty stopped the car by the front door. “Good evening, sir, miss,” he said, a little gruff as always. He held the door for them as if he’d been a chauffeur his life-long.
    â€œThank you, Monty, I’m grateful.”
    â€œYou are most welcome, sir.” A twinkle lit the watery blue eyes.
    He led Sian into the portico, swept her up in his embrace, and held her there so the green Wellingtons could slip off. Still holding her tight in his arms, he carried her indoors where he set her down to remove her coat. He took off his own as she pulled off her scarf.
    â€œThank you