Lover Be Mine A Legendary Lovers Novel - By Nicole Jordan Page 0,85
feeling. Desire. Love. For him.
Another bright shock flashed through her. Jack had lured her into love, despite her best efforts to resist him. She couldn’t help herself. He’d reached deep inside of her with his sweet seduction, his sensuality and tenderness, his reckless passion. And she had responded with her heart, not her head.
In truth, her strategy to cherish their final days together had failed utterly. She’d indulged her forbidden fantasies so that she could face a future without Jack, but the lines between fantasy and reality had blurred.
They were still blurred. How could she continue to refuse to wed him when she loved him? Because he doesn’t love you in return, came the unbidden answer.
Sophie flinched away from that painful thought, preferring instead to credit her instincts. When Jack touched her like this, when he looked at her with such incredible warmth, she felt loved, whether or not she was fantasizing.
Besides, there were perfectly rational arguments to be made in his favor, clamored an insistent voice inside her head. Even without love, he was making an enormous commitment to her by choosing the formal act of marriage. He was also exposing himself to the immense pain of reconciling with his father. Jack’s willingness to put her welfare above his own humbled her. Didn’t she owe him the same consideration?
His eyes were mesmerizing, holding her spellbound as he laced his fingers with hers and pressed her yet again to marry him.
“We Wildes believe in taking fate into our own hands, Sophie. Isn’t it time that you did the same?”
Her answer had to be Yes. No matter how she’d tried to believe that she could live without Jack, she knew now that it would be impossible.
Their likelihood for marital bliss was still highly in doubt. They were far, far away from building a life together. But at least they would have passion. And if she had the slightest chance for happiness with Jack, she had to take it. In fact, she yearned to take it. The longing inside her was so strong, she shook with it.
“Yes,” Sophie whispered.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I will marry you, Jack.…”
A spark flared in his eyes, and he buried his fingers deep in her hair in preparation of kissing her.
“… but I still must persuade my parents to agree first.”
The spark dimmed somewhat. “Must you? We could marry in secret now and present them with a done deed.”
“I could never hurt them like that.”
She saw perception and tenderness in his eyes, as if he understood her struggle. “I know. We’ll find a way to end the feud, love. I have faith that we can secure their approval if I offer them the ultimate prize—a prince for their daughter’s husband. After I confer with my father, we’ll return to England and confront your parents with the news. We’ll face them together.”
“Yes.”
She would have to make them listen, Sophie vowed, for she intended to fight for Jack’s love.
“Then it’s settled,” he said solemnly. “Now, let us seal our pledge.…”
Releasing her hair, he anchored her head between his palms and took her mouth in a kiss of complete possession, making Sophie want to melt. Jack filled her with a sense of promise, of hope. The heartfelt hope that he was right.
Two hours later, Jack secured an interview with Prince Raoul and shared his decision. “Miss Fortin accepted my proposal on the condition that her parents agree to our union, so I am willing to accept the throne.”
The relief and gladness on his father’s face were unmistakable. “Mon dieu … I hoped as much.”
There were tears in his eyes, Jack saw. When his father reached out to embrace him, Jack stood stiffly—and yet another brief flash of memory from his childhood assaulted him. Images and emotions … the laughter, the happiness, the devotion.
Pushing aside his conflicting feelings, Jack extricated himself and stepped back while striving for less sentiment. “You may regret turning over your kingdom to a novice. When I return here from England, I will make an effort to learn my duties as your successor, but it may take a good deal of training.”
“Non,” Prince Raoul said fervently, “I will have no regrets. Indeed, continuing my bloodline is of far more importance to me than finding a ruler for my country. It may be difficult for you to understand at your youthful age, Jack, but when you confront your own mortality, your priorities change. The truth is … I yearn for my own flesh and blood to carry on my line.