A tremulous smile tilted her lush lips. “I know. I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t believe in you.”
“I believe in you, too,” he told her softly. “You are strong and brave and beautiful. I know you can overcome anything, and I want to be the one to help you try.”
Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his with sweet intensity. He let himself get lost in the taste and feel of her, trying to forget how much was on the line, how much he stood to lose if he couldn’t make this perfect for her.
At last, she pulled away and got unsteadily to her feet, holding out her hand.
He was none too steady on his own feet as he took it and let her pull him through the dark house and up to the attic.
Chapter Thirteen
As Fiona led Morganinto the small room in the attic that she called her own, she still couldn’t believe she was doing this. She’d never expected that she would find someone who sparked love within her, let alone passion. Morgan made her feel both things, and she couldn’t let her fear ruin this. She somehow had to find the courage that he saw in her and prove that she truly did trust him.
She fumbled to find the candle that she used for light, since the attic hadn’t been wired for electricity, but the moment the small space brightened with its flame, she saw it through the eyes of someone who’d been brought up the way he had. She suddenly wished she’d taken him somewhere else.
“My God, Fiona. How can you live like this?” he asked quietly, surveying the tiny room with its sloped ceiling, one small window, and complete lack of insulation. A small bed, hardly big enough to hold both of them, stood near the window, and her meager wardrobe hung on pegs on the wall.
The room was sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter, but it was a paradise after the way she’d grown up, and it was one of the few places in the house that wasn’t constantly teeming with children. She’d always liked the privacy her attic room gave her, and she slept so little, she’d never really cared where.
She crossed her arms defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve lived in worse places.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just know that this is not what Adrian would want for you. The others who work here don’t live up here, do they? Aren’t there other rooms below where you’d be more comfortable?”
“I don’t need anything more than this,” she said with a sigh. “Perhaps this was a mistake. It just proves how far beneath you I—”
Before she could finish, he grabbed her and kissed her fiercely, silencing all further protests and making her forget all about her room. As they kissed, he shuffled back toward the bed, ducking so that he didn’t bang his head on the rafters, until he tumbled them both onto the hard mattress. She lay sprawled half on top of him, staring down into his serious face.
“Forgive me for being such an ass,” he told her. “I don’t want to do anything to ruin tonight. I won’t say another word about it. But I want better than this for you, darling. I want to give you all the things I now see I’ve taken for granted.”
“I don’t need things,” she told him, just as seriously. “Give me passion, friendship, safety. A family.”
“All of that and more,” he promised and kissed her again.
This time, she let herself get lost in it, kissing him until she was dizzy, until everything else fell away. In all the world, there was only her and this incredibly kind and beautiful man. He tasted of brandy and sunshine, of sweetness and passion, and none of the fear or hesitation she’d expected rose up to haunt her.
In her heart, she knew this would be nothing like the times when she’d been younger. He’d shown her nothing but care and kindness, and she had no reason to believe he’d become any different when they were making love. She believed good men existed. She had ever since Adrian had saved her.
