He came closer and she couldn’t move.
‘I said, if I buy this house … it comes with me attached. Because I want to live here with you.’
His mouth twisted. ‘I don’t want you as my mistress. I want to create a life together. Because this past week is the last time that I want to spend more than a night apart from you.’
Orla wasn’t breathing. She could only see two pools of dark brown. Glowing. Intense.
‘Because,’ he continued, ‘I love you, Orla Kennedy, and I don’t want to be rootless any more. I knew I loved you last week but I was the biggest emotional coward on this earth and I couldn’t face up to it. Quite simply, I’d prefer to endure the torture I did when I was a soldier, for the rest of my life, rather than spend another moment without you, because without you I feel as if I’m unravelling at the seams.’
His words washed through her and sank in slowly. His gaze was unwavering, speaking volumes. She saw it in his eyes. The emotion Orla had locked away in her gut broke free, spreading outwards, obliterating doubt and fear in its path.
She bridged the gap between them, curling her hands around the lapels of Antonio’s jacket, the heat of his body surrounding her, telling her that she wasn’t dreaming. She looked up at him and said huskily, ‘What took you so damn long, Chatsfield?’
He was serious. ‘What took me so long is that I’m terrified, of the things I’ve seen and done. I know that something broke inside me a long time ago, and it was only when I was with you that I started to feel whole again. But I’m scared too … of the darkness.’
Orla felt dizzy with the tenderness rushing through her. She put her hand to Antonio’s cheek, feeling the bristle of his stubble against the tender skin of her palm.
‘If you’ll let me … I’ll help you. We can do this together. You deserve happiness, Antonio. You deserve to lay those ghosts to rest and to live a life.’
Her heart clenched tight when she saw the brightness in his eyes.
‘That’s what I want. A life, with you.’
Orla reached up and pressed a kiss to his mouth, her heart overflowing. ‘Then you have it, my love.’
She saw his expression change, felt his body tighten. ‘You love me?’
She smiled but could have wept at the insecurity in his eyes. ‘In case it’s not completely obvious, I fell for you somewhere along the way between that first night and right now. And I’m still falling for you.’ Simply, with quiet fervent conviction, she said, ‘I love you.’
Antonio’s hands framed Orla’s face; they were shaking. ‘Thank God. I love you so much…. This week was …’
Orla turned her head and pressed a kiss to Antonio’s palm and covered his hand with hers. She looked up into his eyes, emotion making her voice thick as she finished for him. ‘Agony.’
Antonio emitted something guttural, elemental, and then his mouth was on hers, passionate and bruising, and Orla matched it. Stretching up, twining her arms around his neck, pressing as close as she could.
Desire exploded between them. Antonio broke away to say roughly, ‘I sacrificed my youth for my family and it ruined my relationship with my father and my brothers and sisters. And then I ran as far away as I could … and I didn’t stop running until I laid eyes on you. I’ve ached for you … my whole life.’
Shakily she said, ‘I was running too, away from myself … I need you so much.’
Tears filled Orla’s eyes and Antonio saw them and looked panicked. ‘Don’t cry. Please. When you cried last week, it nearly killed me.’
Orla managed a watery smile. ‘Then hurry up and do something to distract me.’
Sounding grim, Antonio said, ‘The bed … upstairs.’
He was already tugging Orla from the room and excitement made her blood hum with anticipation, even as something struck her. ‘But what if someone comes?’
Antonio glanced back and looked mildly sheepish. ‘They won’t. I took a gamble and already bought the house.’
Orla’s heart leapt but she feigned indignance as he pulled her into the master bedroom. ‘And what if I’d said I hated the house?’
Antonio stopped and turned to face Orla, taking her face in his hands again. ‘Then I would have kept buying houses and showing them to you until you found the one you liked.’
Breathless, because Antonio was taking off his jacket and his hands were on her shirt now, Orla said, ‘That’s not very economical in these straitened times.’
Antonio said something rude about the economy and stripped off Orla’s shirt, his cheeks flushing to see her lace-covered breasts. He looked at her, slightly tortured for a moment, and he cursed. ‘I wanted to do this properly, but I look at you and I forget …’
He got down on one knee then and Orla’s heart leapt, again. At this rate she was close to having a heart attack. He found his jacket and pulled a box from a pocket. A small velvet box.