Page 118 of The Runaway Bride of Blossom Branch

Harry rolled his eyes. “I don’tfreak.And besides, I never threw you out. You were looking at housing. I found a great place for you. End of story.”

On wobbly legs, she stood and crossed the room to sit beside him. It hurt when Harry shifted to put distance between them. Was this the same man who had made love to her so beautifully?

She sucked in a deep breath. If she had thought standing at an altar in front of twelve hundred people was scary, that occasion was nothing compared to this moment. “Harry,” she said. “Are you in love with me?”

“No.” The man didn’t even flinch. Nor did he pause to think about it.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. He was lying. She had to believe that. Or else she would be forced to concede that all the feelings and emotions between them were coming only from her and not him.

She scooted closer and took one of his hands in hers. His skin was warm against her icy fingers. “I fell in love with you, Harry,” she said. “It was so slow. I hardly even realized it was happening. One minute I wanted to smack you, and the next I knew I couldn’t live without you—or I didn’t want to,” she said, trying to be as honest as she knew how. “I’d never been in love before...not the real thing. So it took me a long time to understand.”

“You don’t love me.” The words were curt. “It’s Stockholm syndrome, if anything.” His eyes burned hot with emotion, but the emotion was negative.

She sighed. “You didn’tkidnapme. This is a totally different situation. You helped me out in the middle of a terrible personal tragedy. You fed me and gave me a place to stay, and you kept me safe.”

“I felt sorry for you. Don’t confuse compassion with love.”

“Harry...” She was rapidly losing hope. Maybe Jason was completely wrong.

There was only one way to find out. She scooted closer to her obstinate, closed-off, stoic lover. Harry was trapped by the arm of the sofa. His body language was rigid.

Looking him in the eyes, she gave him everything in her heart. “Iloveyou, Prescott Harrington. I love your prickly exterior and the deep vein of caring you hide. I love your brilliance and your creativity. I love the way you’re willing to set your work aside to help me. I love the fact that you have an uncomfortably unpleasant mother, but you still honor her. And most of all, I adore the way you make love to me. It’s incredibly wild and tenderly sweet at the same time. Passion and peace. I love you, Harry. So very much.”

Raw pain radiated from his beautiful eyes. He cupped her face in hands that trembled. “I think I fell in love with you when you were seventeen. I saw you sitting on the back of that red convertible wearing a princess sash, and I was struck dumb with longing. You were luminous. I was a peasant, groveling from afar. But it doesn’t matter, Catie. You’re the kind of woman who needs marriage and permanence. I can’t give you that. I won’t screw up your life. I’m a loner because it’s safer that way.”

Tears wet her face. “We don’t have to get married. But I want to be with you. We need each other.”

He scowled. “You’re suggesting we live together without a permanent commitment? Come on, be realistic. You’ve said that’s not what you want.”

“Maybe I was wrong,” she said. “I survived my ill-fated wedding, and I learned a lot about myself. What I can’t survive is losing you.”

She curled her arms around his neck and kissed him feverishly. For interminable moments, he was like a dead man in her embrace, his lips cold, his body frozen. “Harry, please,” she sobbed. “Don’t make me go through life without you. I can’t bear it. Please let me come home.”

Just as she was ready to give up, a huge groan worked its way from deep in his chest. “Cate. God, Cate. I’ve missed you desperately. Like losing a limb. But it won’t work, my precious sweetheart. It can’t.”

She jerked a lock of his hair, hard. “Itwillwork, Harry. You’re nothing like your father, nothing at all. And as for your mother, we’ll deal with her the best we can.”

“And when my dad is up for parole?”

The thought curled her stomach, only because she didn’t want Harry to be forced to confront his abusive father. “We’ll deal with him, too.”

Harry clenched his hand in the hair at the back of her head. He dragged her even closer until they were nose to nose. “You don’t understand, Cate. If we start this, I won’teverlet you go again. You’ll be mine.Always.” He kissed her roughly, possessively.

Thank God.“I’m good with that,” she said softly. “We’re in this together, Harry. There’s no one else.” She nestled against his chest, determined to let him see that he was the only man in her life.

At last, Harry pulled back and stared at her, his gaze filled with baffled wonder and cautious happiness. “I’m serious aboutalways, Cate. I’ve thought about marrying you. So many times. And I want to, but...”

“But what?”

“You’ve been hurt so badly. I couldn’t bear to be the man who causes you more pain. I don’tthinkI would fall into my family’s patterns, but who knows?”

“Harry, I fixated on getting married before. I thought that’s what everyone expected of me. I wanted to make my parents happy, make Jason happy. And I fooled myself into believing all that would make me happy, too. But it didn’t. You’re the only person who has made me believe I deserve to be happy in my own way.”

“Because I love you.” He grimaced. “But marriage feels selfish on my part. I’m not there yet.”

“Then we’ll make it happen sometime. There’s no rush. One wedding a year is probably all I can handle.”

He winced. “Too soon, Cate. Too soon.”

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