Page 123 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
Finn scrubbed a hand over his jaw. He met Jon’s hardened expression, and then, his gaze drifted to Macie. A sly half-smile played on his mouth as his attention lingered on her face. When his focus shot back to Jon, he stood taller, even as he winced while putting more weight on his injured leg.
He calmly met Jon’s question with one of his own. “Have ye gone daft, mate?”
Macie pulled in a breath. She certainly had not expected such a response.
“What in blazes are you talking about?” Jon snapped back.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Finn met Jon’s scowl. “I’ll ask ye again, Jon. Have ye gone daft? Only a man who is as addled as they come would think I’d put a blasted contract ahead of Macie.”
“You do realize what you’re saying?” Jon sounded incredulous. “You’d be a fool to put this deal at risk.”
“I can’t say as I give a damn.” He pinned her brother with a look of steel. “Understand this, Jon—I willnotstay away from yer sister. Not unless the request comes from her mouth. And hers alone.”
Jon studied him for a long moment. “You would walk away from a deal that will enrich your family’s business for years?”
“It that’s what it takes.” Finn spoke each word as if it were a vow. “I’ll walk away from London. I’ll walk away from every last shilling in these blasted contracts. But I willnotwalk away from her. Now, dowehave an understanding?”
Macie’s pulse sped. The determination in Finn’s eyes melted away every doubt she’d ever had.
For his part, her brother regarded him as if he’d gone quite mad. “And if I won’t stand for it?”
Finn’s eyes narrowed, his expression that of a man only a fool would dare to cross. “As I see it, you do not have a say in this matter. This is between Macie and me.”
Jon’s face betrayed his shock. “Think of what you’re saying, Finn.”
Finn’s gaze softened as he turned to her. “When I return to Scotland, I intend to have the woman I love by my side. Iwillmake her my bride.” He reached for her hand. “If ye will have me, Macie.”
Oh, dear.A rush of pure joy left her a bit dizzy.
“Do you mean it, Finn?” She drew her fingers over the stubble-roughened curve of his face. “Please, tell me this isn’t a dream.”
His mouth curved in a deliciously tempting half-smile, and he gave his head a little shake. “Macie, my darling, if this were a dream, there’d be a bloke on a violin and a few romantic verses penned by some poet who fancies himself the next Byron.”
“Quite so,” she said, a little smile tugging at her lips. “And my blasted brother would not be standing there, scowling at me.”
“Ah, lass, this is all very real.” Pulling her close, Finn framed her face between his hands and looked into her eyes. “And this is the truth... the truth I’ve carried in my heart.” He brushed his lips tenderly over hers. “I love ye, Mary Catherine Mason. If ye’ll have me, if ye’ll speak vows of love and commitment with me, if ye’ll marry me, I will kiss ye every night until I take my last breath.”
Macie’s heartbeat raced. How she’d longed for this moment. Longed to hear those precious words. She met his eager gaze.
“I do love you, Finn. So much, my heart is near to bursting from the joy of it. But there is one thing... one condition we must settle before I say ‘yes.’”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. Oh, he was nervous.How delightful.
“What is it, Macie? I’ll do whatever it takes to give ye whatever yer heart desires.”
For a very long moment, she simply drank in the love and affection and heat in his eyes. And then, she smiled. “You said you will kiss me every night, did you not?”
“Aye, I did, love.”
“That won’t be quite enough. Not at all.”
His sly smile told her he’d read the truth in her eyes. “Is that so?”
Her heart swelled with pure love for this man she so adored. “I shall expect you to kiss me every night. And every morning.”
“Consider it done, lass.” His cheeky grin warmed her all over. “And as frequently as possible at all hours in between.”
“I do like those terms,” she said, raising up on her toes to kiss him again.
