Bound As His Business-Deal Bride

‘It was my job to protect you,’ he said, murmuring into her unruly hair as it escaped from its tie. He stroked his hand over it, a marvel of twisted silk under his fingers. ‘And I failed, in every way.’

‘We were both young, neither of us knew what we were doing then.’ Eve’s fingers traced over his chest, stroking him like some overgrown cat. He could almost have purred at the pleasure of her tentative touches, as if learning him all over again. ‘All I know is that I can’t live with hate. I want to surround myself with love.’

‘You’ll have it every day, cher. That’s one thing I can promise.’

Her hands left his chest, moved to his face and drifted to stroke the bridge of his nose, under his right eye, the places where he carried the scars of that terrible night seven years earlier.

‘I’m sorry for these. For my father.’

‘I earned them, loving you. You have nothing to apologise for.’ It was all he could do not to take her face in his hands, to kiss her. But he held back. There was more that needed to be said. Building a solid foundation for the future he craved, one with Eve as his wife. ‘Do you want some company growing your roses?’

She pulled back, looked up at him. ‘Don’t you have an international conglomerate to run?’

He shrugged. ‘I can do that from wherever there’s an internet connection. What I want more is you. And I’ll be wherever you are. I’ll do whatever you need. We’d always planned on making a home like the house in Grasse.’

‘So dreams can come true?’ Eve’s eyes were wide and questioning. He didn’t want to make her question, he wanted to be her every answer.

‘I think we’ve spent our lives apart preparing to come back to each other, even if we didn’t realise it. So now I want to make our engagement real. To marry you, like we planned once. Does that fit in with your dreams?’

The flicker of her pulse beat strong and solid at the base of her throat. He’d kiss there first, if she let him. When she said yes. For now, holding her, being allowed to love her was enough.

Eve plucked at something on his shirt, gave a light, tremulous laugh. ‘Working out place settings for guests at the reception would be a nightmare. Maybe we should elope.’

He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face so she’d look at him again. Her eyes were tight, wary. He hated that uncertainty there, the things family enmity had forced upon them. ‘You will be the most beautiful bride and I want to see it. It’s what I always wanted for you. In whatever dress you’ve dreamed of, at the wedding you deserve. Nothing less.’

‘I never cared about that.’ She slid her arms around his neck, threading her fingers into his hair. He relished each touch, caress as a gift of trust. He hoped he could prove himself to her so she’d never doubt anything again. ‘All I wanted was you.’

That was the last bit of encouragement he needed. Gage made sure his hold on Eve was secure and stood, cradling her in his arms. She squeaked in surprise but her body didn’t tense, as if she was confident of him at last, and that was his promise to this amazing woman. He’d never let her down or let her fall. Ever again.

‘You’ve got me, you always have. But I need to grab something out of my pocket.’

She pouted, tightened her arms around his neck a fraction. He almost gave up on what he’d planned to do. They could find the bedroom instead, stay there all day. Then they could finish packing and move. Together. He wouldn’t leave her alone again. But this time he was determined to do it right. To make up in a small way for generations of wrongs. He loosened his grip and she sighed, untangling herself from him and sliding down his body as he bit back a moan.

Gage reached into his pocket, pulled out the glittering engagement ring and held it up. At the time he’d bought it, all he’d been looking for had been something large and valuable. A message to the world and nothing to the woman who would wear it. Until he’d seen this ring, and then all he’d been able to think of was her.

‘Our dreams start today. Simple, wild, whatever you want we’ll make them true together.’

Eve placed her right hand over his heart, which pounded under her palm. ‘My knight in shining armour.’

She smiled, wide and bright. There were tears in her eyes but he knew those were tears of joy. He’d do all he could to never see her cry tears of sadness again.

‘Or piratical marauder. I can be either. I can be everything you want and anyone you need.’

Eve’s smile turned sultry, her pupils huge, dark caverns in the pale blue. Soon he’d explore everything that wicked mind of hers was conjuring up. Now they had all the time in the world.

‘You already are,’ she said, her voice low and soft.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Thanking the heavens for this, for her. For second chances. ‘Marry me, Eve. We both deserve a happy ending and I’ll fight every day to ensure you get it.’

‘Yes,’ she said, and the power of their love filled him with its warmth as he slipped the ring on her finger. ‘There’s nothing in the whole world that would make me happier than that.’

EPILOGUE

Later

EVE LAY BACK in Gage’s arms on the couch, his fingers tracing along a fine chain round her neck where her wedding and engagement rings lay. It had been a few months now since they’d fitted her fingers. Warmth flooded over her at his gentle caress. He plucked the chain, lifting it so the rings dangled in front of her, swaying back and forth.

‘Happy anniversary, Mrs Caron,’ he murmured. She loved the sound of those words on his lips. Her dreams spun into a perfect reality with that sentence.