“I hear you just fine,” she said through clenched teeth. “How convenient that you love me right before you’re set to lose it all if you don’t have a wife.”
He turned to face her fully as he gripped both her bare shoulders. “You and these damn sexy strapless dresses,” he muttered, stroking her skin with his thumbs. “Cause me to forget the powerful speech I was about to make. I’m pretty proud, considering it’s the first one I’ve had to write for
myself.”
“I don’t want to hear your speech and I don’t want you touching me.”
Luc smiled. “Then why is the pulse at the base of your neck pounding as fast as my heart? You may lie to yourself, Kate, but your body is telling me the truth.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. You brought me here for sex? You think I’ll fall back into bed with you and then, in the throes of passion, agree to a marriage?”
Luc laughed, then kissed her full on the mouth before easing back. “Your imagination is running away with you and I’m royally screwing this up.”
“That’s the only thing that’s getting screwed tonight.”
His heart was so full, he couldn’t help but keep smiling. “I’ve missed that smart mouth.”
Kate didn’t say a word, didn’t move and didn’t make any attempt to touch him.
“Tell me I didn’t mess things up so badly that I’ve lost you forever.”
“You never fully had me,” she told him. “I wanted everything with you, but went about it the wrong way. Then you decided to use my love and try to force me into marriage. That’s no foundation to build a relationship on.”
“We both messed up,” he agreed. “I never meant to hurt you, but I was so confused. I wanted to trust my feelings, but how could I when I couldn’t even trust you? I thought if you wanted me so badly, you’d marry me and I’d get the title. I didn’t realize you truly had no ulterior motive.”
“I understand why you couldn’t trust me.” She reached up, wrapped her hands around his wrists and pulled his hands off her shoulders. “What I can’t understand is why you used my feelings against me, why you made love to me at Mikos’s wedding and then acted like you had no clue where to slot me in your life.”
Luc shoved his hands in his pockets. She didn’t want to be touched, and right now he was dying to have her in his arms. This was going to be trickier than he’d thought, but he wasn’t giving up. She’d come, she was talking to him and that had to mean a lot.
“I have something to show you.”
He walked to the desk tucked in the corner of the room and grabbed the email he’d printed out. When he handed it to her, she didn’t take it.
“Please?”
Kate slid the paper from his grasp. Luc watched her face as she read. When her eyes filled with tears, her hand came up to cover her quivering chin and her lips, Luc knew she wasn’t completely lost to him.
She clutched the letter to her chest. “You went to the orphanage?”
“I did.” And he’d loved every minute of it. “I met Carly and Thomas. I was told they were friends of yours.”
Kate nodded, the jerky movement causing a tear to spill. “I love those two so much. They are such sweet kids, but most people want to adopt new babies. The twins are nine, but they have such big hearts and they say they want the babies to go to new homes. Still, I know they long for a set of parents to love them.”
“I was told it’s hard, too, because most people are only looking to adopt one,” he added.
“I try to get there to visit them as often as I can,” she said, swiping at her eyes. “I call them if I get too busy working and can’t make it.”
“They’re at the orphanage you were living in as a baby.” Luc cupped her damp face. “And that’s why they are so important to you. I can completely see why you wanted me to go visit. Those little kids thought talking to a real prince was so neat. I didn’t talk much about the royalty side of my life with Carly and Thomas, but we did discuss Portuguese culture, and they were so fascinated.”
“I can’t believe you went and didn’t tell me,” she exclaimed.
“Actually, we just missed each other. When I arrived, I was told you had left the day before.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “I wish I’d known.”
“Why, Kate? Would you have stayed there? Would you have waited for me?”
She shook her head. “I—I don’t know.”