“I’m sorry I hurt you, Autumn. I never meant to do it. At first, I didn’t want you to know who I was because I was sick of being Balen Kroft. I just want to be a regular guy for once, and so I let you believe I was someone else. But then I got to know you, and I was scared that you wouldn’t like the real me as much as you did the homeless beach-bumming surfer, so I didn’t tell you who I was because I didn’t want to disappoint you. But then I fell in love with you, and I was in too deep. I knew I needed to tell you the truth, but I also knew how hurt you’d been in the past and how much honesty means to you. I was afraid if you found out that I let you believe a lie that I would lose you. And that’s exactly what happened. Only the ironic thing is, during the time we spent together, I become the man I pretended to be, and the lie I’m now living is the one everyone sees but you.”
Pressure built behind her eyes and they prickled with that all-too-familiar sensation. She tried to speak but nothing came out but a broken sob as tears clogged her throat. Her feet were in motion before she realized she’d moved and he pulled her against him, hugging her tight.
“Shh.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head, his hand soothing up and down her spine. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
As she stood there in his arms, purging her heartache and grief, Balen held her close, patiently waiting as she digested everything he’d told her.
“Who would have thought you’d fall for an unemployed beach-bumming surfer, huh?” he chuckled, and the throaty rumble vibrated against her ear. “Guess now I really am.”
She still couldn’t believe he was willing to walk away from his career for her. She couldn’t let him do it. Balen wasn’t the only one who needed to make sacrifices if this relationship was going to work. And he may not believe it now, but eventually he’d resent her for giving up his dreams. A good partner doesn’t make the other less, they make them more. And that was who she wanted to be for him—what he deserved—because that was what he was for her. He challenged her to step beyond her insecurities and self-imposed limitations. Summer was right; she couldn’t keep pushing people away because she was afraid of getting hurt. She needed to be someone who could support Balen, not hold him back. In order to do that, she had to let go of her past—the hurt, the betrayal, the heartache—and embrace her chance for a better future. This was her shot, her happily-ever-after, and she would not let it pass her by.
“No, Balen. You can’t quit.” Autumn shook her head and took a step back. “I don’t want you to give up your career for me. If you love me enough to let it go, then I love you enough to want you to keep it. I know it won’t be easy, the traveling, the popularity, the paparazzi…but somehow, we’ll make it work.”
He framed her face with his hands and studied her a moment, silence stretching between them as he seemed to weigh the sincerity of her words. “God, I love you.” His mouth crushed against hers, his tongue diving past her lips as if needing to taste the truth of her confession.
“I saw your video,” she whispered against his lips between kisses.
Balen tensed and she could feel the uneasiness settle over him, spreading down his spine. When he lifted his head to look at her, the shame and regret was evident in his eyes. “What video?”
“Of the airport.” Relief visibly swept through him. “You came back for me.”
“I almost got arrested.”
She laughed. “I saw that too. I think that was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I watched you heading down the terminal and then you were gone. I tried to stop you before you got on the plane, but I was too late.”
Autumn slid her arms around Balen’s neck and rose to her tiptoes, placing a kiss along the hard angle of his jaw. “You weren’t too late, Balen. You’re right on time. Sometimes it takes losing something you love before you realize how hard you want to hold onto it, you know?”
“Yeah, baby. I know.”
Balen’s arms tightened around her, hugging her hard against his chest as he buried his face in the side of her neck and inhaled deep. His breath was a warm caress along her throat, sending goosebumps prickling over her flesh.
“I thought you didn’t believe in love,” she reminded him, remembering how adamant he’d been that day on the beach.
“I didn’t. But then I realized that was because I never knew what love was—before I met you.” He slid his hands up to frame her face, tipping it to meet his eyes. The intoxicating intensity of those beautiful orbs took her breath away. “I broke my promise, Autumn. That day in the villa, you made me vow I wouldn’t fall in love with you. But I swear to God that’s the last promise to you I’ll ever break.”
If she had any doubt he meant every word, the conviction in his gold-dusted eyes was undisputable. Balen loved her. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips over hers—softly, tentatively.
“I love you, too, Balen. So much that it scares me.”
“I know. To tell you the truth, I’m scared too. You’re the first thing I think about in the morning, the last thing I think about at night, and everything in between. That’s how I knew…”
“Knew what?”
“That you’re the one.”
Before she could respond, Balen deepened their kiss, his mouth consuming hers with savage desperation. The way his tongue tangled with hers, his grip on her tightening as if he wanted her to know that now he had her, he was never letting her go again. His hand fisted her hair, angling her head exactly how he wanted her as the other one slid down her side, latching onto her hip, fingertips digging into her bottom as a low growl chortled in his chest.
A rush of heat swept through her, igniting a fire deep in her soul—one she doubted an eternity together could quench. She loved this man, and she was tired of trying to fight it. Exhaling a soft moan, she returned his kiss with mirroring urgency. Now that he’d said his piece, control was a battle he no longer seemed interested in fighting.
