by Kahlen Aymes
“My God,” I said finally, my hand lifted and then returned over my pounding heart, my throat tightening as I struggled to find adequate words.
“Brook. You’re more beautiful, than I ever imagined possible. Just— indescribably breathtaking. Thank you.” She was the only woman I’d ever shed a tear for and I blinked as one rolled down my right cheek, despite my attempts to keep them at bay.
She moved toward me with her arms opening as she got closer.
“Oh, Cade, I love you, so much,” she whispered as her arms went around me. I gathered her close against me as the soft scent of her perfume enveloped me. I bent my head to her shoulder and held her heart to mine, as emotions overwhelmed us both.
I drew back and saw that she was crying, too. I wiped the errant tears from her face.
“I wish we were married already. If I lose you now, I won’t survive,” I whispered as I took her lips in a soft kiss, both of my hands gently cradling her face. My mouth lifted and I nuzzled her nose, my open mouth hovering over hers. “So, so beautiful,” I whispered.
“In my heart, I’m yours already. I’ll always be with you, if you want me,” she whispered against my mouth as her hands crept around my neck into my hair. “You’re like a dream. I never thought…” Her words trailed off.
I caressed her back, and arms, and then let my hands cup her face as I kissed her. The kiss started with gentle tenderness, but became deep and passionate, both of us holding the other with reverence. It was surreal.
I felt my chest constrict, so full of love that it physically hurt.
“If I want you?” More tears squeezed out from my closed eyes. “I’ve never wanted anything or anyone so much in my life. I love you, Brook. Only you; from the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m lost.”
My arm shifted underneath her knees and I lifted her to carry her with me to the couch. Her arms went around my neck and she looked into my eyes.
I sat down and settled her onto my lap, just holding her and looking at her for a time, before my forehead came to rest on hers briefly. I savored the moment before I moved back so I could look into her eyes, gently playing with a tendril of hair at the side of her face. “I want to give you something.”
“You’ve already given me so much. There’s nothing more I need.” She gently stroked my cheek and placed a soft kiss on my chin. “You’ve become my whole world,” she whispered.
My heart constricted painfully as my arms tightened around her and I kissed her sweet lips again. “Maybe I need it, then…” I said softly, the words trailing off.
I lifted her to place her on the couch and then got down on one knee before her. I took her left hand in mine, while I pulled the ring box from the pocket with the right.
She gasped on seeing the velvet box in my hand and her eyes widened as she looked from the box to my face.
“I know you’ve already said yes, but I want to give you everything, take care of you, wake up each morning holding you in my arms, to make love with you, talk to you and share my life with you.” My throat ached and my voice deepened while I spoke. “To tell the world you’re mine. I love you with everything I am.”
My eyes looked up at her, in her white lace gown, her features full of love, her eyes liquid and thought she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I swallowed back the lump rising in my throat, trying to burn every curve of her face, her expression, the sparkle of the gown in the candlelight to my memory.
“Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?” My voice was thick as emotions overtook me. “Brooklyn Marie Halloway, will you marry me?”
She was trembling and her eyes were glistening with tears as I opened the box.
Her right hand went to touch my face as she bent to place a whisper soft kiss on my mouth. Tears slipped from her eyes and her hand trembled where she touched me.
“Oh, my God. Yes.” She nodded and reached out to cup the side of my face with her hand. There was no shrieking, just love. “Nothing would make me happier. I love you, more than anything.”
I took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her left hand, then raised it to my lips and kissed it.
“It’s just perfect, so beautiful. I love it,” Brook said, though I didn’t think she’d even looked at it. Her glistening eyes were still locked with mine as she brushed her right hand through my hair at my temple.
“You make me so happy, sweetheart. I’m the luckiest bastard on earth.” I smiled at her and she laughed at me through her tears.
Then she was in my arms as I gathered her up and stood, lifting her with me.
