Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
A sob broke from her mouth and she slumped against his chest.
“You matter, sweetheart. You matter.”
She wrapped her hands up in his shirt. How did he know just what she needed to hear? That all her life, she’d been waiting for someone she loved to tell her that.
You matter.
I see you and you matter.
Her mother loved her, but it wasn’t the same because Mama had always been focused on her father. On protecting them both from him.
“I’ll say it as often as you need to hear it. You matter, Jilly. You matter to me.”
Tears slid down her face as she cried.
He held her tighter. When she started calming down, he grabbed a few tissues, he leaned her face back so he could clean her up.
It probably wasn’t the most romantic time to say it . . . but she had to tell him.
“You matter to me as well, Regent Malone. And I know this sounds crazy, and you’re probably going to tell me that I don’t know my own mind, but I love you.”
He stilled, staring down at her. Then he carefully put the tissues down.
“I love you,” she repeated. “I think I’ve loved you since the first moment I met you. I know that was just a child’s love. That grew into my first crush. But for me . . . it’s you. I now realize that all of my other relationships were doomed to fail. Because it’s always been you.”
“I thought you would grow out of it. See that I wasn’t a man you could ever want to be with.”
“It was the opposite,” she told him. “Because I’m pretty sure the more time I spent with you . . . the more I fell in love with you. And it’s okay if you can’t feel the same.”
Uh, no, it wasn’t. But she didn’t want him to think he had to say it back. Not that he was the type of man to ever allow himself to get pressured into something. “But I just want you to know how I feel.”
“I’ve always thought of myself as cold.”
“Cold? What do you mean?” she asked.
“Like my father. He never allowed himself to feel anything. Emotions were something I couldn’t afford to have because they interfered with good business decisions. His children were pawns to be used.”
“My father was almost the opposite. His emotions were so volatile. He let them explode anywhere and everywhere.” She shuddered. “Not that that meant he cared about us anymore than yours did. But that doesn’t mean you’re the same as your father either. Just as I’m not like mine. You’re allowed to feel things. You’re allowed to care about others.”
“I vowed not to be like him. Yet some lessons are hard to get out of my head. Love isn’t something I am familiar with,” he said almost stiffly. “But you are the only woman I have ever taken care of like this. Have ever wanted to live with me. Who I have ever wanted to be in a relationship with. And whom I would put in the same category as my family. Someone I would protect with my life.”
She knew that this was his way of saying he loved her. Perhaps he really didn’t know what love was. Maybe he just couldn’t say it.
But what he did express was enough. And she knew that he didn’t say anything he didn’t mean.
“Are you upset?” His gaze studied her face.
“Upset? No. I matter to you. That’s more than I could ever have hoped for.”
And she was still kind of reeling from the fact that he’d never had a long-term relationship with a woman.
Yet he wanted her.
“Good. Because I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Cupping her face, he drew her in for a kiss. His mouth devoured hers.
God, the man could kiss.
It was everything she’d ever dreamed of. Regent took complete control of her, his tongue playing against hers as he lightly held her chin.
When he drew back, she was aware she had a dreamy smile on her face.
“Jilly? Jilly, are you all right?” he asked. “Are you not feeling well?”
“Oh no!” she cried, thrust back into reality.
“What? What is it?” he asked as she attempted to climb off his lap.
“I probably just infected you.”
“Infected me?”
“With my disease!” How did he not understand what she was saying?
“Your disease? What disease?” he demanded. “You’re ill? How did I not know you were ill?”
“Um, you do know. You’ve been looking after me.”
“Oh. You mean because you have the flu?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. It’s all right. If you get ill, I’ll take care of you.”
“Baby, it’s all right. I won’t get ill.”
“I hate to break it to you, but even tough guys get ill.”
To her shock, he just kissed her forehead. “You’re so cute.”
“I’m serious, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I won’t do it again.”