Page 41 of Their UnBearable Destiny

It confused her to no end.

And she had to realize that maybe, all of this time…

“You’re not faking it.” She knew he could hear the incredulous tone of her voice, she heard it loud and clear. “You mean it.”

She could almost feel him smiling through his body. The way the tension in his shoulders eased and the way he relaxed against her.

“And it wasn’t just because I was starting to see it, ‘Berto. It was Allegra’s call.”

Emiliana eased back from him, further onto the bed and watched him turn until he was facing her.

She continued on. “I heard the way you spoke to her, the way she leans on you for help. For reassurance. Where you always like that?”

Her throat was raw with unshed tears.

“Did I miss who you were all these years?”

Remorse clawed at her insides, pulled her closer to the edge of her tears.

“Allegra might be blind, but she sees a side of you that I’ve never seen. Or was it that I was blind to you?”

When he crawled to her, she saw more of his bear pushing toward the surface. His shoulders felt broader and the dark eyes that met hers felt more bear than human. And yet, the gentle way he approached her, touched her nose with his, and then slid his cheek against hers. She didn’t pull away from his touch. She leaned into it.

Her bear leant her some strength, but she felt a warm wave of it from Uberto. It was a heady feeling for her. A gentle rush of heat and need.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to hear you say those things,” Uberto sat on the bed beside her and pulled her into his lap. He pushed his nose into her hair and took in a long breath. “But I also have to tell you that you weren’t wrong. Not really.”

She sat back a few inches to look at his face.

“I wasn’t the same man ten years ago.” He took one of her hands in his and lifted it to his mouth. Placing a soft, reverent kiss on the back of her hand he looked up again to meet her gaze. “Like you, I knew… everything. The world was supposed to meet my expectations.” His grin took on a rueful twist. “I found my mate in you, so you were supposed to feel the same way. We were two parts of the same soul, right?”

She felt a smile tug on her lips. “You were supposed to feel the way I did.”

“And I was so convinced that if you would just listen to me. If you would just let me explain how things were-”

“And I knew if you would just open your eyes and see how unhappy I was, everything would be just fine.”

Uberto’s eyes closed and he shook his head. “We were young.”

“You were a pain,” she corrected him, and her smile widened when his eyes flew open to meet her laughing gaze. “And yes, we were young.”

“And if you hadn’t sent me away,” he swallowed, and she struggled not to focus to closely on the heavy bob of his Adam’s apple, and how much she wanted to taste the skin along his neck, “I can imagine-”

She heard his laughing tone and she looked up to meet his eyes, well and truly caught in her musings.

“I can imagine that we would have both stood our ground until we’d come to hate each other.”

Emiliana’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “Something else we can agree on. I would have threatened to castrate you at some point.”

His cheeks colored ever so slightly under the rich tan of his skin. “You did that.”

“I did?” She covered her mouth with her free hand. “Are you sure?”

Uberto’s eyes looked away toward the ceiling and she swore she could almost hear him thinking it over. And counting. “A couple of times. Maybe three?”

Her stomach sank, and she shook her head. “I’m sure I did.” She managed to recover some of her smile. “But, I’m also sure that you probably deserved it.” A silent moment passed between them. “At least, I thought so back then.”

“I’m not perfect, Ana. I will never be perfect.”

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