by Nora Roberts
“Why did I see you? Why didnt they?”
“They didnt need to.”
HE wasnt sure what it all meant, and Rowena had left him wondering. What he needed, Jordan decided, as he let himself into Danas apartment, was a little time to get his thoughts into some sort of order.
Maybe he should write them down, as he had with the sequence of events. He would sit down at Danas computer and just let it flow.
But when he walked into the bedroom, he heard the shower running. He hadnt noticed her car parked out front, which meant, he concluded, that his mind was somewhere else. He poked into the bathroom to let her know he was there.
Her scream could have shattered brick when he tugged back the shower curtain.
With one hand over her heart, the other shoving at her dripping hair, she gasped for air. “Why dont you just make that squeaky violin music and finish the job?”
“Hey, its not like Im wearing a dress and carrying a knife. I just wanted to tell you I was here, so I wouldnt scare you when you came out.”
“Yeah, better to scare me when Im wet and naked and helpless.”
He pursed his lips. Shed always looked good wet and naked. “Helpless?”
“Okay, maybe not helpless.” She reached out, grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Get in here, big guy.”
“Tempting, very tempting, but I need to talk to you about some stuff, and we need to get to Flynns.”
“Talk later, hot, steamy sex now.”
“Its really hard to argue with that.” He toed off his shoes.
She waited until he stepped in behind her, then handed him the soap and an over-the shoulder invitation. “Wash my back?”
“I can start there.”
“Mmrn. Im going to get all… slippery and… slick and… Thats not my back.”
He slid his soapy hands over her butt. “Its behind you, so it counts.” Bending his head, he skimmed his teeth over her shoulder. “Youve got the most incredible body. Have I mentioned that before?”
“Maybe once or twice, but I dont mind redundancy under certain circumstances.” She dipped her head back as his hands sleeked up her torso, slithered over her breasts. “Such as that.”
“Then Ill risk repeating myself.” He turned her around. “I love you.” He laid his lips on hers. “Im so in love with you.”
With a sound of pleasure and joy, she hooked her arms around his neck, poured herself into him.
Water sluiced over them, and the steam billowed up.Resh slid over flesh, and soapy hands glided to tease and arouse. Lips rubbed and nibbled, then began to hunger.
Her heart was so full she wondered it didnt burst like light and rock the room. “Its different.” She kissed his mouth, his throat, his mouth. “Its different now, knowing you love me.” She fisted her hands in his hair to draw him back an inch. “Its different now, when I can tell you I love you.”
“Then its always going to be different, because Im never going to stop.”
Their mouths met again.
It was different. Every touch, every taste, every need was gilded with a sense of belonging. Water showered over them as he anchored her, as he slipped inside her. The beauty of it brought her a thousand sweet aches.
Hers now, he was hers now. And she was his.
She held tight, and matched him beat for beat.
Emotions swamped him, sensations; drowned him, and all he could see was her. The dark eyes, the sleek hair, the strong mouth, and water streaming down her face like tears. She held him, body and heart. And, he realized, she always had.
He felt her tremble, heard her breath shudder and catch, then her eyes went beautiful and opaque as she came.
As she tightened around him, he pressed his mouth to hers again, and gave himself to her.
After, a long time after, they simply stood holding each other.
“This is good, Jordan. This is really good.”
“Yeah.”
“Even though the waters getting cold. I feel all lazy and sleepy. I wish we could slide into bed instead of getting dressed and going over to Flynns.”
“If youre too tired to go—”
“Thats not it. I just want to lie around in bed with you.”
He drew her back. “I cant argue with that either.
“But were going to get dressed and go over to Flynns because lying around in bed would be wrong.” She kissed him lightly. “Jesus, the water is getting cold.”
He reached behind her and switched it off. “We can go over, then leave early and come back and lie around in bed.”
“Good plan.” She stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel. “So, whats this mysterious mission you went on today?” She wrapped her hair in the towel, grabbed a second one.
He held out a hand, thinking it was for him, but she started drying her legs with it. He shook his head, got yet another towel for himself.
“Well talk about it later.”
“Whats wrong with now?”
“Because were in the bathroom, naked. Its just not the right place for it.”
“Thats silly. Weve had naked conversations before. In fact, weve had some very interesting naked conversations. Where did you go, and why did you need Brad and Flynn along? Because I know they went with you. I have ways of getting that sort of information.”
She grabbed a bottle of body cream and poured some into her hand.
“Ill tell you later. Youll appreciate the fact that we get into this in a more appropriate setting.”
“See, now youre making me crazy.” She slathered on cream. “Which forces me to grill you. You were gone for hours. Where did you go? What did you do?”
“We went to atitty bar and drank cheap booze while women with fascinating man-made breasts slid around on long, shiny poles.”
“You think thatll irritate me and Ill leave you alone, but youre wrong.” She took the towel off her head and finger-combed her hair. “Personally, I dont have a problem with guys going to strip clubs and making jackasses of themselves. So you might as well tell me the truth.”
