“I don’t care if anyone hears,” he said flippantly.
“Well, I do.” She shot him a sharp look.
He exhaled through his nose, as if reining in impatience. “Fine,” he whispered. “But tell me—why?”
She set her spoon down, her hands deliberately still. “Because I cannot.”
His jaw tightened. “Cannot, or will not?”
She let out a breath, barely above a whisper. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head, staring down at her tea. “We both know this is impossible.”
“I know it’s not wise,” he corrected, viciously scrubbing a hand through his hair. “That’s not the same thing.”
“You’re making light of something quite serious.”
His eyes darkened. “You think this isn’t serious to me?”
She met his gaze, trying to summon detachment. “I think you are a man accustomed to saying whatever is necessary to get what he wants.”
Without hesitation, he slid from his chair to kneel before her, capturing her hand in his. “I am saying this because it is the truth. I cannot stop thinking about you.”
“Get up,” she insisted, panic flashing through her. If the butler returned, or if a maid happened by—God, what would they think?
“Not until you look at me and see how goddamned serious I am.”
Her breath caught as their gazes locked. There in his expression, in the quiet intensity of his eyes—she saw it.
He meant it.
Damn him.
“All right,” she whispered. “I believe you.”
Something flickered in his expression, relief and something deeper. “Do you?”
“Yes,” she said, firmer now. “Now, for God’s sake, get up.”
With a measured breath, he rose and smoothed a hand down his waistcoat, regaining his composure. “It’s true. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. If you can honestly say you haven’t thought of me since that night at the club, I will leave.”
She closed her eyes. “I want to say it.”
“But you can’t?”
A groan of frustration escaped her as she pushed to her feet, pacing toward the window. “Why are you doing this?”
He followed, his presence a heat at her back. “I am not in control of it any more than you are.”
She turned to face him, squaring her shoulders. “Very well. I do need to go to the Onyx Club again.”
His brows pulled together. “Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“What reasons?” His gaze narrowed on her face.
