‘Edo—’
‘Please let me say it,’ he hurriedly added. ‘I should have said it so much sooner, but I was scared, Phoebe.’
‘What does it matter?’ She swallowed. ‘When we’re just sex.’
He deserved her anger—her doubt.
‘We do have the most incredible chemistry,’ he said softly. ‘Neither of us can deny that.’
* * *
Phoebe didn’t want to hear any more. She didn’t want to hurt any more. ‘But it will die eventually, so you don’t need to apologise—’
‘I do. And it’s not all I need to do.’
She was frightened. Really frightened. Her heart was so fragile right now. With one word he could shatter her. All. Over. Again. So she closed her eyes. Tight. ‘Please leave.’
‘I can’t,’ he whispered. ‘Phoebe, I’m sorry I pushed you into a marriage you didn’t want, but I just had this primal feeling that I had to tether you to me. That I needed you near me. I thought I had to protect you and the baby, but it wasn’t really that. Phoebe…’ He groaned. ‘Look at me,amore.Please.’
She couldn’t resist him. Never had been able to. Never would be able to. She opened her eyes and her heart tore. He was on his knees in front of her, his beautiful face pale and every muscle in his jaw clenched, but his espresso eyes were filled with wary hope.
‘I thought if you fell in love with Italy you might stay,’ he muttered, watching her so closely. ‘I wanted you to want to stay.’
‘You never thought I might fall in love with you?’ she asked helplessly.
‘Deep down that’sexactlywhat I wanted. I tried everything to keep you close excepttellyou why. But I couldn’t be honest about why having you near mattered so much to me. Phoebe, you’re wonderful.’
He took her cold hands in his, rubbing his thumbs across her knuckles. ‘You’re warm and funny and beneath your calm exterior hides the most passionate woman I’ve ever met. But you scare the hell out of me. I cannot bear the thought of losing you, I cannot bear the thought of failing you.’
She squeezed his fingers, holding him tightly. ‘You won’t.’
‘I have already,’ he said sombrely. ‘I let you think I didn’t care. I shut you down and didn’t let you speak and I sent you away. I’m the one who fell that day on the road. Ifell—instant and hard and then spent for ever trying to deny it. You’re everything I thought I couldn’t have and I was a coward. And I was cruel. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it before. I’m sorry I let you go. But I love you, Phoebe,’ he breathed. ‘Give me the chance to prove it.’
‘You don’t need to proveanything,’ she argued fiercely. ‘I already know you, Edo. You were kind to George. Kind to me that day all those months ago. I know you’ve done so much for me since. You put that office together for me…you left me flowers—’
‘You knew about that?’ He snatched a breath.
She nodded. ‘And I began to hope you might care aboutme, but then…’
‘Then I let you down,’ he cupped her jaw. ‘I’ll make it up to you. I’ll spend my life—’
‘Just stay with me,’ she mumbled. ‘That’s all I need. Youwithme.’ She didn’t ever want to be alone—not abandoned, not sent away—butwanted.
‘Always. I’ll move here. I don’t care where I am as long as we’re together. I want everything with you, Phoebe. Everything you want.’ His voice broke and the last emerged as a desperate whisper. ‘And I really want our baby.’
Her eyes watered at the genuine desire in his words. He cared about her desires, her needs and their child. Happiness surged in an unstoppable rush and truthfully, she desperately missed the warmth and beauty and space of his Tuscan estate. ‘Thing is, I do really like olives these days. Can’t seem to get enough of them.’
He dragged in another jerky breath, but his gaze softened. ‘So it might be good to live near an endless supply?’
She smiled tremulously and, the second she did, he kissed her. It was the messiest, most emotional, sweetest kiss of her life.
‘Edo…’ Her breath shuddered as the reality of his return hit and she blurted her most terrifying secret. ‘I’m totally in love with you.’
He picked her up, holding her tightly as he bent his face to hers. ‘I was really hoping that.’
‘It scares me,’ she whispered, snuggling into his neck because she wasn’t close enough. Not yet. ‘What I feel is so huge—’
‘I know.’ He carried her through her flat. ‘Me too.’
