Love Ever After: Eleven All-New Romances!

by Nina Lane

  Even if it killed him.

  And it almost had.

  He pulled the car up in front of their tiny bungalow and ran around the car to open the door for her. His hand slipped down the silk of her dress until it rested possessively on the small of her back as he guided her up the path to their house. With a flip of her blond hair that had been worked into soft, sexy curls, Kari looked over her bare shoulder at him, her lids lowered seductively, and it was the only encouragement Rhys needed. Holding back on the proposal all night hadn’t been the only thing torturing him tonight. No way. Being so close to his sexy woman and unable to ravish her had driven him crazy. But that was about to change.

  Not taking his hand off her, he used his free hand to unlock the door. He let her go ahead, and watched the seductive way she swung her hips, the silk of the dress stretched taut over her tight ass, leaving nothing to the imagination. The moment she was inside, he kicked the door shut behind him and reached out for her, pulling her back until that sexy bottom was pressed up against the growing bulge in his shorts.

  With one arm locked around her waist, holding her tight, he used his other hand to gather up all her soft curls in a fist and tugged her head to the side to expose the creamy skin of her neck. The moan that escaped her lips sent electricity through his body. Rhys dropped his mouth to her neck, kissing and nibbling behind Kari’s ear. He pulled her lobe into his mouth, sucking gently before he let his tongue dart into her ear. The action caused her body to tremble, but he held her tighter and moved his mouth down her neck. He kissed, licked, and nibbled his way to her shoulder. His free hand released her hair to reach up and cup her breast, which he squeezed and kneaded as more moans escaped her throat.

  Her sounds fueled him, and his mouth and hands worked together. His fingers slipped the delicate strap of her dress over her shoulder while his mouth continued his ministrations.

  “God, Rhys. I…” Her words were lost when he turned her and claimed her mouth with his own. Her body responded by pressing up tighter against his and he groaned into her mouth. He needed her. Needed her to know how much he loved her, what she did to him, how she turned him on. He needed her to know all those things and so much more. And he needed her to know it—right now.

  He caught her wrists in one hand and pinned them over her head and backed her up against the wall in two steps. His other hand moved quickly, sliding up her thigh, and when he discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties, he almost lost it right then and there. “Good God, woman. You make me crazy.”

  “That’s the idea, babe.”

  He dropped her wrists and took her face in his hand, holding her tight as he kissed her thoroughly, while his fingers explored her core. So hot. So ready. And she was all his.

  Kari worked his belt free and tugged his pants down, freeing him and it was all the encouragement he needed, but then she whispered in his ear, “Rhys, I need you. Please. Take me.” He lifted her so her long, lean legs were wrapped around him, and right there in the hallway of their home, he did just that.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Rhys dropped a kiss on Kari’s forehead, her face angelic in sleep, and slipped out of the bedroom. He’d see her after his shift, at Archer’s party. He hated to leave without saying good-bye, particularly if that good-bye would be a repeat performance of their night, but if he didn’t go soon, he’d be late.

  Their night had been perfect. Well, almost perfect. As Rhys made the short drive to the station, he couldn’t help thinking it would have been even more special had he been making love to his fiancée instead of his girlfriend.

  No. He had to stop thinking like that. It was a small detail and it didn’t mean anything. It certainly didn’t change how he felt about her. He still loved her with his whole heart, and waiting a bit longer to make her his wife wasn’t going to change that.

  Still.

  Before he went out on patrol, he stopped by his locker and grabbed the ring box. Whether he was going to use it or not, he felt better having it close to him.

  The day went on fairly uneventfully, as most days in Cedar Springs did: a few traffic calls, a suspected break-in, and a fender bender up on the mountain road involving a deer, in which the car fared better than the poor animal did. Despite the fairly peaceful day, which would normally bring Rhys a certain amount of pleasure, he couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling when it came to Kari. He’d been so busy listening to everyone else, maybe he was missing the most important thing—talking to her.

