Page 34 of Storm of Bells
‘No, of course not. We wouldn’t wantthat.’
‘And, Mr Linton…?’
‘Yes?’
Grabbing hold of me again, he pulled meacross the desk. Our lips met for one hard, fierce second.
‘When we have a son,’ he growled against mylips, ‘Iwill choose the name.’
My heart pounded as a strange, warm feelingrose inside me. When. He had saidwhen!When, notif.
‘I don’t know,’ I whispered, batting myeyelashes up at him innocently. ‘I kind of like the nameQwert-mmmph!’
His lips cut me off once more.
‘Iwill choose,’ he commandedagain.
I shook my head. ‘Iwill.’
‘No.’
‘Yes!’
‘I will not bend, Mr Linton!’
‘Says the man who went down on one knee infront of me.’
Retreating a few inches, he gazed at me. Hiseyes were no longer coated with frost, but they were filled with afierce intensity that was worse, and at the same time so muchbetter.
‘You would not really do that. You wouldn’tunload our arguments on our child.’
He wasn’t asking. The certainty in his voice,the trust, sent another wave of warmth through me. ‘No,’ Iwhispered. ‘No, I wouldn’t.’
‘So…what now?’
‘How about veto rights? I pick the names, youcan object to any you don’t like.’
He considered for a moment. ‘Reasonable.’
I blinked. Had Mr Ambrose justagreedwith me? Well, well. Pigs could fly, after all. Especially theyellow ones.
However, I wasn’t quite finished with MrRikkard Ambrose yet. I still had ten throbbing fingers thatdemanded vengeance. And while they would have been perfectly finewith wrapping around his neck and squeezing, such a policy seemedunwise if I wanted to meet him at the altar soon. So, instead, Iwaited until he was finished dictating and generally bossing mearound for the day. When the sun began to set and we stepped outinto the corridor, where Karim waited for Mr Ambrose to escort himwherever he was planning to go, I cleared my throat.
‘Mr Ambrose, Sir?’
Without moving his head, he slid his eyestowards me. ‘Yes, Mr Linton? Would you like to stay a little longerfor some free overtime?’
Once again, I fought the urge to throttlehim. Instead, I gave him a big smile. ‘No Sir,’ I told him. ‘Infact, I wanted to inform you thatyouhave some freeovertime ahead of you.’
‘I?’ His eyes narrowed about half amillimetre. ‘Youwork forme, remember?’
‘Not in this case, I don’t.’ My smilewidened. ‘My dear sister and one of my friends have been planningour wedding. Since you shall be footing the bill—’
‘Iwhat?’
‘Of course. You didn’t think my uncle wasgoing to pay for it, did you?’
‘I had thought—’
