Gavin strode to the window. A carriage wended down the avenue. He spotted the Colton monogram. Sophie was in that coach.
Leaving him.
Forever.
He pictured her soft smile, teasing and tempting. Damn it, he longed to hold her. Longed to give her pleasure.
No woman had ever made him feel like Sophie did when she came apart in his arms. Her response to his touch was genuine, uninhibited. His name on her lips drove him wild with a hunger unlike any he’d ever felt.
Even now, while his shoulder throbbed and his heart ached, need for her pulsed in his veins.
Blasted shame she deserved better than a man like him.
He’d wasted so many years, going from one woman to the next. Indulging his passion at night, but never giving a damn about what lay ahead once the sun rose.
Now, no other woman would do. Not since he’d tasted Sophie’s kiss. He wanted her. No, not wanted. HeneededSophie. In his bed. In his arms. Sitting across from him, debating some topic or other. Exploring life—together.
She had a fierce soul. Sophie was brave—far braver than him. She’d found the courage to give voice to her feelings.
She loved him. Her words had brought joy, deep and intense. Why did her heartfelt confession possess the power to bring him to his knees? Was it fear that she might come to her senses and cast him aside?
She needed a man who would treasure her, a man who would cherish her more with each passing day.
Damn and blast, why hadn’t he been able to tell her what was in his heart? He loved her. More than he’d ever imagined possible.
He’d lacked the courage to find the bloody words.
For so long, he’d guarded that hollow shell in his chest he called a heart. The woman he’d thought he loved so long ago had inflicted a bitter wound. How ironic that now, he realized she’d done him a favor. If she hadn’t cast him aside for riches and a title, he never would’ve met Sophie. He never would’ve found the love he saw in her warm brown eyes. Somehow, she’d fallen for him, despite his best efforts to convince her he was a cynic and a cad.
Sophie didn’t give a damn about his money. Unlike the women who’d been eager to fawn over him and warm his bed after he’d become his father’s heir, she had not seemed to give a fig that he was a wealthy man. His fortune did not merit her interest, not in the least.
And yet, she’d been bloody fascinated by his expeditions, the so-called adventures she’d read of in the press. She’d made no secret that she’d relish taking part in a dig. With Sophie at his side, there were no limits to what they might accomplish. Together.
A whisper of doubt assailed him. Could he ever be the kind of man she deserved, his past be damned?
Could he be the one who would make her smile in the morning? The man who would love her passionately until she shattered in his arms, night after night?
Could he ever prove himself worthy of her love?
“I’ve lost her.” The confession tasted like bitter poison on his tongue.
“Only if ye sit here like a bluidy dolt.” Henry came to his side. “I’ve never known ye to be a coward. Go after her.”
He whirled to stare at Henry. His words seemed a spur. Could the young Scot be right? Should he go to Sophie and confess what was in his soul?
Could she ever forgive him? He’d been so damned cold to her. Would she ever trust him with her heart?
Mrs. Edson opened the door and peeped inside. “I couldn’t help but notice Miss Atherton leaving. She seemed upset. Is something wrong?”
Gavin considered her question. For the first time since he’d laid eyes on Sophie that morning, his thoughts were clear.
He knew what he wanted.
He knew what he had to do.
“I’ve made a blasted mess of things, Mrs. Edson. But I’m going to set it right.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