  For their entire relationship, they’d always excelled at communicating. So why hadn’t he done that with this most important decision? It didn’t make sense. And that was the entire problem. He needed to stop listening to everyone else, and go with his heart. And that’s exactly what he was going to do. Just as soon as he got to Archer’s party and found her.

  “Thanks for all your help the other day, Kari.” Sam slid into the empty barstool where Kari was perched. The surprise for Archer had gone off exactly as she’d expected. Archer pretended and failed to act surprised, but was otherwise a good sport about the party held in his honor. Everyone knew he didn’t like to be the center of attention, but it was a good excuse to get everyone together for a party, and with so many busy lives and schedules, any reason was a good one.

  “No problem, Sam.” Kari smiled and welcomed the company. “It’s not like I really did much at all. Either way, he seems to be having a good time.” They both looked over to where Archer chatted with Seth McBride and his very pregnant girlfriend Cynthia. Looking at Cynthia’s growing belly, Kari couldn’t help but feel a twinge of longing that surprised her. She’d never before thought of having children, but looking at the happy couple who were expecting their first child, the thought crossed her mind and it actually felt good. Maybe once they got married.

  That thought stopped her cold and actually made her laugh out loud. Wasn’t it only a few days ago that the idea of tying the knot scared the hell out of her and now she was planning an entire future?

  “What’s so funny?”

  Kari shook her head. “I was just thinking how silly I’ve been is all.”

  “In any way in particular?”

  Sam was looking at her strangely, but Kari didn’t care. She laughed again. “Remember when we were talking about marriage and—”

  “How you weren’t going to do it again?” Sam nodded knowingly.

  “Yes. That. Maybe I was wrong.”

  “What were you wrong about?” Carmen joined them at the bar and reached over to help herself to a beer, which she lifted in the air. “I’m finally done nursing.”

  “Cheers,” Sam said, and then added, “Kari was just admitting to me that she was wrong about marriage.”

  Carmen’s face shifted strangely, but she asked, “Wrong in what way?”

  “The other day I was adamant about not doing it again. I mean, since the first time hadn’t worked out so well and all.” Kari shrugged. Her mind filled with thoughts of Rhys and the love she had for him. “But I was wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  “Yes,” Kari answered Carmen. “I actually can’t imagine anything I’d like more than for Rhys to ask me to be his wife.” As she spoke the words, she realized just how true they were. The idea of Rhys slipping a ring on her finger filled her with joy and she couldn’t think of anything that would make her happier.

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?” Sam turned to Carmen. “What’s that mean?”

  Carmen fiddled with her beer. “It’s just that…well, I might have told Dylan that you were freaked out about the idea of getting married.” She looked up quickly. “I wouldn’t have said anything but I knew Rhys and Dylan had been talking about rings and then you and I spoke and you were all—”

  “Wait. What?” Kari’s mind spun. “They were talking about rings?”

  Carmen nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I think Rhys was going to propose over a special dinner.”

  Kari’s heart sunk. “He didn’t.”

&n
bsp; “He didn’t?”

  She shook her head in response. “I thought he might, and I was ready, but he didn’t.”

  Carmen’s hand flew to her mouth. “I hope it wasn’t because of what I said. I mean, I didn’t—”

  “It’s fine,” Kari assured her.

  “Well.” Sam put her beer bottle down on the bar with a thunk. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Kari shook her head.

  “You’re going to have to ask him.”

  “What? She can’t do that. Why would—”

  “Of course she can,” Sam said. “Why couldn’t she? Obviously Rhys loves her and wants to marry her. That much we know. We also know that for whatever reason,” she looked pointedly at Carmen, “he isn’t going to ask. At least not for a while. So why shouldn’t she?”

  “Because—”

  “No,” Kari interrupted. “Sam’s right. Why shouldn’t I ask him?” The idea came quickly and once it was in her head, it solidified. “I think it’s a great idea. And you’re all going to help me.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  The party was in full swing, as he knew it would be, by the time Rhys got there. He’d been looking forward to Archer’s birthday for weeks, just as most of their friend group had. It was a good excuse for everyone to gather together and it had been way too long since they’d all done it. They used to have Sunday night drinks at the Paw, but even those nights had become fewer and farther between as schedules got crazier. But his mood was subdued as he walked through the front doors of the pub. He just wanted to see Kari and get her alone long enough to talk to her. The uncertainty had gone on long enough. It was time to put a stop to it.

