With her bruises forgotten, a lump in her throat, and her eyes filling with tears, she could only grin and hang on. He finally set her down and steadied her, pulling her back just a bit from the encroaching high tide.
“I want to go inside, “she said suddenly.
“Sure, the tide’s coming in,” he said and grabbed her hand to walk back to the dunes. When he felt the tug on his arm, he realized she had stopped.
“No, I mean I want to make love with you. I’m ready.”
He looked stunned for the second time that night. “Oh, Lily,” he said hoarsely and pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight for several long moments before he would let her go.
“Cinderella,” he said, his voice low and gruff, “you just made my fairy tale come true.” He brushed his fingertips lightly across her cheeks. “To make love to you would be my privilege and my honor, but—”
“But? There’s a but?”
She couldn’t bear to have her world crash about her ears for the third time in as many days. He had said he loved her. Privilege? Honor? Now, when she was finally ready to take the risk?
“Three strikes and I’m out,” he said, albeit tenderly.
She tried to pull back, but he held her firm.
“You and I seem to have a penchant for disastrous situations, and I’m not taking any chances on losing paradise for a third time.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, and she didn’t.
He looked at her with so much love in his eyes, yet he refused her offer to make love? After she had waited her whole life?
“I want you in my bed more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life,” he said in that gruff tone that had all her nerve endings tingling, “but I’m not taking any chances. Ever again.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, and her stomach dropped like a stone.
“I mean we’re getting married. Tonight.”
“W-We are?” Hope fluttered back to life.
“If you’ll have me.” He went down on one knee in the sand and took her hand. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Lily Foster, and allow me to love you and to cherish you for the rest of my days?”
Her turn to grin. “Yes! Oh yes!”
He swept her into his arms and swung her again, then kissed her to seal the deal.
When he finally let her up for air, she felt the need to point out, “It’s already after sundown, and all the churches are closed. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
He kissed her again long and hard. “The hell we will. There’s always a chapel open in Las Vegas. And as luck would have it, I happen to own a plane.”
This time Lily kissed him back, and when she pulled away, she watched his eyes cross.
“So what’ll it be?” he growled, his voice husky with need. “Vegas or wait till tomorrow to get married? And I gotta tell you, if you kiss me like that again, I may not live to see tomorrow. I could spontaneously combust.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
He swept her up in his arms and started back for the dunes.
She swatted him in the arm. “That’s for scaring me to death just now and making me think you didn’t want me.”
He crushed her up against his chest until she squealed. “Now we’re even after you let me pour out my heart, and you already knew I wasn’t guilty.”
She snuggled up against his neck. “Details. Details.”
Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances Book 1) Page 35
