‘Not yet.’ His lips were warm as they moved across her own. ‘Not ever,’ he added on a throaty murmur as he kissed her again, this time with a ferocity that matched the possessive intent etched on his dark features.
Hands clenched at her sides, she fought against the surge of passion that made her want to cling to him, and with a small cry she stepped backwards, her pallor highlighted by the two patches of colour on her cheeks as she panted like someone who had just run a marathon.
‘What is this all about, Roman? Because...’ She glanced at the stationary jet, its metallic paint glinting in the sun. ‘You arranged this delay, didn’t you?’
‘Yes. I needed to talk to you.’
She touched her lips. ‘That wasn’t talking.’
Roman sketched a smile that did not reach his dark eyes, which remained desperate and determined. ‘Your mouth always distracts me. The castillo felt empty when you left.’
Empty, sterile, safe...very safe—just like his life. People called him reckless and a risk-taker when he pitted himself against an unclimbable peak, but he wasn’t a risk-taker, he was a coward, he thought with a fresh surge of self-contempt. What he was about to do, now that was real risk-taking.
Giving something of himself.
The cost of moving on was high, but he needed to let her see him as he really was.
‘Yes, I did order that dossier on you to be compiled, but I hadn’t ever opened it. I had no idea what was in it until you told me.’
She planted her hands on her hips, an effect spoilt by the fact she had to brush away the tears that were trickling down her cheeks. ‘You’ve driven all this way just to tell me that? You expect me to believe you?’
‘No, but it happens to be true.’ His chest lifted in a deep sigh. His future, his soul depended on him convincing her.
‘I had every intention of deleting it from my computer, I really did.’
‘Because you were not interested in my skeletons,’ she said dryly.
‘I’m interested in everything about you,’ he said honestly. ‘And I was very tempted to access that material, but I didn’t because... I think I wanted you to tell me yourself, when you were ready.’
‘Because you are so patient.’
He conceded her jab with a shrug. ‘Maybe it was arrogant of me, but I wanted you to trust me.’ His lips quirked in a bitter little smile. ‘Dios, this is not easy.’
‘And flying away from you is?’ she yelled back.
‘Then don’t go,’ he pushed out fiercely through clenched teeth before continuing in the same driven tone. ‘I wanted, I needed you to trust me enough to tell me. I genuinely had no idea about your mother and half-sister until you told me. For the record, it is not your fault, it is hers, and not having you in her life is definitely her loss. I am speaking here as someone who has lost you once and, while I am so glad Rupert was there to save you, I just wish it had been me instead, mi vida.’
She blinked and he took encouragement from the doubt that he saw creep into her golden eyes.
‘I don’t believe you.’ But he didn’t think she sounded completely sure and he pressed home the only advantage he had left.
‘It is true. What is also true is that I love you. You are the only woman in the world I have ever said that to. The last time you threw it back in my face and walked away with a chunk of me that I’ve never got back.’
She took a step towards him, her eyes scanning his face. ‘You love me...?’
‘From that very first moment I saw you.’
She looked utterly shocked.
‘I have always been afraid that if I let myself care about someone, allowed myself to fall in love, I would become just like him and destroy the very thing that I loved most.’
‘Your father?’
He nodded. ‘The anger, the rage inside me when you told me you were already married...it was...’ He closed his eyes, the sinews in his neck standing out as he fought against the tidal wave of black memories. ‘I walked away from my life, and I rebuilt those walls you knocked down around my heart, but I added a few more feet for good measure, as much to keep my anger in as to keep love out. I shouldn’t be telling you this.’
‘You should be telling me,’ Marisa contradicted, stepping in and framing his face with loving hands and sharing a watery smile when he opened his eyes.
‘You believe me.’
‘I do.’ She felt lighter for just saying it. ‘I love you, Roman, so much it scares me, because loving you feels like I’m stepping into moving traffic with my eyes closed.’ She gave a wild little laugh. ‘They say the best cure for fears and secrets is fresh air. You can’t keep everything in, and I can’t any more,’ she admitted.
‘If it ever gets too heavy for you to bear, you need to share—you need to share with me. You really are incredible, you know.’ Unable to resist the soft invitation of her lips, he kissed her with a tenderness bordering on reverence.
‘You’ll make me cry,’ she warned thickly.
‘If I ever hurt you, Marisa, it would kill me—’ he groaned out fiercely.
‘You are nothing like him,’ she cut in fiercely. ‘Do you hear me, Roman Bardales? Nothing! There is a massive difference between wanting to protect someone because you love them and wanting to control them because you don’t know what love really is. You love our son and I know that you will always protect him. That makes me feel...safe. You make me feel safe.’
‘Marisa.’ He swallowed, his voice cracking with emotion as he stroked a finger down her smooth cheek.
‘I want to be Superman for our son.’
‘He doesn’t need a superhero, he just needs a dad. He needs you.’ Her lashes dipped over her eyes as she gazed at him through
