Her fingers shook as she secured the square of linen tightly around his upper arm. The touch of his skin made her shiver. On impulse, she slid her hand over his collarbone and then flattened her palm over his heart. His pulse beat, strong and steady beneath her fingers, and she bit back a sudden sob of relief. “You took a bullet meant for me!”

He frowned down at her and gave a dismissive shrug, as if embarrassed. “I would have done the same for Alex. Or Seb.”

“You could have died,” she persisted, her voice a little quivery.

“Jesus. Come here.” He enfolded her in his arms, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Her throat closed and tears stung her eyes. She buried her face in the curve of his neck, trying to hide the damnable weakness, but he wouldn’t allow it. He caught her face in his palms and turned it up. He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her temple. His hold on her was so tight, it was almost painful, as if he was trying to absorb her pain into himself, her tears.

After a moment he leaned back, and his expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “I would die for you,” he said simply. “Don’t you know that by now?”

It took her slow brain a moment to assimilate his words. “Wh-what?” She blinked. “What did you say?”

“I would die for you,” he repeated. “There’s only a few people I can say that about in this world, but you’re one of them, Georgiana Wylde. I love you.” He pressed a reverent kiss to her lips. “I don’t expect you to do anything about it,” he added quickly. “We can still keep to our agreement. You can leave me whenever you want. I just thought you should know, that’s all.”

Joy exploded in her heart, and elation made her breathless. “I love you,” she breathed, and felt him jerk against her. He stared at her, stupefied, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Then, he closed his eyes as if in torment.

“You can’t,” he said brokenly. “That would be stupid. And you’re not a stupid woman. You’re a woman who can run a shipping empire, calculate interest payments, haggle for silk. You’re far too clever to love someone like me.”

“I love you,” she said stoutly. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

He raked a hand through his dripping hair and groaned. “We cannot possibly be together. Don’t you see? God, I hate your damned money!”