Because Thorncroft womendid not settle.
Dropping her luggage where she stood, she set off with a determined stride.
By the time she reached Kincaid’s doorstep, her newfound resolve had waned, but it was still there, fighting its way through all the hurt and the heartache. Above her, thunder boomed and lightning slashed across a sky that had gone as dark as pitch. But the storm paled in comparison to the tempest within her.
She knocked on the door. And when Kincaid did not answer, she began to pound.
Without warning, the door was yanked inward. “It’s pouring. What the hell do you—Joanna.”
She caught a glimpse of his amber eyes wide with shock before he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her inside. He brought her straight into his office, then whipped off her spencer jacket before all but shoving her into a chair.
“You’re soaked to the bone,” he muttered. “Here, drink this.”
She accepted the coffee. It must have been freshly brewed, for steam rose from the top of the cup in a plume of wispy smoke. She took a sip. Wrinkled her nose. “Before you hire another secretary, make sure she knows how to make proper coffee.”
He leaned against his desk. Crossed his arms. Uncrossed them. “I am not going to hire another secretary. Joanna, what are you doing here? I thought you were leaving London.”
“I was. Iam.” She tried another drink of the bitter brew, then shook her head and put it on the floor. “What do you mean, you’re not going to hire someone else? If you let all of that sorting I did be for naught, I swear that I’ll—”
“I could never replace you, Joanna.” His husky admission caught her off guard. “You’re irreplaceable.”
A tremble worked its way down her spine. From the rain, she told herself. Just from the rain. “That’s not what you said in the library.”
“Because I…what are you doing here?” he repeated.
She looked at her lap, then boldly lifted her chin. “If someone is going to walk away, it is not going to be me. I love you, Kincaid. I hate it. I wish I didn’t. But I do. And I cannot leave until I hear you tell me that you don’t. That youdon’tlove me. That you don’t see a future between us. That you don’t want to be with me.”
“Joanna.” In an instant, he was on his knees before her with his hand on her thigh. “Do you honestly think I was ever going to let you go?” He glanced meaningfully to the corner of his room, and she followed his gaze to a large, battered-looking, leather suitcase.
Her eyes cut back to his in confusion. “You were…you were going to follow me?”
“To the ends of the earth, if that is what it takes. I am sorry.” His grip tightened on her leg. “I am sorry I didn’t have the words then, but I’ve been practicing with James—”
“You’ve been practicing with yourcat?” she interrupted.
“That damned feline is your most ardent admirer. Second only to me.” A crooked smile lifted the side of his mouth and melted her heart. “I love you, Joanna Thorncroft. I loved you the first time you stood on my doorstep in the rain, I love you now, and I will love you forever. Every strong, intelligent, beautiful, obstinate inch of you.”
Her eyebrows pinched. “I don’t know if I would describe me asobstinate—”
He silenced her with a kiss. A kiss that went on for a very, very,verylong time. When it was done, she found herself sitting on his lap, her head tucked against his chest and her fingers entwined with his.
“After what happened with Lavinia, I was afraid to fall in love again,” he admitted without reservation. “I saw giving yourself and your heart to someone as a weakness. A vulnerability. But what Lavinia and I had…it was never love. I wish I had understood that sooner. It might have saved both of us quite a lot of aggravation.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you think?”
He nipped her earlobe, then drew it between his teeth to suckle as she sighed. “Behave,” he murmured, “or I’ll do what I should have done the first day you marched into my office and toss you onto my bed.”
“Oh, yes,please.”
His chuckle warmed her neck. Then he sobered. “You are the daughter of a marquess. The granddaughter of a duke. Even illegitimate, you could have almost any lord you desired. I come from humble beginnings, Joanna. And while you will never want for anything, I cannot give you the life that could be yours with a nobleman.”
“The only noble man that I desire is holding me right now.” She tilted her head and kissed him again. Long, slow, and sweet. “I don’t care for theton. I understand why my mother left it all behind to seek a life of quiet normalcy in America.”
“Speaking of which…” He slipped his hand free of hers to sweep a strand of damp hair out of her face. “Our luggage is already packed. The ship departs in an hour. We could go to Boston. I could meet your grandmother and Claire. I could ask their permission in person, rather than a letter.”
Her temple creased. “Their permission for what?”
“To marry you. Not out of obligation,” he said hurriedly when her lips parted. “But because I have absolutely no intention of ever letting you off my lap.”
