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When Jack kissed her, she believed him. He was touching her too. He reached between her legs, and she stared up at him, breathless beneath the soft glow of the lamp. Closing her eyes, she sighed as he pressed her back against the wall and plunged deep. She was so ready for it—for him, and it only took a few firm thrusts for her to find the release she so desperately needed again.
"I always think it can't get any better," Jack said in husky tone when they had both recovered. "But it always does." He dropped a lingering kiss on her neck, and then straightened his clothes.
"All the more reason to keep on testing ourselves," she said as she did the same.
"Do you have any idea what you mean to me?" Jack said, his dark stare intent on her face.
"Not really," she said honestly.
Bringing her in front of him, he stared deep into her eyes. "I've never felt like this about anyone, Bella. You're more than special to me, you are vital to my life."
"Are you sure it's not just this romantic setting and the moonlight encouraging you to say that?"
"You make me say that," he insisted, "and I never say anything unless I mean it."
Reassured, she nestled her head against his neck.
When they got back to the hotel, they made love all night. But that wasn't the best thing, Arabella thought as she strolled naked across the room the next morning.
The best thing was this—the fact that she had grown completely confident in her own skin. She loved her body now, because Jack loved her body, and because it brought him pleasure. She had never had the confidence to do some
thing as simple as walk across a room naked before—let alone in front of a man.
"Who made you so self–conscious?" Jack asked with his usual shrewd perception.
"My parents were always telling me I should lose weight. I know they loved me, and they just wanted me to conform, but their comments made me think I was fat—and Harold definitely thought I was fat."
"And he, of course, was perfect," Jack murmured.
She opened her arms wide, not knowing what to say to that.
"Your parents were probably more worried for you than for themselves," Jack agreed. "But there was no need for them to be concerned. You're far more beautiful than any woman I've ever seen."
"My parents were concerned that I wouldn't fit in, and I understand that. I was never going to be sleek like a Suzuki, or fashion–forward enough to grace the front covers of a society magazine. I was a bulldog, stubborn and big, and they didn't know how to handle someone who was more comfortable with the horses, or in the vegetable garden, than in the drawing room."
"Then they missed a lot," he said as he toyed with a lock of her hair.
"And then I made the worst choice possible, in an attempt to break free from home," Bella admitted. "I thought married life would be different. At the very least, I thought we would move into our own home. And you?" she said, keen to change the subject. She had never dwelt on the past. She preferred to look forward. Like everyone else, she had her black days, but she always fought off the temptation to feel sorry for herself, and tried to remember all the wonderful things in her life instead. "Come on," she urged, noting Jack's reluctance. "I've told you about my past, and now it's your turn."
"I've got nothing to tell you," he said, frowning as he closed up.
"Liar," she whispered.
He stared at her, and then he said, "I was brought up in an orphanage. I don't know who my parents were, and I don't care."
"You must—"
The look on Jack's face told her to leave it. It was too much too soon. Maybe one day he'd tell her.
One day?
Yes. That suggested there would be more days ahead of them, and despite what she felt now, she couldn't be sure of that.
"I was helped along the way by some good people," Jack said, startling her with the revelation. She had thought, having swerved his past, he wouldn't want to return to it. "They restored my faith in human nature—" He stopped and his lips firmed again. "At least, they restored my faith in some human nature," he amended.
And then he told her about scavenging in bins, and the chef who had helped him, and the priest who'd been such a good man, making sure he had a roof over his head and enough food to eat, as well as ensuring he had a good education. This was a man to whom Jack still felt indebted, she learned.
"That's why I bought the estate," he explained. "I thought I could do something similar for other kids—kids who weren't as lucky as me. So, now you know," he said.
