He was miserable without her? She frowned. She could still recall his frigid expression as he had informed her she was to be sent away. And the weeks she had spent alone at Carrick Park, convinced that she was to be abandoned forever.
Did she dare to believe that he had been hiding his true feelings?
“I thought you hated me.”
“Never,” he rasped, lowering his head to press a tender kiss to her temple. “God, Talia, I was such an idiot.”
“Yes, you were.”
His chuckle was unsteady as he shifted his lips to brush a caress over her brow.
“Then it will please you to know that I was properly punished when I discovered you had been kidnapped.” He pulled back, his smile fading. “I knew I would never forgive myself if you were harmed.”
“You always feel it your duty to protect others,” she murmured.
He made a choked sound of disbelief. “Bloody hell, Talia, if it were only duty I felt, then I would have requested the king send soldiers to rescue you. I would never have traveled to France. And certainly I would never have allowed Hugo to put his life in danger.” His gaze seared over her face, lingering a long moment on her lips. “I already sensed you were claiming a place in my heart, and when you arrived in the cellars of Jacques’s palace to rescue me, I was certain I could never live without you.”
For a moment she thought she must have mistaken his words.
“Your heart?” she whispered.
“My heart.” He shifted to grasp her hand and lift it to the center of his chest. Talia gasped as she felt the thunderous pounding beneath her palm. “You were so astonishingly courageous and you cared enough to put yourself at risk to come for me when you could have escaped.”
She gazed helplessly into his handsome face. “I could not leave you behind.”
“No, you couldn’t.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, stroking her sensitive skin as his eyes warmed with an emotion she never dreamed possible. “And that is why I love you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE WORDS LEFT Gabriel’s lips before he could call them back, and for a heart-stopping moment he was uncertain which of them was more shocked.
Certainly he had known his feelings for Talia went deeper than lust. Or even the mild affection many gentlemen felt for their wives. Hell, the raw, overpowering need he possessed for this woman seemed beyond mere words.
But he had never consciously considered making such a revealing declaration.
Now that the words hung in the air, however, he had no desire to take them back.
Why should he?
He was not ashamed of his feelings for Talia. In truth, he would willingly shout them to the world.
His only concern was Talia’s stunned reaction.
Surely she should be a bit more pleased by his announcement?
Unless, of course, she did not return his feelings?
Had he destroyed any hope of her love…
No. He squashed the unbearable notion.
No matter how long it might take, or what he had to do, he would eventually win her heart.
She cleared her throat at last and managed to croak, “Did you just say you love me?”
He smoothed a hand up the curve of her spine, cupping her nape in a loose grip. He did not think she intended to bolt, but he was unwilling to take any risks.
“I did.”