All the Things You Never Knew - By Angealica Hewley Page 0,39

feet and slightly swaying back. Now doesn’t seem to be such a good time for him to speak, though probably it’s the easiest since liquor tends to get the truth out of him.

“Already?” she sounded rather disappointed. “You haven’t quite yet explain–”

He shook his head to straighten his sight. “Wrong timing,” he said, walking off to the open window he had come through. “Promise me you would consider what I had said and not let the past haunt you anymore. And please–”–he looked into her eyes and lift a foot out the window– “Please don’t marry Lansing,” he said unexpectedly.

The damn Scotch.

“Leon.” Rose walked over to him and gently cupped his face. “Are you sure you could get home?”

Was she even listening to him?

“I was able to get here; I should be able to return as well.”

“Sure. I don’t want you here any longer,” she said to him.

Total lie, he can tell.

He could never understand Rose. He could tell that she wants him to stay. Why does she have to deny it? The kiss they had just share, she had been willing to give it to him.

Women are so hard to understand. You give them pleasure and they reject it all at the end.

It’s to Leon’s advantage now to leave and clear his head before it gets worse. For some reason, he feels as if he’s going to start up a really regretful speech if he stays any longer with Rose. All the things he never wanted to say would come out. With Rose, secrets are hard to hide away. Right now he just wanted to tell her everything–of all the things she never knew. Every little secret of his life, his mission, his family–all the things on his mind.

“Sorry, Rose,” he said, reaching out to take her hand. “I’ll finish everything we have started tonight when my duty is over. Please, just don’t marry that Lansing.”

“Why–”

He cut her off with a brief kiss and slid off the windowsill and out into the night.

Rose touched her lips and watches as Leon clumsily slid out of her window and crept out into the darkness. She could still taste and feel the imprint of his lips on hers. It had been so long since she’d been kissed. Even Lord Lansing didn’t get the opportunity yet to kiss her like Leon.

Because I love you…

Those words shined on Rose like the rays of a glowing sun on a midsummer morning. Did he really mean it?

Lord Lansing had told her the same, but it hadn’t meant this much to her.

And why didn’t Leon finish telling her of his intentions?

So many questions were rising to her head.

Why did he tell her not to marry Lord Lansing? He didn’t seem to care before. He even said he wasn’t going to attend her wedding. What has gotten into him now? Was it because he had too much to drink? She knows he can get a little tick off when he’s drunk and speak of unexpected things. His ‘I love you’ probably didn’t mean as much as she’d hope either. It’s best if she doesn’t raise her hopes so high, but that’s highly impossible because since his return, all she can ever think about is him and everything that they had shared in the past. All anger had seemed to vanish. It does spark back at times but she’s not as infuriated as she had been back then.

Don’t marry that Lansing…

Lansing. Rose still has to deal with his lordship. For sure he’s going to call upon her on the morrow. She can’t decide on what to do now about their engagement.

He sure wasn’t as faithful as he had claimed to be.

No man is ever faithful, she reminded herself.

Walking back to her bed, Rose slowly lies down and closed her eyes to think. Her marriage with Lord Lansing was to take place in three months. She was most delighted to wed him before Leon showed up and turned everything around. She has to delay it, for she can’t fully make a vow at the altar that her heart is contradicting with. Tomorrow if Lord Lansing comes, if he dares, that is, she would work it out with him. There’s shouldn’t be a rush in the marriage. Plus, there’s plenty of time to spare.

Susannah was probably right.

Her heart could still change.

Leon’s back, you know, the most maddening part of her mind spoke. She knows he’s back that’s why everything was so difficult. Her life and decisions would have been so much