Redeeming the Reclusive Earl - Virginia Heath Page 0,95

to the mirror and then ripped away the sheet, forcing him to stare at his own reflection while she gazed up at his face. ‘Do you want to know what I see?’

She didn’t wait for his answer.

‘I see a man who has survived the worst and lived to tell the tale. I see a man who put his entire crew before himself and sent every one of them home to their families alive. I see a man who is lost, but is trying to find his way again. A man who loves his sister even though she drives him mad. Who digs trenches for a peculiar stranger who he allows to trespass on his land. One who insists on accompanying a woman home to keep her safe. Who claims he wants to be left alone, but actively seeks me out. A man who can predict the weather and charm the most toffee-nosed snob into his way of thinking. Who carries a few scars that I no longer notice because I only see the hero who lies beneath them, who thinks too deeply and cares too much what others think of him.’ In the mirror, he watched her smile the same sultry smile she had allowed him to see last night after their kiss. ‘A man who wears his breeches too well and, in my humble opinion, fills his coats better than any other. Whose eyes dance with mischief. A man who isn’t the least bit intimidated by a woman who is far cleverer than him...’

‘I wouldn’t go that far...’

Lilacs and roses enveloped him before she reached out to trace the ugly disfigurement on his cheek and he forced himself not to flinch or pull away, while he anxiously watched their reflections to see if she was tempted to. Then felt humbled and elated and overwhelmed that she didn’t.

‘I see the man I want to kiss again—because his kisses are divine and they make me feel like a woman rather than an oddity. And nobody has ever made me feel like that before, Max...only you.’

It was more a whisper than a kiss, but more potent because of it. Her lips brushed over his, then slowly worked their way across his scar to his neck. Her teeth nipped his ear while her fingers wove their way into his hair and when she kissed his mouth again it was achingly soft, but bold and sensual. ‘I’ve been thinking about this all day... You... Me... All alone.’ She took both his hands and placed them on her body and the question he hadn’t dared ask suddenly blurted out.

‘Do you see a man who you might consider for ever with?’

She paused and turned towards the mirror to gaze at his reflection while he gazed at hers. ‘That depends...on what you see when you look at me.’

If she was expecting a long speech, she was about to be disappointed. There was only one answer he could give at this significant and pivotal moment, and that was the truth. ‘I see the woman I love, Effie.’

And then he saw exactly what she was feeling in the unfathomable depths of her eyes before she said the words he so desperately needed to hear. ‘Then for ever sounds perfect...because I love you, too, Max. I think I always have.’

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dig Day 804: you learn something new every day...

He kissed her, but this kiss was entirely different. She could feel all his emotion and all his love because he poured it all into it until she felt breathless. And then, when he stopped, she could see the passion in his eyes. The need. The absolute noble frustration.

‘What’s the matter?’

‘I’m still desperately trying to be a gentleman.’ His dark eyes were serious and full of longing. The question implicit.

‘There is no need. I am not very good at playing hard to get... I’ve never really had cause to practise it. If you want me, I am yours.’

His gaze heated. ‘I can wait. I am happy to wait.’

‘I’m almost thirty. I think I have waited long enough. And I am dying of curiosity. And lust... It has been torture all day... My body feels so ripe and needy... I’ve read about