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‘You were never a fool Maybe young and ambitious, but never a fool’

‘I was a fool to let you walk away froan felt her heart swoop This was hardly the conversation she had envisaged, but she was liking it, and hungry to discover where it would lead

‘I thought…’

Alessandro paused, travelling back to a tiured he knew all the answers Fro hand to mouth he would have a life over which he could exercise control—a life which would leave no rooan had been unpredictable That had been his plan

‘I thought…’ He refocused on her ‘I thought that you weren’t what I needed I…I grew up seeing le with poverty It was their constant coht in the saht that the only way to avoid it was to accuh power and wealth toPower and wealth don’t bring happiness, and the idea of being in control of every aspect of your life is an illusion And thank God for that The thing is, I forgot the one thing I should have had branded in ht have been broke but they were happy You were always there, Megan, at the back of my mind and in my heart, and now…’

He shook his head, as if mystified by the inaccurate assumptions he had made ‘I can’t live without you,’ he told her si that made sense and I didn’t stop to think that when it comes to you—’ this ti it It’s not supposed to ers in his hand and idly played with them ‘I know you want to talk about us…hts about this situation…’

He didn’t dare say what else he had thought—that ht want to tell him that he hadwith him had perhaps opened up her eyes to the fact that she valued her freedom more than she valued his continual presence in her life as a ht strictly necessary Maybe—and this had been the darkest fear of all—she had wanted to tell him that she would rather work on the loser ould probably stick a ring on her finger after the second date than stay around for the man who had resolutely refused to

Megan was guiltily aware that when it ca her motivations he wasn’t precisely on cue, but that confession about his childhood had left her breathless She had only ever had snippets of infore way she felt as though a barrier had been breached

‘I don’t want to lose you,’ Alessandro told her urgently ‘You think I’ pretty much told her that he only wanted her around so that he could get her out of his system? Was there a brain cell in his head? ‘I’ me’

‘You’re in love with me?’

‘I think I always have been’

‘You’ve never, ever said…’ Megan was tre as she looked at his starkly vulnerable face She felt a lifetime of love swell inside her, and she touched his cheek as if discovering it for the first time

‘Like I said, I was a fool’ He trapped her hand in his and held it tightly ‘I never stopped to ask myself hoas that work became secondary the minute you appeared on the scene You make me lose focus’

‘And that’s a good thing?’ Megan asked tremulously

‘It’s a very good thing It’s the best thing I’ve ever known’

‘Are you sure?’

The look he gave her answered that question, and she smiled, her face lit up with joy

‘Because I love you too I never stopped Why do you think I agreed to ainst reason, but you make me feel…helpless…’

‘And that’s just the way I like it,’ Alessandro told her with immense satisfaction There was a lot more that he wanted to tell her, and he knew that he would, in time For the moment he was content to revel in the perfection of the moment ‘But I’d like it even more if you tell me now that you’ll be my wife’

‘Yes!’ She drew his head towards her and kissed hiain did she remember why she had needed to talk to hi that had consumed her for the past three days?