Now, with the moment of truth upon him, fear hollowed out his insides.
Show no weakness.
Show no chink.
He’s a weak fool who lays bare his heart—and no son of mine.
He drew a shuddering breath, and to the best of his ability, banished the incessant, enslaving words, then heard himself admit, “I’ve faced armed men without blinking, but nothing has terrified me more than this moment.”
Her silvery eyes widened. “It’s all right, my love. You don’t have to—”
“I do. Just…give me a moment.” He raked a hand through his hair, closed his eyes, then the words spilled from his mouth. “You make me feel—you’ve always made me feel—like I can do anything to which I set my mind. You make me believe I’m brave, smart, strong, capable.” He swallowed and opened his eyes to meet her wondrous gaze. “Little wonder I need you more than my next breath. Little wonder I crave you as I’ve never craved another living soul.”
A whimper sounded in her throat, but she held herself perfectly still as if she sensed any move on her part might cause him to lose his nerve. She was probably right.
“What I’m trying to say is, I love you. I love you beyond words. Beyond all reason. I think—no, Iknow—a part of me always has. What’s more, I believe, having spent quite a lot of time mulling over this point, that Drake knew it, as well. You were always meant to be mine.”
As he spoke, tears welled in her eyes, and now spilled down her cheeks.
He laughed when he realized he was seeing them through a hazy blur of his own.
“Is that…are you finished?”
“Yes, except, I really need to kiss you right now.”
Nodding, she leaned close, as he took her face in his hands and kissed with near reverence. It felt good to bear his soul, to admit how essential she was to him. She had given him this gift, she and the love she inspired in him.
He drew back to gaze on her. “You know, now might be a good time for you to admit to your false claim.” He rubbed the tip of his nose over hers, then released her and leaned back on the cushions.
She sniffled. “But I’ve already done that.”
He shook his head, stretching out an arm over the back of the cushions. “I beg to disagree.”
When she opened her mouth to argue, he went on. “You admitted you’d lied about us marrying. You admitted you’d done so to rescue me from hospital.”
When she continued to look bemused, he arched a supercilious brow, not the least bit perturbed with her, but enjoying teasing her nonetheless. “Shall I spell it out?”
She nodded with vigor.
“You love me,” he said, his voice thickening. “You’ve always loved me. You’re mine, and mine alone, now and forever.Oomph—”
His words cut off when she flung herself into his chest and locked her arms around his neck. “I do love you so, Teddy,” she vowed, her face pressed to the crook of his shoulder. “So much it hurts. I’ve loved you from the first, that day you brought me my first beautiful, long-stemmed rose. You aimed your slow smile at me and I was utterly lost. Drake used to tease me, mercilessly.”
The sheer pleasure of holding her, of breathing in her delicate scent and hearing her profess her love for him, words he’d never tire of hearing, built in him, intensifying until he realized he needed more. Much more.
Grasping her shoulders, he peeled her resisting form off of him, smiling at her cry of dismay. Shushing her, he reached between them, unbuttoning her waistcoat.
She looked down, watching his fingers make fast work of the buttons to reveal the fluffy pillow she’d stuffed inside.
“Ah-ha.” He tossed the pillow aside, then helped her from the black superfine waistcoat.
“Mm,” he murmured. “Someone must have been in a hurry.” She had worn nothing under the shirt and the generous swell of her breasts with their just visible cresting nipples, had his mouth going dry and his cock going hard.
“I…er…yes,” she admitted, flushing, and would have wrapped her arms around herself if not for his hands, brushing hers aside.
“Perfect.” He tugged the shirttails from the, thankfully, loose-fitting borrowed pantaloons she wore. When he had the garment free, he slid his hands beneath the folds to roam her back, her waist, theupper curve of her hips. “You are so soft. Like satin. The feel of you. You take my breath away,” he said in a husky rush.
“Oh, Teddy,” she breathed, gazing at him with luminous, love-filled eyes.