“Fine. Here and now, then.” He picked up his pants, dug the jewelers box out of the pocket. He held it out to her, flipped up the lid with his thumb.
“Oh, my Jesus Christ,” she said and sat down heavily on the lid of the toilet.
“Yeah, thats romance. You like it or what?”
She had to swallow. “Depends.”
“On what?” He scowled, turned the box around to study the ring. It looked great, he decided, but there was never any certainty with women. “I figured youd like this better than the standard diamond. But if youd rather go that route, I can exchange it.”
She shivered, but she didnt feel cold. Not in the least. “Then that would be an engagement ring youve got there.”
“What the hell do you think it is? Would you stand up? This is just a little too bizarre.”
“Sorry.” She got to her feet. “I wasnt sure what it meant.”
“It means marry me, Dana.” He had to push his dripping hair back. “It means I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. I want to make children with you, and grow old with you.”
Shed thought her heart was full, but it hadnt been. There was still room, so much room for him. “Oh, well, that clears things up nicely. Its a beautiful ring. Its the most beautiful ring Ive ever seen. You were only wrong about one thing.”
“Whats that?”
“I dont mind the time and place, Jordan.” She looked up at him now with a brilliant smile. “I dont mind it at all. In fact, if you would put that on my finger, Id like it to be the only thing Im wearing for the next few minutes.” Holding out her hand, she took one quick, catchy breath. “Id really love to wear that ring. Id love to marry you, and all the rest of it, too.”
He took it out, set the box aside, then lifted her left hand. “This is one more beginning for us.”
“Im looking forward to the rest of them.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. There was a little buzz of h
eat, then a lovely spread of warmth where the gold circled her finger. “Its beautiful. It even fits.”
“Yeah? None of us knew your ring size, so thats a bonus.” He turned her hand, watched the stone sparkle. “It looks good on you.”
She rose to her toes, took his mouth with hers. “Youre so full of surprises.”
“Youve got that right. I might as well tell you the next one. I bought—or Im buying— Warriors Peak.”
She blinked twice, very slowly. “Sorry. I thought you said you were buying the Peak.”
“Thats right. I want us to live there. I want us to make a family there.”
“You…” Though her knees wobbled, she didnt give in and sit down again. “Youre not going back to New York?”
“Of course Im not going back to New York.” Bafflement moved over his face. “How the hell am I supposed to be married to you and live in New York while you run a business in the Valley? Dana.”
“I thought… Its where you live.”
He cupped her chin, unsure if he was impatient or amused. “You think Id ask you to move to New York, throw away your store before it even gets started? I was never planning to go back there to live anyway, but if I had been, this wouldve changed it.”
“You werent going back?”
“No. There was a time when I had to leave. This was the time when I had to come back. I need to be here. I need to be with you.”
“I wouldve gone with, you,” she managed. “I want points for that.”
“Were not going anywhere. If the Peak doesnt suit you, well—”
“Youre just trying to get points back.” Overcome, she laughed and threw her arms around him. “You know it suits me. God, this is fantastic. Its amazing. But please tell me thats the last surprise. My heads going to spin right off my shoulders.“
“Thats pretty much it for now.”
“Lets get dressed, get over to Flynns.” She pressed her hands palm to palm and stared at her ring. “I cant wait to tell everyone.”
“Flynn and Bradakeady know.”
“Men.” She flicked them away with a wave as she walked into the bedroom. “They dont know anything. Boy, oh, boy, wait until Malory andZoe get a load of this ring! Ive got to find a really cool outfit to set it off.”
“I like the one youre wearing now.”
She shot a look over her shoulder before she dived into her closet. “See? Men dont know anything.”
Chapter Eighteen
WHEN Moe dragged Flynn into the house, they heard the single, high-pitched scream. Moe bared his teeth, Flynn bared his, and they raced toward the kitchen prepared to taste blood.
Malory stood in the center of the room, her hands crossed over her heart, laughing like an idiot.
“Where is he? What did he do? Son of a bitch.”
“Who?” Malory braced herself for Moes leap of love but wasnt prepared to have Flynn lift her off her feet. “What?”
“You were screaming.”
“Oh. Okay, Moe, down you go. Flynn, put me down. Im fine, Im perfectly fine.” Other than the fact that she was flushed with embarrassment and trying not to giggle. “I thought I was alone.”
Reaction set in and made Flynn short of breath. He dropped Malory back on her feet with a little thump as his arms started to tremble. “You stand in the kitchen and scream when you think youre alone?”
“Well, not usually. But look! Just look.” She did a fast-time step, followed by a neat little pirouette.
Clueless, Flynn tried again. “Youve realized you want to fulfill a childhood dream and become a dancing star of stage and screen?”
“No!” With a laugh, she whirled Flynn into a circle that had Moe leaping again. “Look. We have a floor. A wonderful, beautiful hardwood floor.”
She executed what Flynn thought might be some sort of clog dance. “Sounds like wood, all right.”
“No more ugly linoleum for us. And look at this!” She whirled away from him and embraced the glossy new side-by-side refrigerator with the passion of a woman greeting a lover returning from the war. “Isnt it wonderful? And see how it matches this?”
