Page 50 of Heart of Stone (Dark Billionaires)

Her name was clear as day next to the achingly familiar address of home.

The first tear dropped without her realising, but soon a torrent joined it. The relief of endless pressure. She clutched the bedcovers to her front, smiling through her tears. When she felt his tentative hand on her spine, Kate clutched him too, weeping against his kitten tattoo as he crooned assurances into her hair.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, when her tears had been reduced to a small stream and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

“For what?” she croaked.

“For not telling you sooner.”

Kate pulled back. “How long has it been gone for?”

“Since the night I took you out to dinner.”

She coughed out a laugh.Weeks. All the worrying she’d done since then had been for nought. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because I was selfish. Because I wanted you to stay.” His lips touched the top of her head, and a cold spot formed as he sucked in a deep inhale. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I’m sorry too. For you.”

It was the last thing she said before sleep took her.

Kate didn’t expect the first thing she saw when she awoke to be Warren bearing breakfast on a tray.

He paused when he realised she was awake, wearing a simple white shirt and dark trousers. “It’s gone midday. I thought you might be hungry.”

I could get used to this.Her stomach had started to rumble from the moment the scent reached her. She accepted the tray with thanks, making short work of the meal whilst Warren took his preferred seat on his couch, pulling his laptop towards him.

“Sarah’s started her chemo,” Warren broke the silence just as Kate was starting to wonder how she was going to move from the bed without any clothes on. “She’s just messaged me.”

Kate gasped. “I think I forgot to include the Pepto-Bismol in the little care package I made up yester—”

His soft eyes found hers over the laptop screen. “I packed it before I left, don’t worry. She said thank you.”

A little abashed, she shrugged slightly. “You paid for it all.” Especially theextortionatelyexpensive cashmere throw.

“And you spent hours researching chemotherapy to accumulate a list of anything she might need,” he smiled at her, before frowning at his laptop. “I don’t think Andy’s handling it very well.”

Kate could imagine. “When your wife of however many years is diagnosed with cancer, I imagine it would devastate anyone.”

“He isn’t coming home.”

She blinked. “Still? It’s been days since Sarah’s seizure.”

Warren read out from his screen. “Andy says he’s been scheduled onto back-to-back cruises for the next month.”

Kate was appalled. “His partner of thirty years has got terminal cancer. I’m sure they’d give him leave to come home. What exactly does he do on the cruise ships?”

“Operational maintenance.” His dark green eyes met hers. “I’d like to invite Sarah and Mattie to stay here with us.”

Us? “It’s your house, Warren.”

He stood, coming over to sit on the bed. Their legs brushed against each other. “It is,” he whispered. Kate’s eyes flickered closed at the feel of his hands travelling up either side of her neck. “But I’d like it to be yours too.”

For the second time in as many minutes, Kate was speechless.

There was no panicked backtracking from Warren, no shitty jokes. He seemed to be just as comfortable in his question as he was without clothes on.

“And if I want to leave?”

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