I kissed her gently, my mouth coaxing, and her’s trembling. This was the biggest moment of my life. Bigger than landing my first break out role, bigger than anything I’d ever experience again. Except maybe someday, if we had a child together. I was young to consider it, but I could see it in my future as clearly as if it had already happened. I’d never been more certain of anything.
I moved my hands to her face as I kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and finally taking her lips in a long deep kiss, our mouths moving on each other’s. I inhaled her breath and leaned my forehead on hers.
“Oh, love,” I sighed. My heart swelled at the thought that my ring was finally on her finger. “You’re really mine, now.”
She kissed my neck and collarbones, her hand sliding down my chest as her head rested on my shoulder. My hands gently rubbing and kneading her back, I was savoring each, and every second. We held each other in silence for a few moments.
“Will you dance with me?” I said. I’d turned on the stereo while she was getting ready, and it filled the room softly.
Brook laughed lightly, her hand trying to brush the tears from her cheeks. “Of course. I’d love to,” she whispered against my chest. I took her right hand in my left and my other went behind her back, while hers fingers played the hair at the back of my neck, as we swayed slowly to the music.
In all the time we’d spent together, this was the first time we’d danced. Our characters had an emotional scene in the next film where our characters had a make-out scene on a dance floor after a long separation. “I can’t decide if this is good practice for the film, or filming was good practice for this.” I teased, with a smile.
She shook her head as she nuzzled into my neck. “It doesn’t matter. It’s perfect either way.” I could feel her smile against my skin.
Thank you, God, for this moment, for this beautiful woman, for the time with her, and for the future we’d have together and mostly for her love, I prayed silently.
I held her close to my chest and rested my cheek against hers, my head bent toward her to breathe in the scent of her shampoo and skin. I couldn’t help it; I finally bent to kiss her mouth hungrily as our bodies moved together. Having her in my arms like this, knowing she was mine, filled me with pride and emotions I couldn’t describe. I felt protective, elated, infatuated, and fascinated.
As the song ended, her hand slid from behind my neck down my chest. I took it and brought it to join the other, holding them both together between us.
She looked up at me in silence.
I kissed her temple and hugged her close. “I love you so much, Brook. I love you,” I whispered as if I’d never said the words before. Maybe I was afraid she wouldn’t believe me, but I couldn’t stop staying it. I dragged my mouth down to her neck, and pressed a hot kiss to the curve.
“Mmmm, that feels so good,” she breathed. We danced without speaking, reveling in the feel of each other as the music softly played on.
As it ended, Brook reached up and placed a series of soft kisses along my jaw line and I wanted to forget all about dinner, but she finally mentioned it.
“We better have dinner before we get side-tracked.” She smiled up at me and I had to agree that if I had my way, we’d forget dinner all together. “Are you hungry?”
“Mmmmm.” I placed more soft kisses on her neck. “Starving,” I said suggestively and smiled against her skin.
&nbs
p; “Then will you pour the wine, babe? I’ll get everything else, okay?” Her lips curved a little as she moved out of my arms and made her way to the kitchen.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she went to get the meal.
I had placed some candles on the glass dining table along with the wine and as she brought the plates to the table, I devoured her with my eyes. The flickering light glimmered off her skin; so breathtaking and elegant. The soft tendrils of hair that framed her face were so soft, sexy that I wanted to reach out and touch her.
The food was beautiful on the plate and smelled delicious. I pulled out her chair to help her get seated before taking my own, and I poured the wine. I knew she’d taken great care with the meal she made for me and my heart swelled.
I sat at her right and stared at her, my face was serious. She blushed and looked down at the diamond now firmly on her finger. The bracelet glimmered above it on her wrist, and it was profound. It was like living a scene from the movie we had yet to shoot, but it was more. It was real.
“Is everything okay, Cade?” she asked hesitantly. She reached out a hand to softly touch my face. Her eyes searched mine.
“Perfect,” I said, as I took the hand on my face and kissed it. “Just incredible. I don’t ever want this to end, Brooklyn. I can’t seem to take my eyes off of you, and I never want to stop looking at you.”
