“Don’t be so hard on yourself. The important thing is that you were willing to stand by him, even though you thought he was guilty.”
“Well, at least I managed to do one thing right. I rallied a rather formidable defense. I alerted Emma and Dylan of Michael’s predicament, even though he begged me not to. They are both standing steadfastly by his side, and Emma’s father has enlisted the help of an entire retinue of barristers.”
“You don’t think he’ll be convicted of murder, do you?” Jane shuddered at the thought.
Julian shook his head. “I doubt it. There will be quite a scandal. People will whisper behind his back for years to come. But I doubt anything else will come of it. Right or wrong, his position will protect him.”
“That’s good. I’ve been sick with worry ever since I heard what happened.” She took a deep breath. “Is that why you came here tonight? To talk about Michael?”
Julian shot her an irritated glance. “Do you really think that’s the only reason I’m here?”
She stared across the distance that separated them, knowing her heart was in her eyes. “I hope not. But I wouldn’t blame you if it was.”
“Come sit beside me. I don’t intend to spend the rest of the evening shouting at you from across the room.”
The rest of the evening?That was encouraging.
She realized how foolish she must look, frozen in place in the middle of her bedroom. After all, she’d been waiting for this chance her entire life. She climbed up on the bed and gingerly sat on the very edge.
“I won’t bite.” A short burst of exasperated laughter escaped Julian’s lips. He gave her a devilish grin. “At least, not unless you want me to.”
She stared at him, surprised by the sexual innuendo and uncertain how to react.
He sighed, and his knee brushed her hip with startling intimacy. “I’m here, sweetheart, against all my better judgment.” He met her gaze with heartbreaking directness. “You know how I feel. The next move is up to you.”
She bit her lip, overwhelmed by his willingness to give her a second chance. It couldn’t have been easy for him, given the way she’d treated him.
It was time for her to put her heart on the line—to take a chance and reach for the love she’d always dreamed of. It was better to risk fresh heartbreak than spend the rest of her life alone and filled with regret.
Hesitantly, she reached for his hand.
He twined his fingertips with hers, and a shimmering warmth shot up her arm. He squeezed gently, as if to give her courage.
Smiling through a sudden sheen of tears, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his smooth warm cheek. “I’ve been such a fool. I wanted to believe you cared for me. Truly, I did. It just seems so impossible that someone like you could love someone like me.”
“Someone like you?” He cupped her chin with his other hand and forced her to look at him. “What the devil do you mean by that?”
She shrugged, embarrassed heat rushing to her cheeks. “I’m nobody. A plain, dried-up old spinster. I lead such a quiet boring life. It’s difficult for me to believe you could ever be happy sharing it.”
“As long as you’re cataloging your faults, don’t forget blind and misguided.” Julian pulled her into his lap and hugged her fiercely. “Ah, Jane. You’re the most beautiful, exciting creature I’ve ever known. There are a thousand things I want to tell you, a million questions I want to ask. I could never grow tired of you. Not in a dozen lifetimes.”
She clung to him, stunned by the truth she heard in his words. His heartfelt speech transformed her, cracked the safe little cocoon of her spinsterhood.
Spreading her newfound wings, she somehow found the strength to make a declaration of her own. She pulled back, so she could see the expression in his dark eyes. “I love you, Julian. I never stopped. Not even for a moment.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I love you, too. More than I ever thought possible.” A tremor coursed through his big lean body. “Can you ever forgive me for leaving you? For not being there when you needed me?”
“I’ve already forgiven you.” Tears swam across her vision and obscured his beautiful face. She wasn’t sure if they were tears of happiness or if she was mourning all the lost years. “Just promise me you’ll never leave me again. I couldn’t bear it.”
“I’m never going to let you go.” His arms tightened around her. “When we were young, it came so easily. I didn’t recognize it for the precious gift it was. Believe me, if I’d known you were the only one who’d ever make me feel that way, I never would have walked away.”
“Oh, Julian.” She couldn’t hold the past against him any longer. She knew how lost he’d been back then, confused and heartbroken over the loss of his family. He’d been running, just as she had been when he came back into her life.
Satisfied they’d worked things out for now, she pressed her mouth to his and kissed him with all the passion in her lonely soul.
For a moment, he remained passive in her embrace, allowing her to leisurely explore his beautiful lips. Then, with a deep groan, he deepened the kiss, devouring her with his turbulent need.
She fell into the kiss with complete abandon, clinging to his broad chest as all of her fears and doubts faded away and only love and passion remained. Before long, kisses were not enough, and they began to fumble with each other’s clothes. She worked on his cravat as he undid her buttons, and then suddenly, they were skin to skin, her bare breasts pressed against his chest.
