Page 61 of The Couple Behind the Headlines

‘In what way?’ she said, but it came out almost as a whisper.

‘What I should have said is that I love you.’

He looked deep into her eyes and she went dizzy. ‘You love me?’ she echoed, barely able to believe it.

Jack nodded and gave her the ghost of a smile. ‘To distraction. I have done for weeks. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.’

‘So why didn’t you?’ She thought of all the misery she’d had to endure and her chest tightened.

He shrugged. ‘When you said you couldn’t trust me, it kind of blindsided me. I didn’t know what to do.’

Guilt spun through her and Imogen knew that she’d deserved every second of that misery. ‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she said, her cheeks reddening with shame. ‘I didn’t mean it. I was hurting and it was a cheap but easy shot.’

‘And I’m sorry I hurt you.’ He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and her pulse jumped. ‘Nevertheless you had a point,’ he said softly. ‘This is all new for me, Imogen, and I’ll probably screw up even more disastrously and more frequently than I have already. But I promise you, if you’ll let me, I’ll figure it out. And I’ll prove you can trust me. Every day.’

Her heart turned over. ‘Every day?’

He nodded. ‘Long weekends and holidays wouldn’t be enough, would they?’

She shook her head and sighed. ‘Not nearly.’

‘That’s what I figured. Which is why I’m moving to New York, too.’

Imogen’s breath caught in her throat as the love she’d been keeping at bay crashed through her defences and rushed into her. ‘Really?’ she said as an unstoppable smile spread across her face.

‘Really. I’m opening an office there and I’ve even been thinking about getting in touch with my father.’

‘Wow,’ she said, because it was all she could manage. ‘You’ve been busy.’

‘Yes, well, both are about time. And incidental.’ He paused, then said, ‘I just want to be with you, and if you’re going to be in New York then that’s where I want to be, too.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Surer than I’ve ever been of anything.’ He shot her a smile that made her heart expand. ‘Besides, you might meet that nice American you mentioned, and I can’t have that.’

With

all the love swelling up inside her, Imogen said fiercely, ‘There’s absolutely no danger of that happening.’

He arched an eyebrow. ‘No?’

She took a breath, put her hand on his cheek and looked deep into his eyes. ‘How could I possibly be interested in anyone else when I’m so in love with you?’

That devastating smile of his spread across his face, his eyes lit up and she nearly swooned at everything that blazed there. ‘God, I hoped you were.’

‘I am. Inescapably, it seems. And I’m sorry, too. For not realising sooner and for repeatedly turning you away.’ She ached at the memory of how blind she’d been. ‘And for wasting such a lot of time.’

Jack grinned. ‘Ah, well, you see, the good thing about wasting so much time is that there’s an awful lot of it to make up.’

With perfect timing the seat-belt sign pinged and before she knew what was happening, Jack had hauled her onto his lap and into his arms. ‘Starting now,’ he added, and pulled her against him.

Imogen laughed with delight, but when his mouth found hers and he kissed her with everything he felt her laughter died in her throat. She could feel his heart thundering in time with hers and she realised that, whatever else she wanted out of life, this was where she was meant to be. With Jack. In his arms. And she was never going to let him go again.

‘By the way,’ he murmured against her lips when they broke for air, ‘I realise that you won’t be wanting anything to distract you while you’re studying, but, I think I should let you know in advance, the minute you graduate I’ll be asking you to marry me.’

With her breathing all over the place, Imogen wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and went giddy with happiness. ‘Will you?’

‘It’s a promise.’

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