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‘You what?’ It was more of a squeak than anything else.
He turned on the step towards her, sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly through his lips. When his brown eyes fixed on hers she thought she would melt. ‘It’s kind of hard when you don’t know what it is. It means when it hits y
ou in the face like a wrecking ball you don’t actually know what’s happened.’ The lilt in his accent sent shivers down her spine. It must get stronger the more emotional he was feeling.
She could see from his face how much he was struggling with all this. The easiest thing in the world would be to reach out and touch him. Run her fingers through his dark hair, feel his stubble under the palm of her hand.
But he still hadn’t answered the question. And she really needed to hear him say it out loud.
‘So, what happened, Reuben? What are we? I seem to have half the planet telling me that you know.’
He gave a nod and looked a bit rueful. ‘I might have been a bit bad-tempered for a few days and some of my clients got together to bang my head on a brick wall.’ He held up his hands. ‘When I told them how much of a mess I’d made of things they were only too happy to tell me what they thought. I wasn’t sure if you’d speak to me so I decided to ask them to help me out.’
‘I think I just got the equivalent of a million-pound video clip.’
He sighed. ‘I think it might have been a bit more.’ His hand reached over slowly towards hers. ‘I’m sorry, Lara. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you exactly how I feel. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you outside the casino in Monte Carlo that I loved you and thought you were the most beautiful woman that I’d ever seen.’
Tears prickled in the backs of her eyes. Finally, they were getting somewhere.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. ‘Love can be a beautiful thing, Reuben. If you’ll let it in.’
She let her words hang in the air between them. There was no need to say more. He knew exactly what she meant. He fumbled behind his back and pulled out a brown paper package.
It wasn’t the most prestigious gift she’d ever seen. But it charmed with its simplicity. The wrapping was uneven—it seemed that Reuben had done this himself.
His hand closed over hers. ‘I listened to what you said to me. I’ve had a few days to think about it.’ He handed her the package.
She turned it over in her hands and released one of the edges, sliding her hand inside to pull out the gift.
It wasn’t what she’d expected. And part of her heart skipped a few beats as the smile spread slowly across her face. It was the most perfect, personal gift in the world.
‘Alice in Wonderland! You found it. How did you do that? It’s exactly the same as the one I had when I was a kid.’
His brown eyes fixed on hers as he smiled. ‘I worked out what year you were born and what edition you were likely to have had.’ He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. ‘I’ll let you into a secret. I have another three in case that was the wrong one.’
She ran her hand over the pale blue cover of the book. ‘No. This is definitely the right one. It’s perfect. Thank you.’
He hesitated then pointed at the book. ‘Open it.’
She took a deep breath and opened the hardback cover. A silver key on a red ribbon was sitting on the first page.
‘You told me I had to let people in. And I think you were right.’ He held up the key, ‘So, this is how I start. I’d like to let you in. I’d like to give us a chance. And this is my way. A key to my house and a key to my heart.’ He gave a wary little smile that warmed her heart.
He was nervous. He was really nervous about this. And this was what she loved. It didn’t matter about his bad-boy reputation. She knew the real Reuben Tyler. Not the guy who was the hotshot agent. Not the guy who had lots of money.
She knew the guy who’d practically had to bring himself up. The guy who’d had no real example of what love was. She knew the truly laid-bare Reuben Tyler—that was the guy she loved.
The key was dangling in the air. She reached out with an open palm and held it underneath. She had to push him just a little bit further. ‘So, what does this mean, Reuben? What are we?’
It was the million-dollar question. The thing she really needed him to embrace.
She heard him suck in a breath. ‘We’re whatever we want to be, Lara.’
She still hadn’t taken the key. She really wanted to just swoop in and grab it. But a little part of her heart needed a little more. She knew this was an enormous step for Reuben, but she didn’t just want a little part of him—she wanted the whole thing. The real deal.
She tried her best to stop her voice from wobbling. ‘And what do you want us to be?’
