been as flipped out by it as she’d been. That he’d lost as much as she.
She glanced at the picture and then looked back at him. ‘I’m still scared, Liam, but I’m not going to let that stop me from asking for what I want any more. And I’m asking for you to come over here.’
‘I can’t.’
‘No?’ Her heart smashed.
A small, rueful smile softened his mouth. ‘You know what will happen if we touch.’
‘Well...’ She bit her lip, relaxing a smidge as she saw that smile. ‘I was kind of counting on that.’
‘We’re not making the same mistake as we did then. We touch now, it’ll be all on. We have to talk this through first.’
‘What more do you need to know?’ She gazed at him. ‘I love you. I’ve always loved you. And it totally scares me.’
His rigid stance melted; in a step he was there, his arms around her. ‘Okay,’ he muttered into her hair. ‘There’s nothing to be scared of now.’
He kissed her. Kissed her the way he’d kissed her the other night. With all the love in the world, until her toes curled in the crazy high heels she’d worn specially to get tall enough to see eye to eye with him. And she kissed him back—as fervently, deeply, sweetly.
‘I can’t let you go now.’ He groaned. ‘You know I was going to London this afternoon.’
She knotted her fingers into his shirt, keeping him close, and failed to answer coolly. ‘Your assistant mentioned it.’
‘I was coming after you. I’ve never felt so bad. Hurt. Furious with myself. I realised I’d never been honest with you either. I’d never let you in the way I should have. I never told you...so many things I should have. Especially that I was in love with you.’ He pulled her closer into his heat, a pained expression on his face. ‘I should have opened up to you all those years ago. I should have come after you.’
‘No. We weren’t ready. Way too young. I had baggage to get over. I had to grow a spine.’ She smiled. ‘And you had a business to build. It’s better now.’
He bent, resting his forehead on hers. ‘I love you. Always have.’
A feeling of utter contentment seeped into her bones, but as she leaned against him reality—logistics—bothered the bliss. ‘How are we going to make this work?’ she voiced her fears. ‘We failed so badly last time.’
‘No.’ He framed her face with his hands, tilting her so she had to meet his gaze head on. ‘Failure is making the same mistake twice. The first time wasn’t failure. It was merely a mistake.’
‘Merely?’
‘Merely.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘We won’t fail now. So long as you ask, I listen.’
‘And vice versa.’ She nibbled on her lip, clutching his shirt more tightly. She never wanted to leave him but there was no choice. ‘We can make distance work.’
‘No,’ he said softly. ‘I’ve had enough nights without you already. I’ve done what I can with the business here, now I’m ready to sell it on. I’m ready for the next project. That will be wherever you are.’
Shocked, she dropped her hand and stepped back. ‘You can’t sell your business.’
‘I can.’ He chuckled, capturing her by the waist and moving in close again. ‘Darling, I’m bored. I need a new challenge.’ His eyes sharpened. ‘And, no, I will never get bored with you.’
That wasn’t what she was worried about. ‘Your career matters. I won’t let you sacrifice anything for me. You’ll resent me.’
‘This isn’t a sacrifice. I came looking for you and as soon as I saw you again, spoke to you again—it was all over. It just took me a bit to get my head around. I’m never losing you again. You’re what matters most in my life. This time I need to give us the chance. This time I can. I can’t afford not to.’
‘But your business—’
‘What is it that matters to you—the financial security I have or me?’
She stared at him—at the vulnerability in his eyes, the same that had been caught in that portrait. It was real. Now
She glanced at the picture and then looked back at him. ‘I’m still scared, Liam, but I’m not going to let that stop me from asking for what I want any more. And I’m asking for you to come over here.’
‘I can’t.’
‘No?’ Her heart smashed.
A small, rueful smile softened his mouth. ‘You know what will happen if we touch.’
‘Well...’ She bit her lip, relaxing a smidge as she saw that smile. ‘I was kind of counting on that.’
‘We’re not making the same mistake as we did then. We touch now, it’ll be all on. We have to talk this through first.’
‘What more do you need to know?’ She gazed at him. ‘I love you. I’ve always loved you. And it totally scares me.’
His rigid stance melted; in a step he was there, his arms around her. ‘Okay,’ he muttered into her hair. ‘There’s nothing to be scared of now.’
He kissed her. Kissed her the way he’d kissed her the other night. With all the love in the world, until her toes curled in the crazy high heels she’d worn specially to get tall enough to see eye to eye with him. And she kissed him back—as fervently, deeply, sweetly.
‘I can’t let you go now.’ He groaned. ‘You know I was going to London this afternoon.’
She knotted her fingers into his shirt, keeping him close, and failed to answer coolly. ‘Your assistant mentioned it.’
‘I was coming after you. I’ve never felt so bad. Hurt. Furious with myself. I realised I’d never been honest with you either. I’d never let you in the way I should have. I never told you...so many things I should have. Especially that I was in love with you.’ He pulled her closer into his heat, a pained expression on his face. ‘I should have opened up to you all those years ago. I should have come after you.’
‘No. We weren’t ready. Way too young. I had baggage to get over. I had to grow a spine.’ She smiled. ‘And you had a business to build. It’s better now.’
He bent, resting his forehead on hers. ‘I love you. Always have.’
A feeling of utter contentment seeped into her bones, but as she leaned against him reality—logistics—bothered the bliss. ‘How are we going to make this work?’ she voiced her fears. ‘We failed so badly last time.’
‘No.’ He framed her face with his hands, tilting her so she had to meet his gaze head on. ‘Failure is making the same mistake twice. The first time wasn’t failure. It was merely a mistake.’
‘Merely?’
‘Merely.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘We won’t fail now. So long as you ask, I listen.’
‘And vice versa.’ She nibbled on her lip, clutching his shirt more tightly. She never wanted to leave him but there was no choice. ‘We can make distance work.’
‘No,’ he said softly. ‘I’ve had enough nights without you already. I’ve done what I can with the business here, now I’m ready to sell it on. I’m ready for the next project. That will be wherever you are.’
Shocked, she dropped her hand and stepped back. ‘You can’t sell your business.’
‘I can.’ He chuckled, capturing her by the waist and moving in close again. ‘Darling, I’m bored. I need a new challenge.’ His eyes sharpened. ‘And, no, I will never get bored with you.’
That wasn’t what she was worried about. ‘Your career matters. I won’t let you sacrifice anything for me. You’ll resent me.’
‘This isn’t a sacrifice. I came looking for you and as soon as I saw you again, spoke to you again—it was all over. It just took me a bit to get my head around. I’m never losing you again. You’re what matters most in my life. This time I need to give us the chance. This time I can. I can’t afford not to.’
‘But your business—’
‘What is it that matters to you—the financial security I have or me?’
She stared at him—at the vulnerability in his eyes, the same that had been caught in that portrait. It was real. Now
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