She let out a startled squeak when he swept her into his arms and carried her down the hall. “Left or right?” he asked, stopping in the doorway.
“Right.”
He brought her to the bed and lowered her on the mattress, crawling over her in one fluid motion. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he confessed between kisses.
“I might have an idea,” she teased, wiggling her hips against his erection.
He chuckled and then grew serious, lifting his head to study her. “I was wrong, you know?” Reaching up, he tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead.
“About what?”
“Where my favorite place in the whole world is. It’s wherever you are.”
Epilogue
“Happy Birthday!” Balen, Connor, and Summer cried in unison, toasting Autumn with their shots of RumChata.
They all tipped back their glasses. The creamy liquor warmed her throat, joining the three other Happy Birthday shots she’d already taken. “No more, you guys,” Autumn laughed. “Or Balen’s going to be carrying me home.”
“Oh, so like last year, then,” he teased, giving her a wicked grin.
Had it been just one year today since she’d met him? Wow, what a difference one man and three-hundred-and-sixty-five days could make. “Well, I was kinda hoping I’d remember this one.” She sent him a flirty smile full of naughty promise.
“Oh, baby, I guarantee you’re going to remember it.” Reaching his hand under the table, he laid it on her thigh, slowly sliding it up her sundress and stopping just shy of making contact. Heat bloomed low in her belly, her pulse quickening. Balen’s effect on her was as strong as the first day they’d met. She was so distracted by his teasing touch, she almost missed him and Summer sharing the briefest look.
What was that about? She knew that conspiratorial grin—the one that said, you hide the body, I’ll grab the shovel. She’d been Summer’s partner in crime too long not to recognize that smile. Those two were up to something. And it wouldn’t be the first time
they’d conspired against her.
But before she could call them out on it, Balen pushed a plate of molten fudge lava cake toward her. “Make a wish.” A single candle sprouted from the volcano, flickering in the dim restaurant. Bless his heart for not trying to fit thirty-one of those freaking fire sticks on there. He knew she was sensitive about her age—though he didn’t pretend to understand why—insisting she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and each day she only grew more stunning.
Whether it was true or not, he certainly made her feel that way. Not a day went by that Balen didn’t tell her how much he loved her. He’d done the impossible. He’d made her believe in fairytales again—things like true love and happily ever after.
The last year with him had been the best of her life. She was happy…happier than she’d ever been. Balen had given her not only the encouragement, but the freedom to discover who she was. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d finally made peace with herself, accepting the things she could not change and refusing to let past failures define her. She was conquering her fear of flying and traveling with Balen to his competitions. She loved being there, supporting and cheering him on. She’d learned how to swim, and he was even teaching her to surf. Living in Cyprus with Balen was like being on a never-ending vacation.
Autumn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made a wish for exactly that. She blew out her candle and Balen leaned over and kissed her. “I love you, babe. Happy birthday.”
“I love you too.”
Summer started clapping. “I hope you made it a good one, sister, cuz those wishes aren’t cheap. They cost you a whole year, ya know.”
“This one was worth it.”
“All right, time for presents,” Connor announced, reaching under the table and setting a gift bag down in front of her.
“You guys, we agreed no presents,” Autumn protested.
“You said no presents, we did not agree,” Summer clarified, setting her bag next to Connor’s.
“Balen flying you here to surprise me for my birthday is present enough.”
“Open your gifts, sweetheart.” Again, there was that quick exchange of glances between him and Summer.
Autumn picked up the first bag and lifted the tissue paper from the top. Reaching inside, she pulled out a t-shirt. Holding up the over-sized shirt, she began laughing. “Wow, an autographed Mavericks International t-shirt, signed by surfing champion Balen Kroft. Thank you, Connor. I’ve always wanted one of these,” she teased. “It’s perfect.” And it was. She loved it. Autumn reached over and kissed his cheek.
“You don’t know how hard those things are to get ahold of. They cost a pretty penny.”
In the last year, Balen’s success on the waves and popularity over his new and improved image had launched his career to record-breaking heights. “I bet they do,” she laughed.
Balen leaned over and whispered in Autumn’s ear, “I’m going to fuck you in that shirt the second we get home.” His husky promise sent tingles lighting up her nerve endings.
“You think we’ll make it that far?” she asked innocently.
Balen answered her with a throaty growl. “Keep it up and you won’t make it past the women’s bathroom.”
He wasn’t joking. Autumn knew that look, and loved being the only woman who could put it there.
“Open mine next!” Summer said, nudging the bag closer to her.
Autumn reached inside and pulled out a silver-wrapped box. “What on earth did you get me?” she asked, giving the gift a shake.
“Open it and find out.”
Autumn lifted the lid on the box, unfolded the pink tissue paper and gasped. “My Best Friends Guide Book to Having Fun! Summer, how did you—?” She looked at Balen, then to her bestie, and then back to Balen. “I thought this was gone forever!”
