Page 104 of The Moonstone Pirate
He took her hand and wrapped it in both of his. “Imogen…”
“It is all right, Draco.” She cast him a wobbly smile. “You don’t owe me any vow of love. I suppose men and women do not think of these things in the same way. Perhaps they do, but I am unaware of the rules. I am not very good at this love game. I just wanted to be honest with you. But I see that you do not feel the same way about me. Well, I will just have to get over you, won’t I?”
“I am not asking you to get over me, Imogen. I’m just…” He sighed in exasperation. “Gad, why do you have to be soyou? So damn sweet and always making too much of your feelings.”
He leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the lips, a quick, possessive kiss that ought to have revealed what he was feeling without having to utter the words. Of course, it was the worst thing he could have done, because it only served to confuse her once again.
He could not help it. He needed to taste her, to feel the surrender of her soft lips and the inviting warmth of her mouth as he pressed his to it.
Perhaps these surroundings made him giddy and made him love her so much, for this magical place abounded with soft breezes and shimmering waters, meadows filled with vibrant red poppies, and butterflies that flitted from flower to flower.
This place opened his heart.
“I’ll try to hold back my feelings,” she said with that same earnest sincerity that made him want to draw her into his arms and never let her go. “It’s just so hard for me to keep everything bottled up inside.”
Everything?
She kept nothing bottled up inside.
Did he not love this about her?
Here he sat with Imogen, his very own butterfly, feeling content despite all the danger swirling around them. He wanted to finish this assignment, and then spend the rest of his life protecting her and loving her. Was he wrong to deny his feelings? He meant to protect her from greater hurt, but it seemed he was only making her sadder. “Let’s try this again, Imogen.”
He heard her cousins clomping up the stairs to the arms of their waiting nanny.
Burness and his wife were talking to each other as they entered the parlor and made their way toward him and Imogen.
“Quick, Imogen. Ask me if I love you.”
She stared at him, trying to understand what he meant to do after he had just spent the last five minutes insisting now was not the time. But in the next moment, she gripped the edge of her chair. “Do you love me, Draco?”
He nodded. “To the depths of my soul, Butterfly. To the depths of my soul.”
Chapter Sixteen
He loved her!
Dracolovedher.
“What have we missed?” Imogen’s uncle strode forward to greet Draco, who managed to return his greeting with a politely bland expression that revealed nothing of his admission of a moment ago.
Imogen scampered to her feet and ran to her aunt’s side. She did not know why she had skittered away from Draco, because all she wanted to do was run into his arms and kiss him fiercely.
But he was all business once again.
He winced slightly and rose to offer Phoebe his seat. She waved him back down and settled in one of the chairs around the wrought-iron table where they usually took their tea in the afternoons.
Imogen sat beside her. “The mystery of Mrs. Halsey’s shattered window has been solved. We also received word from Mr. Barrow, who has ruled out Lord and Lady Trewick as suspects.”
Uncle Cormac turned to Draco. “You never really thought the Trewicks were involved. What happened with the tea shop incident?”
Draco quickly repeated all he’d learned and what he had done to secure the horse.
“Bloody little prick,” Uncle Cormac muttered, looking truly incensed.
Phoebe gasped. “Cormac! Your language!”
“What? His careless shot would have struck Imogen and killed her if Woodley hadn’t pulled her out of the way in time. Thank you, Woodley. Truly, you have my lifelong gratitude.”
