Page 72 of The Rejected Wife

He shakes his head. His expression is stern, his gaze intense. Every angle in his body is hard and tough and screams that he’s deadly serious when he rumbles, “You were it for me. How could I have ever taken anyone else to bed when I’d already tasted how completely sublime it would have been with you?”

Now, that's the kind of romance I was thinking of… The band around my chest dissolves. That last barrier standing between me and saying yes to him vanishes. I want to throw myself at him and climb him like a tree, but something makes me ask, "And love? What about love?"

He hesitates. "That is something I hope will come, eventually.”

Just like that, the hopeful part of me deflates a little. Was I really expecting him to come right out and proclaim his love for me? “You did say that I was it for you.”

“You are.” He nods. “On the few occasions I thought of being with a woman, I couldn’t fathom it being anyone else but you.”

“But you don’t think you love me?”Why am I belaboring this point?Clearly, he hasn’t sorted out his feelings on that yet. Why is it such a big deal for a man to admit he’s in love? Based on everything he’s told me today; I can’t help but think he’s more than halfway there. I mean, the man hasn’t slept with anyone else in almost a freakin’ year. That’s not something that would have been easy for him, right? So, it must mean something.

He shuffles his feet. "Over the last year, I poured all of my energy into Serene. All my emotions are invested in her. In all honesty, I don’t think I have anything left over to give to anyone else."

Ah, okay.I force my muscles to unwind, take a deep breath, and will my shoulders to relax. “You realize that loving a child opens your heart to more love, not less? Loving a child increases your capacity to feel emotions. To love.”

He considers my statement and nods again. “I believe you. Perhaps, I’m all loved out with what I’ve had to pour into bringing up Serene?” He looks uncertain, in a way that makes my breath catch, and my heart to stutter, because Tyler being uncertain…is not something I've seen before. Not even when he found Serene in a carrier on his doorstep.

He was pissed off and defensive, maybe, but he still carried that unshakable confidence—the kind that screams former Marine.

This version of Tyler, though? He’s tough and wears his dominance like a shield… But there are chinks in the armor. Enough for the tenderness that he holds inside him to show through. He may not yet be in love with me, but I’m going to make sure he will be.

Of course, once again, I seem to be headed for a non-romantic partnership. Only this time, I’m confident my future husband has feelings for me. He simply has to come to terms with them.And doesn’t every woman think she can tame the alpha male and make him fall in love with her? Am I falling into that trap, too?

I curl my fingers into a fist, feeling the metal of the ring warm against my palm. I look down at the beautiful stone.

“It fits you perfectly,” he murmurs.

“I haven’t accepted your proposal yet,” I warn him.What are you waiting for? What’s stopping you?Damn if I know.

I try half-heartedly, again, to pull it off.

"Leave it," he orders.

I scowl at him. "So bossy."

"You know that already.” He smirks. “Andyoulike it.”

Our gaze meets, and instantly, I'm so turned on. I’m clutching at straws here. I’m trying to find excuses to turn him down and, honestly, I’m running out of them.

I shake my head to clear it. "Can I have some time to think about this? It’s a big decision. One that’s going to change my life."

His features fall.

Sure, his arguments were very persuasive, but did he think I’d make such an important decision in the spur-of-the-moment?

Then his expression hardens with purpose.

“I understand. You need to be sure. But don’t take too long. The sooner I tell Arthur we’re married; the sooner I can secure Serene’s inheritance.”

He pauses. His gaze sharpens.

“And I don’t want to wait, either.”

He must mean sexually. He’s already said he’s not ready for love…yet. But the need in his voice is unmistakable.

Heat rises to my cheeks. My breath catches.

The thought of calling himmyhusband. Of being with him. It sparks something low in my belly, something shaky in my chest.

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