Page 100 of The Rogue's Runaway Bride
With that, Mrs. Gilroy headed to her room.
“She’s very fond of you,” he observed. “A rare thing, indeed.”
Taking Jon by the hand, she led him to the settee. They were alone. Finally.
“We must talk,” she said, summoning her courage to face the prospect of a truth that might well rend her heart in two.
“Indeed,” he said. “Belle, I understand you have to leave. But first, there’s something... something I must tell you.”
“I think you know how I feel... how I feel about you. But I’ve never said it.” Pulling in a deep breath, she caught his hands in hers. “I love you, Jon. Truly, I do.”
“And I love you, my beautiful Arabelle.” His eyes darkened with emotion. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” A flicker of hope warmed her heart. “Now, I have an idea. I suppose it is rather impetuous. Perhaps a bit unconventional. But then again, so is everything about our relationship.”
His brow furrowed. “Belle, what are you saying?”
Steeling herself, she pulled in a low breath. “I don’t want to do this alone, Jon. I don’t want to leave you.” She looked into his eyes, drawing strength from her hope for a future with the man she loved. “Come to New York with me.”
“To New York?” He raked a hand through his hair, holding her gaze. Reading his expression, she could envision how his mind was racing. “Now?”
“Yes, Jon. Now.” She reached for him, taking his right hand between her palms, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. “Sail away with me, darling. We can start our life together there. A new beginning, filled with love.”
He went very still, not saying a word—not even making a sound for the span of several heartbeats. His jaw hardened again, that expression that told her he was bracing himself for what he had to do. For what he had to say. Again.
“Belle, you know I want to be with you.” His gaze was warm as he studied her face. But his words bore a flinty resolve that warned he was about to break her heart. “But you also know I am nearing the end of crucial negotiations. The investors will not wait. If I leave—much less to sail to New York and be away for God knows how long—the bargaining will end. The deal will fold. It will all be over and done.”
Negotiations. Investors. Deal.
The words seemed to reverberate in her ears. Somehow, the way he spoke so rationally, so calmly, while she was desperate with worry over someone she loved felt like a slap to the face. When she’d spent hours in his arms—in his bed—he’d whispered words of adoration, words of love. He had risked his life to protect her from Gideon’s machinations. Afterwards, he’d held her tenderly and caressed her with sweet kisses. Why, just moments earlier, he’d told her he loved her.
But yet, in his world, none of that mattered at this moment. At least not more than his duty to his family’s company. Nothing they’d experienced these last few days outweighed his need to carve out a deal at the negotiating table and meet his responsibility to the enterprise his father had founded.
“Belle, darling, I know this is hard. But we will get through this.” He held her hands with a gentle touch. “You must understand. If I leave now, everything I’ve worked for these last months... it will all be lost.”
Lost.
Indeed.Belle gulped a breath. She steadied herself against a fresh wave of emotion.Everything has already been lost.
“I do understand, Jon.” She felt her heart beating in her chest, heard the beat of her pulse in her ears. “Believe me, I do. Better than you might think.”
“After this deal is done, I will join you in Manhattan.”
He brushed his lips over her cheek, a tender, sweet kiss. It wasn’t fair, really, how this man could move her with the simplest caress. But he held that power. At least now, she understood it was all rather fleeting.
“I will be waiting for you,” he murmured against her ear.
“Will you?” She blinked back stubborn tears.
“Of course, my sweet Arabelle.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. “Soon, this blasted deal will be settled. It won’t be long, darling.”
“But won’t there be another deal?” She studied him for a moment. “Another negotiation?”
“Of course,” he said. “That is the nature of business. You know that as well as I do.”
“I suppose I do,” she said.
He drew her closer, the heat of his lean body warming her. “I don’t like to let you down, my love.”
