So wrong.
“I don’t believe you love me,” Jack repeated.
“Why not? I deserve to know how you’ve reached that brilliant conclusion.”
She watched as he sat in one of the luxurious leather chairs. He looked calm and relaxed as he crossed his legs at the ankles and folded his arms over his chest.
“There are a couple of very obvious reasons actually, and I think you are aware of them already, if you would but admit it. First, as you know because of Carl you didn’t have much choice when I made the offer to bail him out and you were the most important part of the equation. Sure, you would have preferred Michael, but I’m wealthier and beat him to it.
“Second, why would you fall in love with someone like me? It doesn’t add up. You have been cosseted and protected all your life and even although you spent those years at university you have remained very conservative, I guess.” Jack hesitated as if seeking the right words to say. “Added to the complexities of your royal upbringing, your natural characteristics are those of shyness and vulnerability, which are good reasons that you are a lot more comfortable with your own kind. Then you say you love me, a man you barely know, and although I have the advantage of money, as far as your world is concerned, I am still a commoner—a mere fisherman.”
She silently counted to ten giving her time to bring her emotions under control. “If you think that, why was I so taken with you on the island? I literally begged you to make love to me.”
Rubbing a hand across his jaw, he gave a wry smile. “I’m not denying we have something going between us, which began on the island. It’s called physical attraction and we both excel at it. But I’m talking about a different kind of love. The sort of love that will last a lifetime. All I have heard you mention is separation and divorce. On our wedding day, you asked me to get on with it and make you pregnant so we could separate sooner. That doesn’t sound like a declaration of undying love to me.”
She frowned. He was right. She had said those terrible things but only because she thought he didn’t care. She’d been protecting her stupid pride. Now, she had no pride left. She wanted him to believe her.
“I loved you from the very start, Jack. You can say all the hurtful things in the world, but it’s true.”
He stood and moving to the window, stared out at the raging sea. “It doesn’t matter. I have bought a princess and made a good investment in her country. I don’t want to talk about whether you love me or not. We’re not going to separate or get a divorce. It’s immaterial.”
Lara blinked away the tears welling in her eyes. She wouldn’t let him see how his words had hurt her. She wouldn’t.
“I’d like to visit the island tomorrow.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Whatever for?”
“I don’t want to explain why. Please can we go, just for an hour?”
His expression was thoughtful as he studied her. He nodded his head. “Okay. As long as this storm has passed and the weather is suitable. We’ll go in my motor launch.”
“Not Jezebel?”
He smiled and her insides melted with love for him.
“No, not in Jezebel. Now, I’ll go and make a few business calls and catch up on some emails. The housekeeper has left some dinner in the fridge, if your royal highness doesn’t mind heating it up?”
Refusing to let the terse words between them spoil this special time, she crossed to his side and placing her arms around his neck, reached up to kiss him. “Jack Lucas’s wife doesn’t mind at all,” she breathed and had the pleasure of seeing the passion flair in his eyes.
~ * ~
“It’s a bit choppy, but we should be all right. At least the sun’s out, which is more than can be said for yesterday.”
“I think it’s the most beautiful day ever,” Lara replied, leaning into Jack as he steered the launch toward the island. He placed his free arm around her, kissing her cheek.
She was particularly serene today, he thought, glancing at her delicate profile as she held her head up toward the autumn sunshine, her hair streaming behind her in a golden banner. She had made no further comments about their strange discussion yesterday when she’d insisted she loved him.
How he wished it was true. But, in so many ways, he knew his bride was still very naïve. Because he had woken this extraordinary sexual awareness within her, she had mistaken it for love.
No sweetheart. It isn’t the kind of love I want from you. Perhaps it will come in time. I pray it will
.
He glanced behind checking the security boat was following. He hadn’t told her but he’d been forced to make a lot of changes since making Lara his wife. His home was now sealed like a fortress, and he’d arranged for two security men to be on constant guard against intruders. Whether this was the media, who were still frantically trying to get photos and interviews, or more sinister strangers who might try and harm her in some way, he needed to make sure they were safe.
“Do you think the spiders will have come back and be hiding in the bed?” she asked with a cheeky grin as she touched his face, her fingers tracing the outline of his jaw. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss into the soft palm.
“You have a one-track mind, my Lara.” He smiled in response. “I think the cottage will be pretty grubby. If I’d known you wanted to go there, I would have arranged for my staff to go out and tidy it.”
“I don’t want it tidy,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. “I want it to be just as we left it.”
“In chaos, if I remember correctly.” Jack slowed the engine as they approached the tiny bay. “I can’t get any closer but the water’s only a few inches deep. I’ll carry you over,” he said, throwing a short rope ladder over the side.
She clung to him as he lifted her and waded through the shallow water to the beach. His body hardened with need for her as she nuzzled his throat, covering him with tiny, butterfly kisses. Okay, so she may not love him as he wanted to be loved, but he’d settle for this for now, he decided, lowering her gently to the sand, his hands caressing her slender frame.
