The Greek Bachelors Collection. Rebecca Winters

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ like he must be able to read that her feelings were so much stronger than she was admitting, but she didn’t want to scare him, only let him see she was sincere.

      “Jesus, Jaya,” he whispered in a ragged breath, looking away.

      His image swam before her brimming eyes, but she thought she’d seen a flinch of great anguish, like her words had touched a very raw part of him. He rubbed his hand across his jaw.

      “For God’s sake, why?” he expelled with disbelief.

      Oh, you poor, poor man. She rose and went to him, unable to sit so far from him when he was hurting so much. Cupping his head, she forced his tortured expression to face hers.

      “Why do I like you? You’re a good man, Theo. When I told you about my assault, you didn’t ask what I was wearing or whether I did something to encourage it. You never once lost patience with those babies even though they kept us up half the night. You protected your little brother when you were barely old enough to—”

      “Shh, don’t.” He pulled her into his chest, crushing her so tight she could barely draw breath. His heart pounded against her breast and she felt his swallow where his damp throat was pressed to her temple. His breaths moved harshly in his nostrils as he tried to regain control, holding her against the rise and fall of his shaken breaths.

      She let herself soften into him, hoping her signal of acceptance would penetrate.

      His own arms loosened a fraction and she wound her arms around his chest. Their embrace became mutual. Tight and close, man and woman. He cupped the back of her head and rubbed his chin on her hair.

      “People hate to see me coming,” he said after a long time. “I criticize how they’re doing things, ask for paperwork they can’t find, make them account for items they think are insignificant. You always smiled at me, no matter what I asked for. I was never an imposition to you. That’s so rare for me.”

      He combed his fingers through her hair while she closed her eyes against a sharp sting, feeling dampness gather on her lashes and keeping them hidden in his shirt, certain he’d stop holding her if he knew how moved she was.

      “Do I like you?” he continued. “I don’t have friends. I don’t know how that works. I wish I could say I loved you, that I could give you everything you want from a man. Knowing you want love tells me I don’t deserve you.”

      She hitched in a breath of protest, but he was continuing, arms tightening a fraction to keep her in place.

      “But I’m not selfless enough to give you up. I want you in my life. Not just because my mouth waters when I think of you naked. Hell, you can feel how I’m reacting now, but there are a lot of beautiful women out there. There’s only one you. You are special, Jaya.”

      She hugged him hard, biting her lips because they were quivering. “Thank you for saying that.”

      “But it’s not enough, is it?” He slid heavy hands to her shoulders and eased her back a step. “You do deserve better.”

      Here was the crossroads again. She couldn’t know if marrying him was the right choice unless she made it and looked back on having lived with it, but she couldn’t hurt him by rejecting him. All she could do was remember how perfect they had been once and believe that, with time, they could surpass it.

      Without breathing, courage gathered into a tight knot in her middle, she picked up his hand to cradle it against her cheek. “You’re going to have to trust me when I say that I would be honored and privileged to be your wife,” she quavered.

      He searched her gaze, a small frown pulling his brows. “Are you saying—”

      She nodded, unable to help smiling when he was so plainly taken by surprise. “I would like to marry you, Theo.”

      The flash of male triumph that streaked into his fierce visage might have frightened her if there wasn’t a helping of relief beneath it, endearingly softening his ruthless expression. In the next instant, he shuttered himself so thoroughly, she wondered if she had seen any reaction at all.

      “Thank you. We’ll get a ring in the morning.”

      And the CFO was back, armed with his tasks. Nevertheless, she’d seen behind the curtain and knew there was something there, even if it wasn’t very clearly defined.

      “I don’t need a ring,” she dismissed, and reluctantly let her hands drop. She didn’t know how to bring herself out from intense emotional intimacy to distance with the swiftness that he did. A chill made her cross her arms and self-protect.

      “I want to do this properly,” he insisted, then grimaced. “I suppose that means we should wait until our wedding night. How long does it take to plan a wedding?”

      “Wait for what? Oh.” She ducked her head to hide that she was blushing, partly because she was dense enough not to have got his meaning right away, but also because she was disappointed. “We don’t have to,” she murmured.

      “I want you to be sure.” He pushed his hands into his pockets, but she could see he was still aroused. He was trying not to touch her, she realized, and glittering delight bounced through her at her effect on him.

      “I am sure.” She lifted her face so he could see she wasn’t teasing, but she didn’t know how to flirt or invite. Arousal was still too new.

      “Sure about all of it,” he clarified with a rueful look. “Given our track record, I’d knock you up by midnight. As you said, this is your first proposal. I won’t trap you.”

      A small smile touch her lips at the prospect of him forcing a shotgun wedding, but another thought occurred and it was a big one. “Do you want more children?”

      His expression blanked in surprise. “I haven’t given it any thought. Hell, last week I didn’t want any. Today...I don’t know. Being a single child sounds lonely for Zephyr, doesn’t it? I mean, Demitri is a complete pain in the ass, but I can’t imagine not having him around.”

      “It’s open for discussion, then?” she confirmed. This was a deal-breaker for her.

      “Yes,” he said firmly. “But let’s give ourselves a chance to get to know one another again first.” His gaze feathered over her cheek and lit on her mouth.

      He knew how to say things that both flattered and intrigued. Despite his sweetly suggestive remark, however, a very somber mood came over him.

      Her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

      “Not one thing.” He cupped her face and kissed her with startling tenderness. “You’re very lovely, Jaya. How long until I can call you my wife?”

      “I don’t know.” Her heart turned over and already she wondered if she’d done the right thing. “A few months?”

      He grimaced.

      “Unless you want a small wedding,” she rushed to say. “That could be arranged in a week or two.”

      “I want to do this right.” His hands fell to her shoulders and he looked over her head, his expression weighted by heavy thoughts. His hands massaged, but distractedly. Like he’d slipped miles away from her. “You’ll want your family СКАЧАТЬ