My thumb brushed back and forth on the top of her hand as she blushed from my words.
“For the rest of my life?” She raised her shoulders in a little shrug, as she said a line from the second book. I felt like I’d memorized those books, mostly because they symbolized more time with her.
I swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”
“A year ago we were sitting up all night with scripts.” She smiled softly. “And here we are…” her words dropped off as she looked at her hand again then her eyes moved up to meet mine, “Engaged,” she let out her breath and smiled tumultuously.
My mouth twitched at her response. Brook’s incredulity suggested she thought it impossible that I would ever be with her, but I saw it in reverse. “Yes. It’s a bloody miracle,” I said softly, not letting go of her hand, my eyes studying every detail of her face. “More like a dream I never believed would happen.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to admit my feelings. I’ve always loved you. The intensity of it scared the crap out of me. I just didn’t know how to handle it, but I wouldn’t change one of our moments together. Not one second,” Brook replied.
“I know, honey. It’s okay. You were worth the wait, love.” I smiled because I couldn’t bloody help myself. “I treasure every memory, too.” I let go of her hand and raised my glass. “A toast, to us. Forever,” I said softly.
“Forever.” She smiled and touched her glass to mine before we both took a sip. “When did you get the ring? It’s incredible, but unexpected. It’s kind of soon. Not that I ever expected it, I mean.” She flushed; apparently embarrassed that she might have considered it. She was adorable as she glanced at her hand, then into my eyes.
“When Jeanne drove me to the airport, I felt like my heart was ripped out and left bleeding at your feet in the garage. I felt like my soul had left my body.”
“Me, too.” She reached out and touched my hand softly, a soft throb in her voice. My fingers closed around hers. “It hurts so much when you leave.”
“I had to do something to feel closer to you, to ease the ache I felt and the pain I saw in your expression. So, I decided to use the time apart to search for the most beautiful ring I could find, so you would know for sure how I felt. This is it for me.”
“Oh, Cade, I knew that already. Never has someone made me feel more loved, or wanted.” She raised my hand to her cheek and pressed her face to my palm then turned into it and kissed it. “I didn’t need a ring for that.”
I smiled, though bittersweet pain shot through my chest. “I know, but never doubt it, Brook. Please,” I begged.
“Not possible,” she said softly. The look on her beautiful face said everything. The meal was really delicious. We took our time eating and talked about many things. “Every woman in the world will hate me when we come out with this.”
I grinned at her. “Who cares what they think, if you have me?”
She told me about Army of Two, her movie that was scheduled to shoot next summer, and I told her about a new script I was asked to read. We talked about my music and our friends, fond memories of our time on set, sharing what was going through each of our minds and hearts at times during filming, and the gut wrenching events of our goodbye afterward. Reliving it hurt and sent me to cloud nine at the same time.
I loved being with her, sharing her thoughts, sharing her food, laughing with her, gazing in her eyes, but the looming separation was eating away at my heart like acid. It never occurred to me that in falling so deeply in love, it would hurt like so much hell.
I couldn’t believe how beautiful Brook was in the negligee. She stole the breath from my lungs each time I looked at her. More than once, she caught me staring at her.
“What?” She’d asked several times over the course of the evening, but I just smiled and shook my head. The last time, she persisted. “What, Cade?” Her eyes sparkled at me and I wanted to drown in them. “You keep looking at me like you’ve never seen me before.”
“Maybe I haven’t. You’re just so gorgeous. I’m sorry, I can’t help myself.” A beautiful flush took purchase on the apples of her cheeks and her eyes softened as she reached for my hand.
“Are you blushing because your future husband loves you more than anything?” I asked softly as my finger touched her chin.
“No.” Her hand came up to hold mine, and then kiss it. “I’m blushing because I can’t believe it.” She smiled gently as she got up and moved to my side, her luscious pink lips curving up ever so slightly, and her hand ran down the back of my head, through my hair.
