He hadn’t needed much time after their last night together to realize walking away had been a mistake. Letting her believe he wanted her only for the crown was wrong.
Luc wanted Kate because she made him whole.
It had taken him some time to get the information on her whereabouts from her parents, and to have the construction crew finish some of the renovations on his beach home. He’d pulled some strings to get her here, but he wanted this to be perfect when he finally revealed the house and his true feelings. Nothing but the best for Kate from here on out.
He’d taken that extra time to find out more about the woman he loved. And he hoped the surprise he’d planned would help her understand just how much he wanted her in his life.
Luc stood in the living room watching the water, waiting for that familiar boat to dock. He’d recruited the help of Kate’s parents. Of course, in order to do that, he’d had to pull out all the stops and really grovel to them. If everything worked out the way he’d hoped, every ego-bursting, pride-crushing moment would be worth it.
When the boat finally came into view, Luc’s nerves really kicked into gear. He might have planned every bit of this evening, but Kate ultimately held all the power and control.
Her father helped her up onto the dock, leaned forward for a hug and watched as Kate mounted the steps. Luc moved to the doorway and waved as the man began to pull the boat away from the berth.
By the time Kate got to the top of the steps, Luc’s heart was beating faster than ever. She lifted her head, pushing her windblown hair away from her face. The second her eyes locked onto his, Luc felt that familiar punch to his gut. The punch that said if she turned him down he would be absolutely crushed and broken.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t put up a fight,” he told her, remaining in the doorway.
“I was tempted to jump overboard a couple of times, but I knew my dad would only go in after me.” She clasped her hands together and remained still. “What am I doing here, Luc, and why am I being held hostage?”
“You’re not a hostage,” he countered.
She glanced over her shoulder before looking back. “My father left with the boat and the only other one here is yours. By my accounts, I’m here with no way out except with your permission.”
“Come inside.”
Her brow quirked as she crossed her arms over her chest...a chest that was more voluptuous than when he’d seen her last.
“Please,” he added, when she didn’t move. “Please come inside so we can talk.”
Finally, she moved forward, and Luc let her pass him and enter first. The familiar, floral scent teased his senses and mocked him. He’d lain awake at night imagining that scent, pretending she was by his side.
“Oh, Luc.”
Her gasp was enough to have him smiling. “Looks a little different, doesn’t it?”
He watched her survey the newly designed, open floor plan. Thick columns stood as support beams, but they didn’t take away from the romantic ambience, they merely added to it. He’d left the back wall of patio doors open, to put the Mediterranean on full display.
“It’s gorgeous,” she exclaimed, running her hand along the marble-topped table behind the sofa. “This was all done so fast.”
“I wanted it done before I invited you back.” He remained in the doorway, but kept his eyes on her as she walked through the living area and kitchen. “I even helped the contractors and learned how to do more than tear things down.”
She stopped by the old dining table and her eyes landed on the yellow vase, then darted across the room to him.
“I couldn’t get rid of either of those,” he told her. “We shared too many meals at that table, and even though it’s not new, it reminds me of you. Every time I see that vase I think of how excited you were that day at the market.”
She picked up the vase, running her hands around it. For a moment Luc worried she might launch it at his head, but she finally set it down and turned back to face him. With her arms crossed over her midsection, she let out a sigh.
“What do you want, Luc?”
Her eyes held his. Now that they were face-to-face, he couldn’t deny the force that hovered between them.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, taking slow, cautious steps toward her. “Everything all right with our baby?”
“We’re both doing great,” she informed him. “And you could’ve texted or called or replied to the emails I sent.”
“You sent final work emails through your father.”
She nodded. “That’s because I quit, remember? I’ve outlined your next year of engagements. I’m assuming you came up with a way to secure your title? Is that why you can bother with me now?”
“No. I didn’t secure the title.”
Kate gasped. “Your birthday is only weeks away.”
“I’m aware of that.” He stood directly in front of her, so close she had to tip her head up to look him in the eyes. “That’s why you’re here.”
Her lips thinned as she narrowed her gaze at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You brought me here to use me? You still think I’m going to swoon, fall at your feet and marry you so you can get a shiny new crown?”
Just as she started to push past him, Luc grabbed her arm and halted her escape. “No. I think you’re going to listen to me and look in my eyes when I tell you how much I love you.”
Those dark eyes held his, but he saw no emotion there.
“Did you hear me?”
“I hear you just fine,” she said through clenched teeth. “How convenient that you love me right before you’re set to lose it all if you don’t have a wife.”
He turned to face her fully as he gripped both her bare shoulders. “You and these damn sexy strapless dresses,” he muttered, stroking her skin with his thumbs. “Cause me to forget the powerful speech I was about to make. I’m pretty proud, considering it’s the first one I’ve had to write for myself.”
“I don’t want to hear your speech and I don’t want you touching me.”
Luc smiled. “Then why is the pulse at the base of your neck pounding as fast as my heart? You may lie to yourself, Kate, but your body is telling me the truth.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. You brought me here for sex? You think I’ll fall back into bed with you and then, in the throes of passion, agree to a marriage?”
Luc laughed, then kissed her full on the mouth before easing back. “Your imagination is running away with you and I’m royally screwing this up.”
“That’s the only thing that’s getting screwed tonight.”
His heart was so full, he couldn’t help but keep smiling. “I’ve missed that smart mouth.”
Kate didn’t say a word, didn’t move and didn’t make any attempt to touch him.
“Tell me I didn’t mess things up so badly that I’ve lost you forever.”
“You never fully had me,” she told him. “I wanted everything with you, but went about it the wrong way. Then you decided to use my love and try to force me into marriage. That’s no foundation to build a relationship on.”
“We both messed up,” he agreed. “I never meant to hurt you, but I was so confused. I wanted to trust my feelings, but how could I when I couldn’t even trust you? I thought if you wanted me so badly, you’d marry me and I’d get the title. I didn’t realize you truly had no ulterior motive.”
“I understand why you couldn’t trust me.” She reached up, wrapped her hands around his wrists and pulled his hands off her shoulders. “What I can’t understand is why you used my feelings against me, why you made love to me at Mikos’s wedding and then acted like you had no clue where to slot me in your life.”
Luc shoved his hands in his pockets. She didn’t want to be touched, and right now he was dying to have her in his arms. This was going to be trickier than he’d thought, but he wasn’t giving up. She’d come, she was talking to him and that had to mean a lot.
“I have something to show you.”
He walked to the desk tucked in the corner of the room and grabbed the email he’d printed out. When he handed it to her, she didn’t take it.
“Please?”
Kate slid the paper from his grasp. Luc watched her face as she read. When her eyes filled with tears, her hand came up to cover her quivering chin and her lips, Luc knew she wasn’t completely lost to him.
She clutched the letter to her chest. “You went to the orphanage?”
“I did.” And he’d loved every minute of it. “I met Carly and Thomas. I was told they were friends of yours.”
Kate nodded, the jerky movement causing a tear to spill. “I love those two so much. They are such sweet kids, but most people want to adopt new babies. The twins are nine, but they have such big hearts and they say they want the babies to go to new homes. Still, I know they long for a set of parents to love them.”
“I was told it’s hard, too, because most people are only looking to adopt one,” he added.
“I try to get there to visit them as often as I can,” she said, swiping at her eyes. “I call them if I get too busy working and can’t make it.”