  He stood in the door and scanned the room full of his friends. When he didn’t see her right away, he let out a deep sigh and made his way through the crowd over to the man of the hour.

  “Happy birthday, man.” He slapped his friend on the back.

  “I’m pretty sure I told you to put a stop to this,” Archer complained, but it was easy to see he was enjoying himself. How could he not, surrounded by family and friends?

  Rhys was about to ask him whether he’d seen Kari when Sam’s voice came over the speaker system. “Thank you all for coming here to celebrate Archer’s birthday!” Both men, and everyone else in the room, turned to watch Sam, who stood on the bar, holding the microphone. “As I’m sure you’ll agree, Archer is a pretty special guy.” A roar went up in the crowd and Rhys snuck a glance at his friend, who shook his head, but still smiled. He smacked his friend on the shoulder again. Archer was definitely a good guy and he deserved all the attention he was getting.

  Up on the bar, Sam was still talking. “I’d like to invite the man of the hour up here to present his gift.”

  Archer looked to Rhys and muttered, “Gift? You didn’t say anything about a gift, man.”

  Rhys only shrugged and gave him a nudge toward the front of the room. The crowd roared again as Archer went to meet Sam, whose smile was so broad Rhys was pretty sure she might burst from the excitement of giving him his present. He was actually fairly impressed she was able to keep it a surprise for so long, because everyone knew Sam couldn’t keep a surprise, as was evidenced by the party. While he waited for the big presentation, Rhys took another look around the room, but still couldn’t see Kari anywhere. He moved through the crush of people so he was closer to the front, where Kari likely was. He came to stand next to Beth, his old high school girlfriend, and Slade Black, her new husband and currently the hottest thing on the pop charts. “Hey guys.”

  Beth pulled him into a big hug and squeezed him hard. “Rhys. It’s been too long. How are you?”

  “I’m good.” He slipped out of her embrace and gave Slade a nod in greeting. There’d been a time when he was sure he would have married Beth himself. Thankfully they’d figured out they made better friends than anything else, and he’d been happy to give her away at her wedding. Together Slade and Beth were the perfect couple—well, except for him and Kari. “Hey, have you seen Kari?”

  Beth’s face slipped into a small frown. “Not lately. But I saw her yesterday and lent her that dress. How did last night go, anyway?” She nudged him, and gave him a knowing wink but the simple shake of his head shut down any further questioning.

  “It was a nice night.”

  “That’s it?” The question came from Slade. “I thought you were going to—”

  Sam’s voice over the microphone cut him off, something Rhys had never been more thankful for. “You know we all love you, Archer.” She’d managed to drag Archer up onto the bar, a fact he didn’t look too pleased about. “And that’s why we all chipped in to give you this.” Sam bent to receive the large gift bag her husband Trent passed up to her. She held it out to Archer, who looked at it dubiously. “Go on. Open it.”

  Rhys crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. He wasn’t sure how Archer would react to the gift idea. Of course, he and Kari had chipped in because as crazy of an idea that it was, there was some merit to it. Everyone watched as Archer reached in and pulled out a top-of-the-line backpack. The type of pack you used for travel. He tipped his head and looked at Sam strangely. “You want me to do more hiking? Because I already have a pack for that, but I —”

  “Look in the top pocket.”

  He did as he was told and unzipped the pocket. He pulled out an envelope, letting the pack fall to the bar at his feet, and slowly opened it. When he slid out the airline ticket, everyone in the room could see the confusion on his face. “A ticket?” He glanced down again and then up. “To Panama?”

  Sam nodded and clapped her hands. “Isn’t it great?”

