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‘You thought I’d ruin someone else’s relationship? You really don’t know me very well. I wouldn’t touch a man who was engaged to someone else.’
‘Kalila didn’t want this marriage any more than I did. She probably would have been grateful if I’d been the one to back out because it would have saved her from doing it and risking the wrath of her father. And that’s enough of that topic. I’ve had enough of talking about Kalila and the past and the total and utter mess we made of something special. I want to talk about last night.’
‘Last night was last night. It doesn’t change anything.’
‘Last night I saw the real you. And the real you confessed that you dream about me.’ Mal drew her to her feet and this time she didn’t resist. ‘Have I told you that you look cute in my shirt?’
‘Stop trying to soften me up.’ But her breathing wasn’t quite steady. ‘We can’t do this, Mal. I can’t do this.’ Her voice shook and he realised the fragility of what he was holding in his hands.
‘Yes, you can. This is one of those occasions when you’re supposed to face your fears.’
Face your fears.
He made it sound so easy and yet it was the scariest thing she’d ever faced.
‘You think I’d risk letting you hurt me twice? Do I look stupid?’
‘I didn’t hurt you the first time. At least not intentionally, and you are at least partially to blame for that fiasco.’
‘It’s not a fiasco, it’s a relationship. That’s what happens in relationships. They break. It’s a question of how, not whether.’ Avery pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. She was still wearing the shirt she’d grabbed and suddenly she regretted not getting dressed and putting on make-up because somehow it was easier to project a different side to herself when she was wearing her warpaint. ‘People start off optimistically, thinking that nothing can go wrong, and then eventually it starts to fall apart. The only unknown factor is how and when.’
‘That’s your mother talking. Your mother the divorce lawyer.’
‘You paid someone to dig into my background?’
‘No, I looked you up, but I shouldn’t have had to. We were together for a year and our relationship was serious enough for you to trust me with at least some basic information about your family, although there was nothing there about your father.’
Of course there wasn’t.
‘Why does my family matter?’ Her heart was thumping at her ribcage. ‘You were with me, not my mother.’
‘It might have helped me understand you. Is it her profession that makes you so wary of relationships? Is that the reason you didn’t introduce us?’
‘I don’t take people home to meet my mother. We don’t have one of those cosy mother-daughter relationships where we shop together and get our nails done.’ Nerves made her snappy. ‘She wouldn’t have embraced you; she would have warned me off. My mother’s idea of irresponsible behaviour is a relationship lasting more than a few months and being a Prince wouldn’t have earned you points. If there is one thing she hates more than a man, it’s an alpha, macho man. You should be grateful I didn’t introduce you. It was for your own protection.’
‘Do I look as if I need protecting?’ He’d pulled on a pair of trousers but his torso was bare, bronzed flesh gleaming over solid muscle.
Distracted by that muscle, Avery almost lost the thread of the conversation. ‘All right, maybe it was for my protection.’
‘She sounds like a formidable woman.’
‘Formidable and utterly messed up. Like me, only very possibly worse if you can imagine that. I can see her faults, but that doesn’t mean I can dismiss everything she believes because I believe some of it too. When we broke up I was a mess.’ Remembering it was terrifying. Thinking about
how much she’d changed. How much of herself she’d almost given up. Just thinking about losing her business made her break into a sweat. ‘I can’t do this, Mal. I just can’t. My business gives me independence. It’s my life and I won’t give that up. Seriously, we’d be crazy to even think of doing this again because the ending will be the same.’
‘No it won’t, because this time we’re being honest with each other. This time we’re going to understand each other. We’ll find a way.’ His gaze didn’t flicker from hers. ‘I love you.’
She felt a lightness inside her. A lightness that spread and grew. She felt as if she could float, spin, dance in the air. ‘You love me?’
‘Yes. All of you. Even the aggravating parts.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Especially the aggravating parts.’
Avery lifted her hand to her throat. This was the moment she was supposed to say it back. Those three words she’d never said to another human being. Those three words that her mother had warned her always made a woman stupid.
‘I—’ The words jammed in her mouth, as if her body was putting up a final fight. ‘I—’
‘You—?’ Those dark eyes were fixed on her expectantly and she felt as if she were being strangled.
‘I really need some fresh air,’ she muttered. ‘Can we go for a ride?’
