Page 83 of A Rogue's Rules for Seduction
“Fuck my inheritance,” he said forcefully. “And fuck anyone who says there’s only one way to love someone, only one way to be with them. This is aboutus.” He stepped closer, and took both her hands in his. “It’s not about what we represent, or anybody’s expectations. It’s just you and me.”
The beat of her heart was a roar in her ears, and only the feel of his hot skin against hers kept her from flying into the air.
“My brothers would be disappointed,” she managed to say. “They’d lose their money, too.”
“They don’t care, either. Finn and Key want us to be happy. But even if this made them shout and threaten and wail, it wouldn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you want.”
No one had ever bestowed something so precious on her, the power of her own choice. And it made her legs shake beneath her.
“Butwillit make us happy?” she demanded. “Us, together?”
His expression was fierce. “All I know is that without you, I’m only meat wrapped around bones. I might live, but there’s no meaning or purpose or point to it.”
“I...” She wet her dry lips, struggling to speak,to tell him the terrible truth and fully reveal herself to him. “I used to think I wasn’t afraid of anything. But... I’m afraid now.”
It was hard, so hard to admit it. She, the daring, the brash Willa Ransome,fearful. And yet, for all her fear, there was some part of her that knew she could trust him with her confession.
“I’m afraid,” she said, choked, “and I can’t rush this. I just can’t, Dom.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t laugh and he didn’t sneer. Instead, brow lowered, he opened his mouth to speak.
A quick, urgent knock sounded on her door. Before she could answer, it flew open. Celeste hurried in with Tabitha at her heels.
Celeste only blinked when she saw Dom in Willa’s room, but she turned her attention to Willa.
“The boat,” Celeste said breathlessly. “The reprovisioning boat, it’s been spotted.”
“It’s estimated that it will be here in an hour,” Tabitha explained, more level.
“Are you sure it’s actually the right boat?” Dom demanded.
Tabitha said, “Mr. Longbridge recognized the markings and the sail.”
Willa pulled her hands free from Dom’s grip, and they stared at each other. The return of the boat meant that she could finally leave the island. Leave Dom. This whole episode could be put behind her, and she’d never again have to risk her heart withDom. She could resume her old life in London, or set off on another trip, far away from England and the chance of being near him.
But if she wanted to go, she’d have to make her decision. Soon.
“Think about what I said, lioness,” he said, low and urgent. “Whatever way you want me, you can have me.”
With that, he strode from the room.
Heart thudding in her throat, Willa stared blankly at the wall. She nearly ran from the room to watch the boat’s approach—as though she couldn’t believe it was truly coming without seeing its sails for herself—but her feet remained firmly planted on the thick carpeting.
“Willa?” Celeste’s careful voice broke her daze. “What are you going to do?”
“I... I don’t know.” Willa pressed her hands to her temples as if she could find the answer on her skin. “He says we can marry, or not marry. But he wants us to be together, no matter what.”
“There was a time I considered myself too analytical to appreciate a romantic gesture,” Tabitha said with a self-deprecating smile. “I wanted facts and logic, not sentiment. As it turns out, it took a romantic gesture from therightperson to make me feel something here.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “Perhaps you ought to consult your own heart. It’s surprising what we can learn from listening to our innermost selves.”
“My innermost self is like Bartholomew Fair.” Willa moved to her dresser, where the lioness figurine sat atop a silk scarf. She ran her fingers over the tiny figure’s contours, rough in places from Dom’s knife, but showing his care in making something so personal only for her. “Utter chaos. The thought of joining my life with Dom’s...”
She dragged in a breath, then looked back and forth between Celeste and Tabitha. Being candid with her emotions and secret fears and feelings still didn’t come easily. Would the other women be bored? Think her silly or flighty or foolish? She was Willa Ransome, the indomitable, and had played that role for a long time.
“You aren’t my sister by birth,” Celeste said, laying a gentle hand on her arm, “but I do think of you that way.”
Willa dipped her head, humbled and grateful. “Always wanted a sister. Being surrounded by three brothers was an exercise in isolation.”
“I’ve no sisters, either,” Tabitha added shyly. “But the theory of them sounded so nice.”