“Are you finished?” she asked.
“Yes. It was delicious, thank you.”
When she came to remove my plate, my hand ran down her back and slid around her waist as I got up from the table.
“It was fun. I love doing things for you.” She was so graceful as she moved to place the plates in the kitchen and I found myself unable to look away. “Do you want dessert now?” she said, glancing up at me as she walked to my side.
My mouth lifted slightly at the corners in a smirk.
“Um, not yet,” I said. I had moved to the sofa and grabbed her hand as she passed me. I pulled her onto my lap. She curled into me, like she was meant to be there. One of my hands went around her back and the other traced up and down her thigh. The lace fell away and I could see the sheer material underneath, the creamy skin of her knees and thighs visible through it.
“I told you I’d be overwhelmed,” I said lifting the fabric and rubbing the silk between my fingers. “Mmmmm,” I said as I kissed her neck with my open mouth, my tongue running down to her delicate collarbone. “You’re so beautiful. A vision and you smell incredible,” I whispered into her temple. “More than I could ever ask for,” I breathed against her skin.
She shivered as my mouth moved to hers. The music continued to play softly in the background, the candles flickering and dancing off the walls. While my body reacted of its own volition to her nearness, my heart and mind were content just to hold her.
“I can’t believe you’re here with me when you could be with anyone.”
My heart swelled. “Believe it, Brook.” I laid my head on her shoulder in the curve of her neck as she snuggled into me and her arms wound around my shoulders. “Just being with you is all I’ll ever need.”
“Cade,” she breathed out my name, and ran her hand up and down my forearm, until then her fingers found mine. Our hands opening and intertwining with each other, I wanted to melt right into her. “I miss you so much when we’re not together. These moments are so perfect, but it hurts.”
My other arm tightened around her as my
eyes closed, her words were enough to wreck me.
“I know, me, too. I can’t breathe when we’re apart,” I said against her hair. “Being famous is inconvenient, but if not for my life, we wouldn’t have met. That’s how I keep it in perspective.”
“I know.” She nodded against the side of my neck.
“I love being with you like this; the passion between us is staggering.” I kissed her mouth, teasing hers to come to life beneath mine, dying to show her proof of my words. I placed several searching and clinging kisses on her luscious mouth before I continued, my hand tracing lightly up and down her back. “But, I don’t want you to think that the physical stuff is the most important to me,” I said hesitantly. “If I could never make love with you again, I’d still want to be with you, always. I’d still want to marry you…”
She shivered as my hand ran down her arm and back up again. My hand moving to cup around her face, my thumb brushing her chin lovingly as we kissed, our tongues making love to each other, feeding the electricity between us.
Brook waited for a second to answer, and then pulled back so she could look into my face. The blue depths were darker in the low light, but still full of love; languid, but serious.
“Cade, I know that, baby.” She shook her head so slightly I almost missed it, and then kissed me so tenderly, her lips tasting and savoring mine. Her hand fluttering on the side of my face, she drew back and looked in my eyes.
“The love makes the passion that much more intense… and sex, so mind-blowing. All you have to do is look at me and my skin vibrates.” She made me smile as she rubbed a thumb on my lower lip. Her lids dropped and her mouth fell open in desire.
“I have to admit,” she teased with a secret smile, then brushed her mouth against mine, her hand lifting to the back of my head again, “you are the sexiest, hottest, absolutely yummiest man I’ve ever seen, and I simply can’t help myself. I just want to take you down and have you.” Her mouth came to hover over mine as she finished speaking, “Constantly,” she whispered against my mouth. “But, I love you, too.”
I couldn’t hold back another second and I closed over her lips in a deep kiss, sucking, tasting, devouring. Our tongues warring with each other, her hands moving to delve deep in my hair and my hand coming up to cover her breast through the lace. I felt the nipple harden in my hand. Her touch, her mouth on mine, her scent… she drove me insane.