  Archer looked around the room at all his friends gathered to see how excited he would be with the gift that was no doubt hitting him completely out of left field. His expression was exactly how Rhys would have expected: totally blindsided. “Um…” Archer managed. “Central America? Why?”

  Sam’s smile was radiant and heartfelt as she looped her arm in his. “Because as much as we love you, Archer, you need to get out of here and see the world. Find your love, your spirit, your heart. Go out and find it all, Arch.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek and the whole room erupted in a cheer.

  There was no way Archer could disagree with anything she said. Not with everyone watching. So he did just what Rhys expected him to do. He nodded and smiled and pulled Sam into a hug, no doubt to whisper something slightly threatening into her ear before he waved at the crowd, thanking them and jumping down off the bar.

  The show over, Rhys once again looked around for Kari. She had to be around somewhere. She wouldn’t have missed the presentation of Archer’s gift. Not after all the build-up Sam had given it.

  Rhys reached into his pocket for his cell phone, ready to text her to find out what the hell was going on, but his phone was missing. He must have left it in the car. He was starting to get worried. Really worried. He reached out to tap on Slade’s shoulder, ready to enlist him in search for his missing girlfriend, but Slade was gone. Beth shrugged when Rhys shot her a look, but he wasn’t buying it. “Where did he go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her but she smiled sweetly and turned away.

  “Dammit.”

  Where was Kari? He’d had enough. Maybe it was the build-up of frustration from everything that had and had not been said over the last few days; maybe he just needed the reassurance of having her close to him. Whatever it was, he needed to find her. Now. Enough was enough. He left Beth behind and pushed his way through the crowd, determined once and for all to figure out what was going on. And if Beth wasn’t going to be any help, he’d find her on his own.

  Rhys had almost made his way to the bar when the crowd parted, the music stopped and the lights dimmed. “What the—”

  The words died on his lips because when he turned, his eyes locked directly on the most beautiful sight he could have imagined: Kari stood on the bar, her blond hair falling in cu
rls around her bare shoulders. Her red dress was so tight it looked like a second skin. She had a microphone in her hand.

  “Kari? What the—”

  Her knees shook. She’d never in her whole life done something so bold and so…public. But when it came right down to it, there was no other way to do it. Talking to the girls, it was absolutely clear what she had to do. She had to put herself out there in a way she’d never done before, because…Rhys.

  She could feel the moment his eyes locked on her. If she closed her eyes, she would have been able to feel his gaze work its way up her body. Dressed in the sexy, skin-tight dress Beth had rushed over for her, she knew how she looked. She looked like a siren. She channeled it and closed her eyes as the strains of the music began to play behind her. Just knowing Slade was behind her on the guitar as backup gave her strength. Although it was something she had to do on her own, it was so important that she knew she had her friends on her side, behind her, supporting her and lifting her up for this one life-altering moment of her life.

  With his eyes never leaving hers, Rhys made his way closer to the bar so he looked directly up at her. The look on his face was one she expected: a mixture of shock and wonderment. She smiled at him and just looking at him, the love of her life, gave her courage.

  Slade played the introduction of Train’s famous song, “Marry Me,” for the second time because she’d missed her cue on the first go-round. As the music picked up the second time, she was ready. Clutching the mic in her hand, her eyes locked on his, Kari sang the first line of the song. The words resonated to her heart.

  Forever could never be long enough for her. She knew that now. And the lyrics of the song resonated perfectly. Being with Rhys forever wouldn’t be long enough for her. It couldn’t be because now, more than ever, she knew she needed him to breathe, to live, to be the very life force inside her. She’d been ridiculous by not considering marriage until she’d been hit over the head with it. She couldn’t imagine living a second of her life without Rhys. Which was why she stood on a bar, in front of all their friends, and serenaded the love of her life as if her everything depended on it. Because it did. Rhys needed to know that she absolutely, unequivocally, wanted to marry him. There needed to be no uncertainty, so when the lyrics shifted and Kari opened her mouth, to sing them out with the clear voice she usually only reserved for driving in the car or when she was alone in the shower, she looked directly in Rhys’s eyes and sang, “Marry me.”