“You…killed?” she swallowed.
He nodded once, and something inside her broke loose. The world seemed to shift around her.
My Aaron was the most gentle and loving soul.
“I… I did not think you would be capable.”
“The boy you knew was not,” he said after some hesitation. “But I was given the choice. Kill or be killed. It was survival.”
She nodded, attempting to harden herself. She looked into her husband’s eyes. They had not changed. They still drew her. They were still magnetic. He did not seem like a monster.
Because he is not. He did what he must, not because he wanted to, but because he needed to.
“Why do they call you… The General?” she pressed on.
“I went to work at a gambling den calledThe Dragon. As muscle. A hired knife. I became the leader of a gang of hired knivesworking for the man who owned the Dragon. I orchestrated the downfall of other gangs and rival gambling houses. And I won. I became partners in the Dragon, and then… I owned it.”
“Owned it?” Catherine was astonished.
He nodded. “The owner, my employer, felt threatened by me. He wanted me out of the way. He betrayed me, but… I survived.”
“…He did not.”
“No, he did not. I will not try to excuse my actions. I have told you the reasons for what I did,” he added, voice heating.
“I do not seek excuses. Only understanding,” she replied, matching his heat with her own.
“You cannot understand unless you have been there yourself,” he said, rising and pacing the room.
“Well, I have not, but I will still understand you. I will not let you shut me out and drive me away.”
She stood up, placing herself in the path of his pacing, refusing to let him by. He tried to glare her down, but she glared back.
I will not be intimidated. Not after coming so far. Not after coming so close to the truth.
“You do not want me,” he said quietly. “I am a man haunted by his past, and by his… his… actions. I was wrong to think I could escape either.”
“Do not tell me whom or what I want. I married you because I had no viable choice. I stayed with you for another reason.”
“And that is?”
His question seemed genuine. It was as though he had no idea why she remained at his side. His face was pure confusion.
“Because I am falling in love with you. I am on the verge of it,” she said, simply.
“You are falling in love with… with Aaron Tarnley, Duke of Winchester,” he stated slowly.
Catherine had not expected the question. In her mind, the confession would have been greeted in reciprocal fashion, followed by a passionate kiss.
And then we live happily ever after, as the stories say.
“You,” she corrected.
“But you do not know me,” he replied helplessly.
“I am well aware of how much I know and how much I don’t. But I am filling in the gaps in my knowledge with your help. So far, nothing has come close to extinguishing my feelings for you.”
There passed a beat of silence. He reached up to tenderly stroke her cheek, running his fingers down the line of her face. His eyes took her in, seeming to drink in the sight of her, like a man dying of thirst who suddenly encounters an oasis. He licked his lips, stroking her neck. Catherine lifted her chin, meeting his gaze steadily, though she wanted to close her eyes and savor his touch.
