Galwin was certain he was seeing things when he entered his chambers. He’d spent the better part of the evening in his father’s room, talking to him when he was awake and stewing over his own maudlin thoughts when he slept.

The scotch had set in but it hadn’t done its job. All he felt was sleepy frustration rather than the hoped for fuzzy contentment. He had a feeling no amount of scotch would make him feel contented. Nothing could do that but Claire.

Claire, who he could swear he saw hiding in the shadows of his room when he entered.

Lord, perhaps he’d had more scotch than he’d thought if he was seeing visions of his bride-to-be. He shook his head to clear it but as he did, the vision moved.

She took a hesitant step forward and there was no mistaking that lovely face or those big blue eyes as a ghostly apparition.

“Claire?” He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms without thinking. His lips crushed hers as shock gave way to relief and sheer joy at the sight of her. She froze beneath his touch and for a moment he feared the worst.

She had come here to call off the wedding in person. But before despair could set in, she was kissing him back, so eagerly, so earnestly. Her kisses were untutored and passionate, eager and exploratory.

He groaned when she slipped her tongue between his lips and stroked his as he had done to her before.

He held her tight, his hands bunching in the material of her skirts as if he could hold onto her forever if he had a good enough grip. She tasted of honey and tea, her mouth so warm and inviting he could lose himself in this embrace forever.

When she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer so her soft, lush breasts were pressed against his chest, he had to stop himself from hoisting her into his arms and carrying her to his bed.

A fevered voice urged him on. Why not do it? Why not take her now as they would be married in the morrow?

Unless they would not.

That thought finally broke through this frantic desire and the overwhelmingly possessive need to make her his. What if she did not want to be his?

Perhaps she’d been swept away by desire just as he had been. There was every possibility she was here for the wrong reason.

With that thought, he gripped her arms and gently set her aside, trying not to notice the way her rapid breathing made her breasts rise and fall so very temptingly.

“Claire, what are you doing here?” he asked.

She blinked, her gaze clearly dazed, but he watched as the focus returned to her eyes and with it a nervousness that made him want to shout. No! Don’t end this before it has begun.

“I needed to see you before we marry,” she said softly.

He stared into her eyes trying to read everything there. She looked nervous, yes, but not cold. Not distant. “So we will marry tomorrow?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Relief rushed through him so fast and fierce it nearly knocked him off his feet. “Thank God,” he murmured, allowing himself one moment to close his eyes and revel in the fact that his world would not end this night. He still had a chance to woo her and she was agreeing to give him a chance.

He snapped his eyes open as he reached for her hands. “I will make you happy, love, or I will die trying.”

Her lips curved up slightly in amusement but she looked no less nervous.

Bloody hell. Perhaps he was asking too much for her to be fully on board with this arrangement when her own proposal had been so very different. “Thank you for giving me a chance,” he said. “And for telling me in person.” He frowned down at her as he realized exactly what he’d said. “How did you come to be here in person, anyway?” Fear on her behalf struck him. “Please tell me you did not roam the streets of London alone again.” Before she could answer he pulled her close once more. “Once we are married, I am all for you having every adventure your mischievous mind can imagine, but I must insist that I be at your side. I trust you, of course, but it is the rest of London that I—”

Her kiss silenced him. She’d shot up on tiptoe so quickly he hadn’t seen it coming. Next thing he knew her lips covered his and she pressed against him eagerly, passionately. Almost as if… Almost as if she were trying to tell him something with this sweet kiss.

When she pulled back, he saw that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes held that wild twinkle he recognized and adored. His little minx was set free once more. In that moment he vowed that once she was his wife, she would never have to hide her true nature any longer.

“I…” Her voice faded off and he saw her nibble on her lower lip. Lord, was she trying to torment him? He forced himself to keep his hands to himself. She needed to say what she’d come to say and he needed to hear it, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

He’d already won, he reminded himself. Even if she had her doubts, she had given him time and he would devote his life to proving to her that she could trust him with her heart.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “I love…that.” She reached a hand up and touched his temple.

He widened his eyes in surprise at her words. “You love what, exactly?”

Her smile grew a bit more confident as she took a deep breath. “I love the way you look at me.”

Her words were soft and simple but they cut him to the core. When he spoke, his voice was husky and low with emotion. “Aye, that would be because you see the love I have for you, I imagine.”

She beamed at that, her eyes softening and growing dewy with emotion.

This was a whole new side of his beloved that he’d never seen before, he realized with a start. He’d never seen her so overcome with emotion and the sight of it made her beauty radiant.

“It’s not just that,” she said, and then her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Do not misunderstand. I do love that as well, but it’s more than the fact that you love me.”

He hadn’t thought she could grow any more flushed but saying the words ‘you love me’ made her a vibrant red that was decidedly fetching. A base portion of his mind had already set to work figuring out how he could see that blush more often…preferably in his bed.

“I love the way you look at me,” she repeated. “I love what you see. I love the way you see me.” She laughed softly and looked down at her intertwined hands. “I am not saying this right.”

It was hard to speak when his heart was lodged in his throat. “I think I understand.”

Her head snapped up and she peered at him with blatant curiosity. “Do you?” She sighed. “Maybe you do. I have a hard time understanding it, myself.”

He took a moment to pick his words wisely. “I think perhaps loving someone means seeing the best in them even when they cannot see it.”

Her smile was bashful and sweet. “I am not certain what you see is the best of me, at least not by society’s standards.” She wet her lips, moving her hands up his chest to clasp behind his neck. “When I am with you, I feel wild. Out of control, even. I feel…free.”

His lungs constricted with so much feeling, it nearly overwhelmed him. “Good. Free is exactly how I want you.”

