She waved a hand to silence him. “Don’t. You don’t have to say anything. I shouldn’t have taken off like that. It was wrong. Cowardly.” She took a deep breath. “In truth, I was coming to see you.”

“You were?”

She stood up and paced the small living room, twisting her fingers. “To apologize,” she explained. Her amber gaze reached inside him and twisted his guts even tighter, bleeding his heart dry. “You’ve done so much for me, you deserved better than me taking off like that.”

Shit. More gratitude. Gideon thought he might be sick. He didn’t want her damned gratitude. She made it sound like he had provided some kind of service for her. Everything he had done was because he wanted to, because he had to… because he loved her.

“No,” Gideon pronounced, voice hard and firm. In two long strides he crossed the short distance separating them, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gave her a little shake. “Stop being so goddamned grateful.” He dropped his forehead to hers and inhaled deeply. “I know you, Claire Morgan.”

Her wide eyes blinked at him, but she didn’t say a word. He gave her another small shake, willing her to speak. “And you’re not getting rid of me.”

He claimed her lips in a fierce kiss, as if he could kiss her into complying, into loving him. He came up once to repeat, “I know you.” He inhaled again before continuing. “And I can’t live without you. I’ll love you until the day I die.”

He waited for her to say something, anything, but she simply stared at him with those warm amber eyes. So different from the cold silver of before.

The eyes were different, but she wasn’t.

“Well.” She paused to moisten her lips, saying softly, “If you know me so well, then you know my response.”

He felt himself frown. Uncertainty gnawed at him, but he spoke anyway, daring her to contradict him. “You love me.” If his words came out like a command, he didn’t care. He wasn’t letting her run off on him again. His voice grew more determined, insistent. “You’re crazy about me. You can’t live without me. You want to marry me.”

He held his breath as she lifted her chin and looked him squarely in the eyes. “I do love you.” Lowering her head, she smiled, her cheeks turning pink as she added, “I’m so crazy about you I even do stupid things like run off in the middle of the night.”

Grinning, he reprimanded, “You better lose that habit quick.”

“And you,” she countered, tapping him on the chest, “better be serious about that proposal, ’cause I’m not letting you take it back.”

He pulled her flush against him. “Oh, I’m serious.”