As their comrades surrounded the two men, Avalon winced when he touched the side of his temple. “Bloody hell. And here I thought Drake and I would be the victors of the day. Well done, Miss Davies.”
Drake noted that she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to the leader of the Blue Boys because she had dropped to her knees beside him. “My God, you’ve been shot!”
Her voice sounded so panicked that he couldn’t allow her to think he hadn’t faced worse odds before. Then again, he hadn’t found anything worth living for until recently and the idea that it had nearly been ripped from his grasp was enough to cling to her almost desperately. “It’s nothing but a graze.”
“I don’t care. You need a doctor. Flavian! Go get some help!”
As she began to shout orders, he had to clench his jaw to keep her from blurring in his vision. “Listen to me!” he said gruffly. When she finally faced him again, he held on to her chin and kept her steady as he made his grand declaration. “I love you.”
She laid a gentle hand on his arm and said, “Not to worry. You’ll be patched up in no time.”
He was confused. “Did you not hear what I said?” he demanded.
She looked at him in a consoling manner. “You aren’t thinking clearly. You’ve had a shock. It will pass?—”
Using the rest of his strength, he bellowed, “Dammit, woman! I LOVE YOU!”
Any commotion immediately halted as his announcement caught the assemblage standing about. Even Avalon’s eyebrows rose to his hairline.
At long last, Fleur ceased hovering over him like a wounded animal. “What did you say?” she whispered.
He laughed. “I love you. I love you.I love you. If I must say it a thousand times from this point forward until the end of eternity then that is what I shall do because it is the truth.” He exhaled heavily, the pain in his arm turning into a dull sting. “I thought I was in love once, but it is nothing compared to the crush of emotions that pull me every which way when you are near. There are times I don’t know if I should throttle you, like when I tell you to stay in the carriage, or hold on to you until you never leave my sight again.” He shook his head. “For anyone that has ever known me, they should understand that love is nothing I have ever taken lightly. I don’t speak it without due cause and thought I was incapable of the emotion until recently. But from the first moment I met you, something started to stir inside of me. All of those years I worked for myself I never dreamt that I would wish it all into oblivion, that you would come into my life and make me ashamed of the things I did. I always felt as though I was owed anything I took because I’d been given a tough hand in life and others had to understand the same misery. But not you. I didn’t care for revenge as I had so many others before. I just wanted… you. That’s what I want now and forever. Just you. And me.”
* * *
Fleur’s throathad abruptly closed up on her and she couldn’t seem to find the words that were clogging her windpipe. There were so many things she wanted to say at once, likeI love you, too, but the only thing she could manage was a slight gasp. She hadn’t expected such a declaration from Drake right then, in front of a crowd of people, but neither did she care. The fact was he felt the same way about her as she did for him and it was a moment worth rejoicing. For a man who had claimed he had a cold heart, it had certainly found a way to envelop enough warmth to open to her.
She opened her mouth, finally finding her voice, but the doctor suddenly appeared. She wanted to push him out of the way, to embrace Drake and kiss him until they were both senseless, but instead, she moved out of the way so the doctor could see to him. Standing by Flavian, she could see the question in Drake’s eyes, but as Avalon knelt by him, he reluctantly turned his focus to the other man.
“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”
As Avalon moved away with the rest of the assemblage to take care of the Reynolds’ brothers, she turned to her twin. “What?”
He gestured to Drake. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of Porter, but after what he just said in front of everyone without any sort of restraint, I have to admit that he seems sincere. You told me you felt the same way about him, and yet, you didn’t say a single word in return.”
She swallowed hard over the lump that threatened to choke her. “I was gathering my thoughts.”
“Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts about your feelings for him?”
For an instant, Fleur wondered if Flavian had spoken the truth but she quickly discounted the notion. “No. I love him with all of my heart.”
As the doctor wound a bandage around Drake’s arm and prepared to leave with a few whispered instructions to his patient, Flavian offered her a speaking glance and then parted ways with the physician.
Left alone in the courtyard together, Fleur looked at Drake who had risen to his feet. He glanced at the bandage on his arm. “I told you it was just a scratch.”
She promptly burst into tears and ran into his arms. “Oh, Drake, I was so scared I was going to lose you! I was afraid that I would have to make the choice between you and Flavian and I refused to let that happen. I love you both dearly, but in completely different ways. He is my brother, while you are my heart.” She lifted her face to him as the tears coursed down her cheeks. “You can’t know the terror that went through me when I thought you’d been struck down. I thought I’d failed to protect you?—”
“Protect me?” He grinned broadly. “Sweetheart, the only thing I need from you is that sweet derrière pressing against my cock every night.”
She stopped sobbing long enough to laugh at the glorious absurdity of his reply. “I might consider that if only you don’t stop there.”
His voice dropped an octave. “What a naughty girl you are.”
“Indeed,” she said in the same sultry tone. “But only with you.” Any amusement faded as she slid a hand along his hairline. “I love you so much it hurts.”
“Then you’re not alone.” His grip tightened slightly around her waist. “I can’t breathe properly when you aren’t near. Trust me when I say I never thought I would speak those words to anyone.”
“That’s what makes them even more special to me,” she whispered.
