Her words must have particularly pleased him because his chest heaved with his deep breath.
“Of course. I want to show you something first.” As his facial muscles contracted, the scarred part didn’t move. “I look grotesque when I smile, do I? I’ve never been handsome. Patrick is the better-looking one. But now?—”
“No.” There was no hesitation in her voice. She touched his cheek with her fingertips, not sure if he would like it. “I’ve always found you handsome, and that hasn’t changed.”
He closed his eyes when she stroked his cheek. When he opened them again, she got lost in the gratitude in his large green eyes. Such a small gesture from her had caused such a big reaction from him. She lied about many things but not about her feelings for him.
He gently took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers in a move more intimate than she’d anticipated. A flutter started in her belly, and it had nothing to do with her child.
She tensed a little when he led her downstairs towards the conservatory. “What are we doing here?” She couldn’t stop her voice from quivering.
“I have a surprise for you. Are you all right?”
“I’m still nervous.”
A crease appeared between his eyebrows. “You don’t need to be. I care only about your happiness.”
She believed every word.
He opened the double doors and led her through the neat aisles towards the moonflowers. “I ordered some flowers that bloom at night?—”
“The moonflowers.” She realised too late her mistake. She should have waited for him to show her the flowers before talking.
“Yes. How do you know?”
“Not many flowers bloom at night.” Which wasn’t true. There were several species opening their petals in the moonlight. She was terrible at this game of lies. “Moonflowers are all the rage at the moment.”
“I thought they were exclusive” He stopped in front of the beautiful flowers. Even closed, they were stunning. “For you. Although I should have waited for nightfall. I was eager to show them to you.”
She touched the soft petals all wrapped tightly together. “They’re beautiful.”
Standing behind her, he caressed her cheek, and another shiver danced on her skin. Guilt had nothing to do with the sensation, though; it was his gentle touch.
“Did you order them for me?” she asked.
“A while ago. I wanted to impress you.”
A lump of emotion swelled in her throat, along with annoyance at Patrick. He hadn’t mentioned the idea had been Anthony’s. “I spoiled your surprise.”
He caressed her cheek again.
There was too much tenderness in his fingertips and the gesture for her heart to ignore it. She craved it. She craved his understanding, above all. Before he removed his hand, she took it and turned around to face him.
No space divided them. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and her body was flush with his. And now she didn’t know what to do. She’d acted on impulse, and his emerald eyes were too intense; they didn’t let her think. As she brushed a long curl of hair from his face, she touched his scarred skin with her whole hand this time.
He recoiled, stepping back from her.
“I’m sorry,” they said together.
“Does it bother you? The touch?” she asked.
He put a hand on the scar. “The scar doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s not possible. I touch my cheek many times and feel no pain. But sometimes, when someone else touches it, it hurts. I feel the burn of the bullet again. I don’t understand it.”
“I guess a pain like that never leaves you.”
“I hate it. The tension, the pain, the lack of control over my emotions.”
“What happened?”