To his surprise, she turned and ran across the beach disappearing through the trees toward the cottage. He guessed she was living her own romantic dream of when they were last here and their awareness of each other had consumed them.
When he walked through the open door, still hanging on by its rusty hinges, she was sitting in one of the old armchairs frantically leafing through a book.
“What are you doing, sweetheart?” He was intrigued.
When she looked up, he caught his breath. Her face was alive with an ethereal beauty he knew he would never forget no matter what the future might bring.
“You say I don’t love you, Jack” She held the book out to him. “Before you deny me yet again, I want you to read this. It’s my diary, and I wrote in it when we were here on the island after we’d made love that last night. I hid it under this cushion. When the police arrived, I was in such a state I forgot and left it here.”
He took the book from her, his gaze going to the words she had written many weeks ago when they had first met—first been intimate.
Whatever happens in the future, I shall never, never stop loving Jack. He is the man with whom I would want to spend the rest of my life, if I could. I have to find a way back to him, somehow.
The words danced before his eyes as he captured their meaning. She had written this believing him to be Jack Lucas, her fisherman. She had fallen in love with him then. He looked into her shining face alight with happiness and the tears welled in his eyes.
She removed the diary from his hands and placed it on the table. “I hope you believe me,” she said, and when he didn’t reply she continued nervously, “I know we’re from different worlds and our circumstances are extraordinary but I don’t think you would have been so determined to pay that money and take me away from Michael if you hadn’t cared about me.”
Still Jack was silent so she plowed on, her hands unconsciously twisting together as the tension shot up several more notches.
“What you need to understand is that I didn’t want to marry Michael. I don’t even like him. It was only when my parents told me about Carl’s debts, I realized I had little choice, and I swear I was only told on the same night you came to my room. I thought you didn’t want me, and I could hardly contain my joy when you said we were to be married.”
“Lara, I…”
“Shh. Let me finish or I’ll lose my courage. Then you became so hard and cynical and kept pointing out the differences between our worlds. I couldn’t understand why you’d want to marry me except for the prestige of a title and the right connections and…a good investment.”
“Lara. Shut up a moment.” He managed to speak at last, although he was still totally stunned.
My wife loves me. She has loved me from the beginning
. He wanted to climb on this cottage’s old roof and shout it at the top of his lungs so the whole world could hear. God, he felt good!
“Have you removed your ring since the wedding?” Two could play at the show and tell game.
She looked shocked and he noticed her bottom lip quiver. He was upsetting her—badly. It was time to come clean. Time to communicate and sort out their complicated emotions.
“No. Of course not. Why?”
“I suggest you take it off and read the inscription on the inside.”
He watched her fumbling and taking pity on her anxious state, reached for her hand, removed the ring and held it out to her. Her eyes widened as she twisted it around and read aloud
To Lara—my love until the end of time—Jack.
“Oh my.
Oh my,”
was all she could say, her mouth forming a delicious o of astonishment.
Laughing, he drew her close. “I thought you might have noticed it much earlier than this, princess. Now, you know how much you mean to me,” he said, kissing her with great tenderness.
“Jack. You really love me.” Joy shone from her eyes.
“From the moment I first saw you, and I always will for the rest of our lives. Truly, madly, deeply, I worship you.”
“Even though I can be a snobby, royal pain in the butt?”
“Particularly because of that. I can’t believe we have wasted all this time and have gone around in circles, misunderstanding each other…hurting each other.” He was silent for a moment as the enormity of their love swept over him and the tension lifted from his shoulders.
Lara reached up, returning his kiss. “I’ve always known how much I love you,” she said with a cheeky grin. “It just took you a while to realize you love me. Quite understandable, under the circumstances,” she teased. “But, Jack, promise one thing?”
“Anything.” He rested his forehead against hers.
“To give up being a…a tuna cowboy?”
He hesitated for a second to keep her on tenterhooks before he said, “Yes. I promise. But I don’t promise not to go messing around in Jezebel.”
She laughed, her eyes dancing. “What a pity Jezebel isn’t here. She would complete our reunion.”
Jack took her hand and led her toward the door. “Come with me, sweet wife. I have an extra wedding present for you.”
Mystified, she let him guide her to the beach and there moored off shore was Jezebel. She shrieked with excitement as she saw the old boat’s now gleaming hull and strapped to it, as if gift wrapped, was the biggest pink ribbon bow she had ever seen. On Jezebel’s mast flew a majestic flag, carrying Challoner’s coat of arms, flapping in the breeze.
“I’ve had her completely refitted while we were in Europe. New interior, engine, decking—the works. I arranged for one of my staff to sail her here but keep her hidden until we were ready.” His heart swelled with pride at the look on Lara’s face.
“You did this for me?” she asked with wonder in her tone.