Ethan’s eyes fluttered closed.
His palm reflexively tightened on her jaw, his other hand rising to pin her waist to his chest.
As with everything else, hisladrathrew herself entirely into the moment.
Like their previous two kisses, this one was hungry.
Unlike their past kisses, this one did not taste of desperation or manipulation.
No.
It felt like a promise.
An assurance that this kiss meant as much to her as it did to him.
He tilted his head and feasted on her mouth, taking every last morsel that she offered up.
With languid, gentle nips at her bottom lip, he soothed the hungry edge of her passion, coaxing a moan from her.
Grasping his head in both hands, she punished him in return, forcing him to chase her mouth and rewarding him with long, drugging kisses that had him growling for more.
It wasn’t enough.
No number of kisses would be enough, he realized. There were not enough hours in all of eternity to satisfy his need for her.
It hit him like a thunderbolt—
He loved her.
Ethan Penn-Leith loved Lady Allegra Gilbert.
The knowledge shimmered like fireflies in his veins, golden bright and pulsing with joy.
The force of the revelation nearly pushed the words out of his mouth. A rushing confession—I love you.
Thankfully, her lips stemmed the words, inhaling them unspoken into her lungs.
Still, he branded them into every caress of his hands across her skin, every press of his mouth moving from her lips to the silken column of her throat.
I love you.
Ti amo.
Emotions skated through him so quickly, he struggled to label them—
Intoxication.Kiss.
Tenderness.Kiss.
Wonder.Kiss.
Terror.Kiss.
Because even as he rolled their positions, urging Allie onto her back. Even as he braced himself on an elbow to look down into her smiling gray eyes. Even as he cupped her jaw and bent to press his mouth once more to her bee-stung lips . . .
He envisioned what their future might be—laughter in front of a roaring fire, walks through cherry blossoms on sunny days, nights quietly tangled together.
Malcolm had always claimed that Life handed everything to Ethan on a silver platter.
