Rogue's Hostage

...She sighed and whispered the words she had wanted to say for a week. “I love you, Jacques.”

There was a long silence, then a sigh. “You’ll get over it.”

She stiffened. What kind of nonsense was that? He was still determined to send her away. “Love is not a disease.” Then an even more disheartening thought occurred to her. “You don’t love me, do you?”

Jacques closed his eyes. It might be kinder to let her believe that. Denying his love for her was akin to cutting off his arm. Eight years ago, he had cut all ties to his family and survived. And, as painful as it would be, he could live without Mara. As long as he knew she was safe.

But he couldn’t lie to her, not after all they’d been through. “I do love you,” he said. “But sometimes love isn’t enough.”

“How can that be?” she asked, puzzlement apparent in the tone of her voice.

He turned to face her. “Mara, if something else happened to you, and I thought that I hadn’t done everything possible to insure your safety…” He let the thought trail off. “I couldn’t live with myself. That is why you must go to your brother.”