Katrina

Chapter Eleven

Katrina sat up in her bed staring at the closed bedroom door. She was wondering if Patrick was able to get any sleep, as it had been evading her this past few hours.

Apart from the attack on their home, which was enough to keep her awake, her mind was also turning on more personal matters.

She knew things could not continue as they were. Their relationship was changing, growing into something.. She wasn't sure exactly what it was yet.

She was certain it was Patrick's sense of honour preventing him from taking things between them a step further, perhaps some sense loyalty to his dead wife as well, which she could understand.

But where did that leave her? She only knew she had this whole new awareness of him, when he had kissed her, it had sent a heated response through her body she had never experienced before, if it was love or lust she couldn't be certain. But it was something she could no longer ignore

When her Uncle had touched her it had made her shudder in disgust, and she could not get far away enough from him.

Even though she had been engaged, she had never exchanged more than a chaste kiss with Paul, which had been pleasant, but it was nothing like the response Patrick was able to evoke in her

Thinking about it send a strange warm thrill through her as she thought about his lips on hers and those hands touching her, it was something she would like to explore further she realised a little shocked by the turn of her thoughts.

Katrina decided she didn't want Patrick to look upon her as the poor little rich girl whom he had took pity on and rescued

.She wanted him to see her as a woman, as a proper wife; someone he could come to.

It was only and right after all, he had committed himself to her in marriage, it was time to make the marriage real. And if he was too honourable to bring it about, then she would have to do it.

Perhaps if he realised she was willing to set aside the part where their marriage was in name only, that his advances would be welcome.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to strike while the iron was hot before she lost her nerve again. She got out of bed and went over to the door and opened it

Patrick was standing in the middle of the room, about to remove his shirt. He stopped dead and immediately frowned in concern as she came out of the bedroom.

"Is something wrong?" he enquired.

"No, not really," she manage to reply shaking her head, "Actually I have been unable to sleep.. I have been thinking a lot on what happened earlier tonight, and I have come to a decision"

"Oh yes?" Patrick queried warily, "About what?"

"A-bout us," Katrina informed him

"What about us?" Patrick's tone was still cautious

Katrina chewed on her lower lip, not sure how she should express her feelings on such a delicate matter, especially when she was uncertain how he would react.

She found it difficult to look into his green eyes as she tried to choose her words carefully

"About our marriage arrangements.. I know we agreed that it would be in name only, but I don't think that it was binding if things changed between us, which I think it has" she hastily added

"I see," Patrick’s tone and expression remained neutral, which didn’t help Katrina as she struggled to go on

"I think.. Actually I feel that the way things are going between us lately, it is time I became your wife in every proper sense of the word, and not just in name only.