He heard her swift inhale and knew his words touched her like hers had done to him. Then she whispered, “It’s terrifying.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. “You’re right, it is.”

She arched her brows, amusement lighting her eyes. “You’re frightened too?”

He nodded, leaning down to plant a kiss on her nose. “Most definitely. Don’t be fooled by my swagger, love. I may have a reputation with women, but you are the only woman who has touched my heart.”

She smiled but the beauty of it was marred by a flash of guilt. “I am sorry,” she said quietly. “What I said earlier…what I suggested…I was doing you a disservice. I was suggesting you would act unfaithfully just because that is what I have seen in my experience.”

He reached a hand up to smooth the worried lines from her brow. “I understand, sweetheart. You haven’t had many good examples of what a happy marriage could look like, have you? Just like you never anticipated that you might have one for yourself.”

She nodded and let out a long breath. “I should have known you would understand. That seems to be a skill of yours, understanding my behavior even when I don’t truly understand it myself.”

He leaned in so he could inhale her heavenly scent and revel in her warmth. “I see you, love. And I love what I see.”

He felt her smile against his cheek and his body warmed in response. When she started to draw near, he almost protested, but the look in her eyes stopped him.

The air rushed out of his lungs at the depth of emotions he saw there. She might not have said the words I love you, but he saw it there in her eyes. One day he would hear them, but for now, this was enough. This was more than enough.

Her gaze met his and she gave him another small, shy smile. “I see you too, you know.”

Some of his joy was buffeted by a wave of nerves. If that was true and she saw deep inside of his soul the way he understood her… well, he was not sure she would like what she saw.

He wasn’t sure he liked what he saw most days when he looked in the mirror.

She unclasped her hands and this time it was her turn to smooth the concern from his features. “I see the true and loyal friend beneath that air of frivolity you wear so well,” she said. “I see the kind, caring man you hide beneath that nonchalant façade. I see the man who makes me laugh, who loves to challenge me; I see the man who believes in freedom and honor and—”

He kissed her with such force he heard her gasp of surprise before it turned into a soft moan of need. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear more—he wanted to hear every word.

But her words terrified him at the same time. Now he truly understood what she’d meant about being scared. She wasn’t just frightened at the overwhelming emotions that came with falling in love, but by the responsibility of living up to another’s expectations.

She saw a great man in him and now he could never be less because she deserved that man.

Lord, but love was a fascinating sort of alchemy. Only this little minx could evoke this new desire to be an honorable man, the kind of gentleman his family had long since given up on him becoming.

He would not fail her, he vowed. He would make her proud to be his wife. He would earn her trust.

When he finally pulled back, ready to tell her that, she surprised him with a laugh.

He arched his brows. “What is so funny, my love?”

Bloody hell, but he adored calling her his love. One day perhaps she’d say it in return.

“I’m just happy is all,” she said. The sparkle in her eyes made his heart leap. “I feel like I’m about to embark on a great adventure. I’m about to set sail on a trip I’ve been waiting for my whole life and just never knew it.”

He laughed too, her joyous enthusiasm contagious, it seemed. “In that case, I am thrilled you have chosen me as your first mate.”

Her laughter was infectious and giddy. “I love that I can be myself with you, even when…”

Her hesitation made him even more intrigued. “Even when…”

Her blush was faint and adorable. “Even when I don’t entirely know who that is.”

He nodded. He understood that feeling well. “You are young, Claire, and your life has changed so much over these past few months. It’s understandable that you’re still trying to find your way and figure out who you truly are and who you want to be.”

She murmured an, “I suppose so.” Her gaze distant, clearly lost in thought.

He tightened his embrace and she looked up to meet his gaze. “I’ll tell you a secret,” he said softly. “Ever since I met this wild, passionate woman in an alley one night, I’ve been grappling with the same question.”

She widened her eyes in surprise and he knew she could hear the truth in his voice.

He cleared his throat. This sort of blunt honesty was still new to him but he knew better than to try to hide behind flowery words with his soon-to-be wife. “I know who I’ve been,” he said slowly. “And I know who I’d like to be. But most of all, I know who you deserve at your side and I want to be that man.”

Her smile was brilliant. “You will be.” She placed a hand over his heart. “You already are.”

He grinned down at her, at the faith that was in her eyes that he wasn’t entirely certain he deserved yet.

But he would.

Her gaze flitted toward the window and he followed it, noting for the first time that it was open, despite the chill outside. He was certain he hadn’t left it that way.

He frowned down at her. “Claire…”

Her eyes went wide with feigned innocence as her gaze darted to the window once more and then back. “Yes, Nicholas?”

“How exactly did you get into my rooms tonight?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Her lips twitched at the corners with mischievous amusement. “I have my ways.”

He was so transfixed by the beautiful sight before him, his wild and wicked wife-to-be, that he couldn’t answer right away. For a moment, he was stunned into awed silence as he realized just how much this woman had turned him upside down. She had taken a rake and turned him into a gentleman. Over the course of weeks she had thoroughly destroyed the reputation he had spent a lifetime earning.

The most shocking part? He couldn’t have been happier.

Claire clearly misconstrued his silence and her smile turned to a pout. “I know, I know. If I had been caught I could have been ruined.”

He laughed and shook his head. “That’s not what I was thinking at all.”

She arched her brows in question and he pulled her in tight for another quick, passionate kiss. “I was thinking how much I’ve changed by falling in love with you. I’m a reformed rake now, thanks to you.”

She laughed as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “Then I suppose it is you whose reputation is ruined.”

“Exactly,” he said, his grip tightening so she couldn’t leave his side. “You have singlehandedly ruined this rake.”