Countless times over the last year, she’d regretted throwing that book away and wished she could go back and rescue it from the garbage can she’d left it in. Balen must have found the book at the villa. He’d had it all this time and never told her…
She lifted it from the box and noticed it was thicker than she’d remembered. Lovingly, she brushed her thumb over the photo of her and Summer. She couldn’t help smiling every time she saw the picture of them.
Cracking the cover, the first page greeted her with Summer’s challenge—Get Laid. The scribbled out check-mark was still there, a sign of where she’d been one year ago and how far she’d come. She flipped to the next page and was surprised to discover the book was filled out. The blank spot on the lower half of the page now had a photo of her and Balen taken the day they’d gone bungee jumping. She turned the page and there was the selfie of Balen kissing her cheek he’d taken the day they’d gone paddle boarding. She’d loved that picture. “Balen, thank you for rescuing my book.” She fought back tears as she continued flipping through the pages, all filled with pictures of her and Balen taken during that first week together. “Summer, you did an amazing job on this. It’s the best present you could have given me.”
When she reached the end of the week, she turned the next page and started laughing. Part Two: Balen Kroft’s Guide Book to Having Fun. In the center of the page was the photo he’d taken of their feet in the sand. She turned the page. Step One: Go on Vacation. There was a picture of the villa and the beach she’d stayed at. On the next page was Step Two: Meet a Hot Beach-bumming Surfer. Below was a photo of him surfing a huge wave, the white, foamy cap curling feet above him. Step Three: Fall in Love. At the bottom of the page was the picture Balen had taken of her touching the rainbow. The memory of that day in the cave brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes, and she wiped them away, clearing her vision before she could continue. “That was the day I think I fell in love with you,” she confessed, gently tracing her finger over the photograph. Step Four: Move to Cyprus. There was the candid pic Connor had taken of them standing outside their new house. The keys were dangling from her fingers and she was laughing as Balen swept her up in his arms to carry her inside. Step Five: Have Lots of Sex. This picture brought a rush of heat to Autumn’s cheeks, the warmth quickly spreading south. Holy hell, was it hot. She had seen a lot of sexy pictures of Balen, but this…this one was high-quality porn right here. Balen was lying in the rumpled bed, a small scrap of white bedsheet was strategically draped over one hip and dipping between his parted thighs. It might have been a play of lighting, but if she stared hard enough, she could have sworn she saw the outline of his length resting against his left thigh. His tanned flesh was a stark contrast to the snow-white sheets. His arms were raised up behind his head, stretching those amazing pecs and flexing those drool-worthy triceps. His hands were tucked behind the pillow, and the smile he gave the camera was pure sin.
“You better have taken his picture just for me, because if anyone else has seen this, I’m going to kill you,” she half-teased, but mostly she was serious, because, wow… If she were wearing panties, they’d have been wet.
Balen laughed. “No worries, babe,” he whispered, leaning over and laying his hand on her inner thigh. “I slipped that one in there myself. It’s for your eyes only.”
This time when he ran his hand up her leg, his fingers grazed her sensitive folds. Her breath caught in her throat and he tensed, eyes flaring wide at discovering her little secret.
“You’re killing me, Autumn.” His growl was more like a pained groan.
She laughed, feeling quite pleased with herself as she turned to the last page and then her heart stuttered before kicking into a chaotic rhythm. Step Six: Marry Hot Surfer and Live Happily Ever After. On the page, tied in place with a pink silk ribbon, was a beautiful square-cut diamond ring in a platinum setting.
“Oh my…” Her hands started to shake and she set the book on the table. Glancing over at Balen, she found him knelt beside her, down on one knee. He took her left hand, enfolding it in both of his. His grip was firm and steady, the look in his eyes confident and unwavering. Her gaze darted to Summer and Connor. B
oth were smiling so bright the combined force could have rivaled the sun.
Oh my God… This is really happening.
“Autumn, I fell in love with you the first week I met you, and I have loved you every day since. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She nodded, trying to swallow past the emotion clogging her throat. “Yes, Balen. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He reached over and untied the pink ribbon, removing the halo-encased solitaire, and slipped it onto her finger. Then, dipping his head, he pressed a kiss over the diamond and lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I, Balen Kroft, solemnly swear—” her smile broadened as she recalled the promise he’d made to her a year ago. “—that I will love and cherish you every day for the rest of my life.”
And it was a vow that would never be broken…
Also by Melynda Price
These tough MMA fighters are fearless inside the cage, but love can be a dangerous opponent…
If you love strong alphas and sexy heroines, you’ll love this award-winning series!
Against the Cage Series
Win by Submission
Passing His Guard
Fighting for Control
Grappling for Position
In for the Win
Stand Alones
Beneath the Surface
Subscribe to Melynda Price’s newsletter and stay up to date on her latest releases!
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to pursue my dreams and passion for writing. Thank you to all my readers and fans of this series. Without your support none of this would be possible. I love hearing from you, and you make it worth all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into every book.
Many thanks to my wonderful editor, Karen Sanders. I couldn’t have done this without you. JC Clarke, you’re a wonderful artist and your talent amazes me. Thank you for always being so accommodating and fun to work with.
One and Done Page 27
