There was a knock on the door that led to Jasper’s adjoining chamber, and she sighed heavily as she called out, “Come in.”

He did so, stepping into her bedroom and leaning against the door. He had stripped out of his propriety just as she had and stood only in trousers that slung dangerously low on his hips. She turned her back so she wouldn’t be moved by him.

She didn’t want to be moved by him yet.

“I was worried about you,” he said softly.

She stiffened, her fingers gripping at her sides. “You don’t have to be. I’m fine. You ought to worry about yourself.”

“No, I’ve worried about myself quite enough, I think,” he said, and she felt him move toward her rather than heard it. He stopped just a foot behind her, and then he reached out and gently turned her to face him.

She stared up into his face, her heart swelling with love and pain and wishes that might never be fulfilled. He was being kind to her now, trying to make up for what he’d done before, and that was nice enough. But she wanted more than guilt or duty. She just couldn’t ask for it.

It was as if he read her mind, for he tilted his head toward hers. “You’ve spent your life trying to please your father,” he began. “Trying to please everyone and make all their lives easier. And when you were forced to marry me, you took on that role in my life, as well. Helping, soothing, giving, always giving and never expecting anything in return. You crush down your fear and your sadness and your anger so they don’t trouble anyone else.”

She bent her head. “I didn’t crush down my anger earlier today.”

“I was glad of it,” he whispered. “I deserved it, for one, and also it made me think that perhaps you trusted me enough not to hide it from me. That we were bonded enough for you to show me the truth. Now I see you standing here, coiled like a spring about to pop, holding back all that you feel because you don’t think you are allowed to share it. I’m asking you to share it with me.”

She swallowed. She’d wanted him to tell her he loved her, she supposed. Not tonight, but someday in the far future when she had proven that it was a good bargain for him to take. But right here, right now, he was saying words that were far more powerful. Words that sank past the barriers she put up to protect herself, to protect those around her, and gave her permission to be…herself.

She straightened her shoulders. “Can I trust you?” she asked. “Truly?”

She expected his defensiveness at that question, his upset. But instead he held her gaze, steady and gentle. “I can promise you a thousand times that you can trust me, but that won’t matter until I prove it. Which I intend to do, you know. For as long as it takes, even if it takes a lifetime.”