He turned to face her, dropping the key in the palm of her hand and putting both his hands on her face. ‘I want us to be together. I want you to be the person I see first thing every day. I want you to be the person to tell me when I’m being cranky. I want you to be the person I share amazing sunrises and sunsets with all around the world. I want to know when I get off a plane I have the girl who’s captured my heart to talk to, no matter where I am. I want to look forward to coming home to you. I want to feel as if I’m coming home because I’ve got a reason to come home. I’ve found the person I want to love for the rest of my life.’ He stopped for a second, and she could tell he was trying to keep himself in check. His voice was beginning to waver.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. She didn’t doubt that this was the most emotionally open Reuben had ever been. And it was with her. Because he loved her—just like she loved him.
She reached up and covered one of his hands with hers. ‘I have too.’ She gave him a heartfelt smile. ‘But we might have a few issues.’
A frown creased his brow. ‘Why?’
She ran her fingers down the outside of his palm. ‘Because you think you’re getting a girl with a job as a nanny.’
She saw the little light of recognition flicker in his eyes. A smile hinted at his lips. ‘What am I actually getting?’
She couldn’t help her smile. ‘You’re getting the world’s lousiest student. I’m going to have to learn a whole heap of new skills. And for that I’m going to need a guy who is patient, understanding and who can put up with takeaways, books spread everywhere, and lots of moans and groans at exam times.’
He pulled her into his arms. ‘You’ve applied?’
She nodded. ‘I’ve applied.’
His lips hovered next to hers. ‘Well, I guess we’ve got that in common. I’m applying too. For a job that I’ve no idea if I’ll be any good at—but I want to spend the rest of my life finding out.’ He ran a finger down her cheek and stared into her eyes. She’d never loved him more. ‘But I haven’t found out yet if my application has been accepted. Thing is, I think the panel pretty’s tough.’ His lips brushed against hers.
She tried to respond instantly but he held himself just a few millimetres away, teasing her. ‘When do you think I’ll find out?’
She ran her hand down his chest. ‘Oh, I think you can find out almost immediately. There’s just one tiny little thing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Do I have to share the cake?’
Reuben threw back his head and laughed then captured her mouth with his. And as her fist closed around the shiny key in her palm she knew.
She knew this was the man she’d spend the rest of her life loving and she couldn’t wait to start.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from HIS PRINCESS OF CONVENIENCE by Rebecca Winters.
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His Princess of Convenience
by Rebecca Winters
CHAPTER ONE
August, Monte Calanetti, Italy
THE FLOOR-LENGTH MIRROR reflected a princess bride whose flowing white wedding dress, with the heavy intricate beading, followed the lines of her slender rounded figure to perfection. It probably weighed thirty pounds, but her five-foot-nine height helped her to carry it off with a regal air.
The delicate tiara with sapphires, the something-borrowed, something-blue gift from the queen, Christina’s soon-to-be mother-in-law, held the lace mantilla made by the nuns. The lace overlying her red-gold hair, to the satin slippers on her feet, formed a whole that looked...pretty.
“I actually feel like a bride.” Her breath caught. “That can’t be me!” she whispered to herself. Her very recent makeover was nothing short of miraculous.
Christina Rose, soon-to-be bride of Crown Prince Antonio de L’Accardi of Halencia, turned to one side, then the other, as past memories of being called an ugly duckling, the chubby one, filled her mind.
From adolescence until the ripe old age of twenty-eight, she’d had to live with those unflattering remarks muttered by the people around her. Not that she really heard people say those things once she’d grown up and had been spending her time doing charity work on behalf of her prominent family. But she knew it was what people were thinking.
In truth her own parents were the ones who’d scarred her. They’d left her with nannies from the time she was born. And as she’d grown, her father had constantly belittled her with hurtful barbs by comparing her unfavorably to her friends. “Why is our daughter so dumpy?” she’d once heard him say. “Why didn’t we get a boy?” They’d picked out the name Christopher, but had to change it to Christina when she was born.
His unkind remarks during those impressionable years had been wounds that struck deep, especially considering that Christina’s mother had been a former supermodel.
