“Yes,” he said. He could hear the shame through his voice. “Because I’m afraid.”
“Of me?”
“Of what being with me would cost you.”
She shook her head. “You keep talking about your world like it’s some kind of avalanche I couldn’t survive.”
“It is an avalanche,” he replied with a faint, desperate smile. “And you have no idea what you’d be walking into. The scrutiny, the expectations.”
“Jakob, I’m a big girl. I think I can handle a little chaos.”
“This isn’t the normal kind of chaos,” he said softly. “This is treaties and tabloids. Protocol and bodyguards. You wouldn’t just be dating a man. You’d be joining a royal family.”
The words seemed to echo across the silent mountains.
Mallory looked out over the snow-covered valley as she absorbed that.
“I never asked to join anything,” she murmured.
“I know,” Jakob said. “But being with me means that’s what would happen. Whether you wanted it or not.”
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the lonely whistle of wind threading through the pines.
He reached for her hand before he could stop himself. To his relief, she didn’t pull away.
“I thought if I let you go, you’d be safe,” he said. “You’d have the life you planned. The one you deserve.”
“And what if I wanted a different life?” she asked softly.
The question cracked something open inside him.
Before he could answer, hurried footsteps crunched up from the courtyard.
Jakob recognized the cadence instantly.
Viggo, one of his most trusted security guards, burst through the door and strode toward them with an expression Jakob had learned never to ignore.
“Sir,” Viggo started, slightly out of breath. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”
Jakob straightened. “What is it?”
“There’s been a breach,” Viggo replied in a low voice. “Unidentified individuals attempted to access the east perimeter of the estate. The situation is under control but we need you back there immediately.”
Every muscle in Jakob’s body went tense.
Mallory rose to her feet. “A breach? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said automatically as he slipped into command mode. “But I have to go.”
“Now?” she asked.
“Yes. Now.”
Frustration flashed across her face. “Jakob, we were in the middle of—”
“I know.” He cupped her cheek and urgency replaced every careful word he’d planned to say. “And I’m sorry. There’s so much more I need to tell you.”
Her eyes searched his. “Are you coming back?”
