Page 63 of Tycoon's Terms of Engagement
‘Oh, Jack…’ Of all the crazy, heartbreaking things.
‘And then Tara called and I found out you hadn’t told me about your brother. After what we’d shared the night before.’ He gazed up at her. ‘What I thought we’d shared…’
She swallowed, her heart tearing all over again.
‘I was hurt,’ he whispered. ‘To learn you were holding back something so huge. So important. I figured I wasn’t at all important to you—I’d clearly made no dent in your defences if you hadn’t wanted to tell me something so massive for you.’
‘You had enough to deal with,’ she whispered.
‘So did you,’ he argued. ‘I would’ve helped.’ He looked hurt all over again. ‘You told me there was nothing you wanted to escape from and that wasn’t true.’
‘He’s my brother and I love him—I want to help him.’ Tears loomed in her eyes and she tried to pull away.
‘How come it’s okay for you to comfort me but I can’t comfort you?’ He tugged her back, pulling her closer still, to stand between his spread knees. ‘That’s not fair, Stephanie. You deserve better than that. And so do I.’
She stilled, stayed in place. ‘You want to comfort me?’
‘Of course I do.’
She couldn’t have faith in what she thought she saw in his eyes. She couldn’t believe in it. It frightened her too much.
‘This is ridiculous,’ she muttered. ‘We’ve known each other only a few days—’
‘Do you believe in love at first sight?’ he interrupted.
She hesitated. Silenced. Scared.
‘I do.’ He laughed softly. ‘Or I sure as hell believe in the possibility. Because I know that the moment I first saw you something clicked within me. There was the strongest reaction—physical, for sure. I was attracted. But then I started to get to know you. And what really gets to me is your strength. Your loyalty. Your generosity. I want that for me.’<3
He sighed.
‘I’ve always felt this little gap—right about here.’ He pointed to just below his heart. ‘Just a little gap at the bottom there. I thought if I found out about my birth father that gap would be filled. That I wouldn’t feel that fear any more. Because I’d know. Only it worsened. It was the worst. But not because of who he was, or what he was like. In the end my feeling so bad was nothing to do with him.’
He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek.
‘I didn’t realise it at first, but you’d already filled that gap—with light and laughter. I want that back. I want to be with you. Because when you were gone… When I’d lost you…’
She curled her hands into fists. So tense. So terrified. ‘I don’t want to be dependent on you…’
‘You trust Tara… you let your other friends help you… why not me?’
‘I don’t feel the same way about them as I do you,’ she whispered.
‘I’m kinda glad about that,’ he whispered back. ‘So how do you feel about me?’
‘It’s so intense it’s terrifying,’ she admitted. ‘One look from you and I’m ready to—’
‘To what?’
‘Follow you to all four corners of the earth… One touch from you and I’m willing to cast off all my plans and do whatever you want me to.’ She crumpled. ‘I don’t want to drown in this… and I already have. I left my brother in the lurch for two days straight—’
‘And you arranged for Tara to check up on him that whole time,’ Jack pointed out, holding her close.
‘It can’t be healthy…’ She frowned, wishing he could understand. ‘I can’t do that. I can’t be like my mum—giving everything up for a guy.’
‘But I’ll never ask you to give up everything. I’d never ask you to leave Dan. Your blog. Your life. But it can’t be right to ignore what’s between us either. To walk away from something that could be so fantastic.’
He held her shoulders and looked into her face.
‘I’ve seen great love, Stephanie. My adoptive parents—they know how to love. And we have to give this a chance. We can work it out. We have to try. We’re both worth that. We could be everything. Have everything. Don’t you see?’
He gazed at her with those gorgeous, intense eyes.
‘I never knew how lonely I was until I had you. Then lost you.’ He stood, framing her face between his two strong hands. ‘Trust me. Trust yourself.’ He swallowed. ‘Are you willing to try?’
Her heart beat so fast. But she already knew the answer. She’d known it before he’d even knocked on her door. Because she’d already learned from him—and from Dan—that she couldn’t be a coward any more.