hers had been so filled with emotion. She was, he knew, so very human.
He also knew he wasn’t worthy of her. But he couldn’t stay away. He couldn’t stop himself from being selfish. Only she’d say he wasn’t, she’d say he deserved it—happiness. Well, so did she.
The double doors suddenly swung inward, two liveried footmen attending each. Alvaro braced. Nothing like a dramatic opening. He stood where he was, in the centre of that vast room, as the Queen of Monrova walked in.
The doors sealed shut behind her. The quiet thud of their closure reverberated around the room. The Queen stopped just inside the room and stared at him.
She didn’t smile, instead she turned paler and paler.
‘Jade—’ He broke off as she flinched.
Every muscle chilled and he couldn’t move. But she visibly pulled herself together.
‘Alvaro.’
Hearing his name on her lips jump-started his brain.
‘Getting into this palace is a challenge,’ he said. ‘I tried to phone you. I got Juno instead. But she was helpful.’
‘Why are you here?’
He half smiled; she had a good brain. But sometimes, even good brains couldn’t figure out the blindingly obvious right away—especially when there was fear involved. He knew that one personally. Fear stopped normal function. Fear made people freeze. And she’d frozen right now—just as he had. But he was breathing again. And he could win this. Yet suddenly another emotion rose in him—and it wasn’t the one it ought to have been. It was anger.
‘You think it’s okay to tell someone you love them and then just walk away? Walk out with no intention of ever returning? Ever getting in touch again? Of leaving for life?’
Jade’s heart thundered at his sudden flare. She was still grasping the fact that he was here—that somehow her inner radar had got it right. And he’d come to...yell at her? Absurdly, that didn’t upset her, because she was suddenly too furious herself.
‘I thought that’s what you wanted,’ she snapped back at him.
‘You didn’t give me a second to know what I wanted.’
‘You didn’t know already?’
The banked heat in his gaze exploded. ‘You didn’t even try to fight. For the last few days...’ He dragged in a breath, visibly trying to calm down. ‘I’ve been so angry. Too furious to think straight. But then the fury died and I was left in hell.’ He shook his head and slowed himself down. ‘It was only then that I began to think.’
Jade stared at him, her own fury evaporating as swiftly as it had risen.
‘And I realised you did fight. Just by telling me how you felt about...’ He trailed off, his expression softening. ‘That was you fighting. Speaking up? That’s big for anyone, and huge for you. But I said nothing. I’m sorry, Jade. I was so stunned—not just by what you said, but by you. And I was so scared I couldn’t think. Even when, yes, I knew the answer already. It terrified me.’
Her chest tightened under strain, as if her ribs were shrinking or her heart were getting bigger.
‘Do you know, it’s so damn hard to get anywhere near you? You say I’m isolated—some people might think this is a prison.’
‘It’s my home,’ she said, fierce pride enveloping her. ‘It’s not a prison to me.’
‘No.’ He nodded. ‘I watched you today, and this is where you belong. You shine everywhere, Jade. But most of all, here.’ He stepped closer. ‘And it’s why you left me, isn’t it? Because you thought there was no way this could work out.’
Her poor heart broke all over again. Because that was true.
‘But you can’t give something like that only to then take it away again.’ He actually waggled his finger at her.
‘I wanted to leave it with you. I wanted you to treasure it.’
‘So you didn’t mean it?’
She drew breath to stave off the sharp stab of pain. He took advantage of the second to step closer still, only he was smiling.
‘Do you think you could give me a second chance, Jade?’
Of course. Always.
But her only response was to tremble.
‘The problem is,’ he explained quietly, ‘that memory isn’t enough for me. I want more. I want to wake up with you every morning and to go to bed with you every night. I want to have as many moments of as many days together as we can. I don’t want us to be apart, Jade. You know why.’ He finally reached her, finally put his hands on her waist, grounding her here in reality to hear him. ‘Because I love you.’
All