Page 120 of The Duke's Mysterious Lover
Last night, he’d dreamed she’d told him that as he’d fallen asleep in her arms, but had thought that was all it was—a dream. But now…
Thorne felt as if his chest was going to expand so much it would lift him off the floor of his music room, floating him off into the atmosphere like one of those contraptions the balloonists were keen on.
Shelovedhim, and with that knowledge, any miracle seemed possible.
“Do you hear me?” Kit all but screeched down at him, her hair wild around her face.
“I heard ye,” Thorne said softly, lips stretched almost painfully tight as he reached up to tuck a strand of hair back behind her ear. “Ye love me.”
“Yes, I love you, you stupid man.I love you. And I never, ever want to come that close to losing you!”
“Kit, darling…I hate to point this out, butyewere the one with the gun pointed to yer head. How do ye think that mademefeel?”
She paused, lips tugging into a frown. “What?”
“I loveye, and watching ye held by that madman, kenning I couldnae get to ye in time if he decided to hurt ye…” Thorne shook his head. “It broke me, love.”
Kit swallowed, looking uncertain once more. “You’re only upset because you couldn’t figure out a way to draw his aim, to get him to shoot you instead. You ass.”
“Well,aye.” She was adorable in her pique, wasn’t she? “And dinnae think I’ve forgotten ye did exactly that.”
She seemed to deflate, her elbows dropping to his chest. “We’re a sorry pair, aren’t we?”
“Love, I promise to do my best to stay out of danger, if ye promise the same.”
Kit shuddered. “I hope to never be in this situation again.”
Pretending to consider it, Thorne frowned thoughtfully. “I dinnae ken. I’ve never met yer mother.”
It took her a moment to process the teasing insult—as if Mother would doanythinghalf as bad as this!—but then Kit scoffed and smacked him in the chest. “I’msayingthat we should both do our best to stay safe for each other.”
He caught her hand. “I can easily swear that, my love.”
My love.
Kit’s expression softened at those words, as if she were repeating them as well. Time seemed to stretch, slow, even their heartbeats. It was just the two of them, safely cocooned in their little haven.
Andshe loved him.
“I’m sorry, Kit,” he whispered, staring up into her eyes. “So sorry. I should have told ye.”
“Yes, you should have.” Her smile was soft, almost shy.
“But I promise—”
“I don’t want promises.”
Thorne blinked. “You dinnae?”
Kit’s grin was almost too delighted. “No, I want to leverage this for a long time. Every time I make a mistake, I shall remind you of this. Whenever I want my own way—”
His groan was deep. “Och, ye’re a cruel woman, Kit.”
“—you’ll never be able to disagree with me now, not after keeping such a secret,” Kit said haughtily, a sparkle in her eyes. “Besides, I want you to grovel.”
“Grovel?” Thorne tried not to smile. “I’d get on my knees, but ye are already on my chest.”
“I require a ridiculous statement of contrition,” continued the woman he loved sharply. “And declarations of idiocy, and all the opera tickets I can eat, and—”
