At The Boss's Command. Darcy Maguire

to patch some wounded ego.

      Case cupped her face. ‘It wasn’t just a serious relationship… I was married.’

      Tahlia froze. Oh, gawd.

      ‘It’s okay. I’m divorced—’ He frowned. ‘I’m not defective… Okay, maybe I am, but I can promise you I won’t make the same mistakes again.’

      ‘Should I ask what they were?’ she whispered softly, drawing her hand back and placing it on her chest over her heart.

      ‘I wasn’t blameless,’ Case forced out. He needed to face it, needed to say it. He’d spent far too long blaming Celia for the whole disaster. It was time he accepted his part in it. Needed to, so he could move on and embrace a future with Tahlia.

      ‘I was away a lot, working my butt off to reach my dreams, my goals, and I lost sight of the fact that Celia had dreams and goals too.’

      ‘Celia was your wife?’

      Case swallowed hard. ‘Yes. Much as I didn’t want to be a trophy husband, my neglect and my obsession with work made her feel like a trophy wife. I regret the pain I put her through. I regret that I turned into my father.’

      ‘And?’ she said softly, looking up at him with wide eyes. ‘Are you still your father?’

      ‘No, thank God.’ He pushed her long fringe back from her face. ‘I learnt.’

      ‘Too late,’ she whispered softly.

      ‘Yes. While I worked like a maniac she filled her life with things, jewellery and men. By the time I realised what I’d done it was too late; nothing I tried could fix it.’

      ‘Did you love her?’

      Case ran his hand down her cheek. ‘I thought I did. It was a kind of love, but nothing like—’ His voice broke. Like what he was feeling for the woman in his arms.

      ‘I’m sorry.’

      ‘I was too, for a long time, but not now.’ He shook his head, drinking in Tahlia’s creamy smooth skin. It was time to come clean. He couldn’t keep anything from her now. ‘Tahlia, I—’

      She touched his mouth with her fingers. ‘Enough talking.’ She drew him down to her, taking his lips with her own, smothering the memory of Celia with the magic of her kiss.

      It could wait. They had plenty of time. It was probably something he shouldn’t just blurt out anyway. It was something to prepare her for.

      At least now he knew for sure. His heart wasn’t broken. It was finally alive with the magic of love. He’d found exactly what he had been looking for. Tahlia.