“Then why haven’t you?” she cried. “Why did you seek me out in the first place?”
His lips quirked and Constance held her breath as he moved toward her. He kept his tone low when he spoke. “Because I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Because I had been a dying man in need of salvation and you were my angel who rescued me from the depths of hell.” He stopped before her. “And because I could easily find myself falling in l—”
She placed two fingers over his lips. “Please don’t say it. That’s a dangerous word and only leads to heartache for those who suffer from it.”
He kissed the pads of her fingers and then moved them until they were covering the steady beat of his heart. “Why does it have to be suffering? Have you been conflicted by such strong emotions when you’re with me?”
She sighed. “No, but that doesn’t mean—”
“You’re looking for reasons why something can’t build between us.” He reached out and ran the backs of his knuckles down the length of her braid, pausing at the tip, directly where it encircled her breast. “We are both broken in our own way. Maybe we were brought together for a reason. To find happiness with one another.”
Constance swallowed. “Maybe we don’t deserve happiness.”
“I disagree.” His arm slowly snaked around her waist. Lowering his head, he breathed against her lips, “And you, my dear, deserve so much more.”
Devin didn’t intend to allow things to get out of hand. He only wanted to tempt and taunt Constance, to show her that there was something worthwhile to be had whenever they were together. He didn’t want them to end up in the bedroom, as that was how she evaded breaking down that fortress around her heart, if not her entire soul. She assumed sex was the answer and he yearned to show her that there was more to being with a man. It was about touching and caressing, cherishing each other’s bodies. It was about leaning on each other after a difficult day, it was gaining the courage that they required to face another dawn when it appeared that the entire world was crashing down.
He intended to teach her how to let go of her inhibitions and trust in him, because he was quite sure he wasn’t falling in love with her, that he had been there from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her in that dark alley. If that made him sound like a poet, or a dandy, then he would wear the title with pride, as long as it meant he could keep her by his side.
“Devin…”
The breathy sigh entered his mind like the sweetest benediction, but he’d made a promise and he intended to keep it. He reluctantly broke the embrace, even if the passion filled look that Constance gave him shot straight to his groin. “We have to stop now.”
“Do we?” she murmured huskily, and he had to close his eyes and pray for restraint against this tempting siren.
“Yes.” He forced himself to step back. “I’m not here to be just another man who wants to use you for what he can gain. I intend to prove that I’m more than that.”
“By not making love to me?”
He could tell by her confused expression that it was a foreign concept to her. “There are ways to enjoy each other’s company fully clothed.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know that, but why should you want to?”
He laughed. “I’ve told you, Constance. I want to know everything about you and not just where your body is concerned. I don’t want us to just be lovers. I want us to be friends.”
She eyed him warily. “What do you suggest?”
He pondered the query for a moment and then a smile spread across his face. It was perfect. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Her eyes narrowed with even further distrust. “I’m not sure I like that look, Mr. Blackmore.”
“This is the part where you have to trust me.” He offered her a teasing wink. “Because I’m going to show you what your life could be like with me.”
“Indeed.” She sounded unimpressed. “And how long would that be, exactly?”
“That, sweetheart, is up to you to decide.”
With that parting remark, he sauntered out the door.
Constance didn’t immediately retire, because she knew that sleep would not come after Devin’s delicious promise.
‘You’ll find out tomorrow.’
Instead of tossing and turning all night, she decided that she would check on Drennan again. While it had only been a few hours since she’d left his side, she was concerned for his welfare. He’d told her that there wasn’t anyone she needed to contact that might be worried over his absence, and that bothered her.
He had been committed to taking over Montfree’s when she’d sold it to him five years ago, but she never imagined that he wouldn’t allow for anything else outside of the gaming hell. Just because he owned the establishment, that didn’t mean he had to give up his own life to see it succeed. And considering Granelli was demanding payment for an unpaid loan, something had gone terribly awry.
She intended to find out what it was.