While Flynn watched, she spun to the range. “Its so beautiful.” She crooned it now. “So shiny and clean. And everything works. I tried all the buttons and dials, and it works! I actually cant wait to cook something. I walked in, saw all this, and I just had to scream. They put in the floor, Flynn, and brought in the appliances. See the new microwave?”
“Very sexy.”
“It is.” Whirling into a dance again, she tried out arhumba . “And we have pretty new cabinets with pretty glass fronts. Im going to put pretty dishes in them, and sparkly glasses. Its a kitchen. An actual kitchen.”
He was getting it now, and the charge of watching her revel. Shed switched from therhumba to… he wasnt sure what. But she looked really cute. “What was it before?”
“There is no name for what it was before. Im so happy. Im so grateful. Youre the most wonderful man in the world.” She caught his face in her hands and kissed him. “And Im a terrible person.”
“Why? Not the „Im wonderful part, because, hey. But why are you a terrible person?”
“Because I wouldnt move in with you before you did this. I made the kitchen a kind of exchange. Remodel the kitchen and Ill live with you. It was selfish. It worked,” she added, raining kisses over his face. “But it was selfish. Youre doing this for me. I know I said I wouldnt move in until it was finished, and I even madesnarky comments about the lamps up in the bedroom.”
“Something about not being fit to light a cave inhabited by bats and blind spiders.”
“Yes, that was one of them. Anyway, forgive me?”
“Okay.”
“I know its not quite finished. Theres still the counters and the backsplash and, oh, a few more things, but I dont want to wait anymore. Ill move in tomorrow, and we can start, officially, living together.”
“I dont want to live together.”
Her face went blank.
“What?”
“Sorry, Mal.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “I dont want to live together.”
“But… but you asked me to move in with you weeks ago. Youve asked me half a dozen times.”
“Yeah, well.” He shrugged. “I changed my mind.”
“You—you changed your mind?”
“Thats right.” Casually, he opened the new refrigerator. “Wow. Look at all this room. And it is shiny.”
She couldnt do anything but stare at him. Her stomach had dropped to her feet, and those feet no longer felt like dancing. “I dont understand. I dont understand how you could just change your mind about something like this, from one minute to the next.”
“Me either. Actually, I dont think I really changed it, I think I just realized it wasnt what I wanted.”
“You just realized you dont want me.” There was too much shock, too much anger for the pain to fight through. So she rode on the shock .and the anger and stepped forward to give him a hard shove. “Well, thats just fine.”
“I didnt say I didnt want you. I said I didnt want to live together.”
“You can take your new kitchen and stuff it. If you cant handle a committed, adult relationship then you cant handle me.”
“There you go, were right on the same page. Committed, adult relationship.” He pulled the box from his pocket, opened it. “This adult enough for you?”
Her mouth dropped open, and he thought shed never looked more beautiful as she stared down, dumbstruck, at the diamond ring.
“Lets be really grown-up, Malory. Lets get married.”
“You want to marry me?”
“I do. Look, I already know my lines.” He grinned at her. “You look a little pale. Im going to take that as a good sign. The jeweler said this was a classic, and Brad gave it a thumbs-up.” Flynn removed the ring from the box. “Brilliant-cut solitaire, blah-blah, whatever. You go for the classic look, right?”
A latch kept trying to slam shut in her throat, but
she forced it open. “Yes, I do.”
“There, you know your lines, too.” He took her limp hand, slipped the ring on before she could say another word. “It fits. I didnt think it would, youve got such delicate fingers, but it looks like we wont have to have it sized after all.”
She felt the snap of heat, the spread of warmth from the gold circling her skin. Yes, it fit, she thought dreamily. It looked as if it had been made for her finger. “Its beautiful. Its absolutely beautiful.”
“You could say yes now.”
She looked up from the ring, into his eyes. “Lifes going to be a roller coaster with you. I used to be afraid of roller coasters because you just never know what theyre going to do next. They dont scare me anymore.”
“Say yes. Ill get rid of the lamps.”
On something between a sob and a laugh, she leaped into his arms. “Yes. You know its yes, even with the ugly lamps.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” With her cheek pressed to his, she held up her ring hand and watched the diamond glitter. “How could the same man who bought this gorgeous ring have bought those hideous lamps?”
“The many sides of Flynn Hennessy.”
“Lucky for me.” She heard the front door open and moved nearly as fast as Moe. “Oh, theyre coming. I have to show it off.” She pushed away from Flynn, then nipped back to kiss him again. “I have to show somebody.”
She hurried toward the front of the house, even as Dana hurried toward the back withZoe at her heels.
“What is it?”Zoe demanded.
“Have to show you both at once. Boy, have. I got news for you,” Dana said when Malory rushed toward her.
“Whatever it is, it cant top mine. Ive got news for you!”
Zoepushed between them. “Jeez, somebody tell somebody something before I explode.”
“Me first,” Dana and Malory said in unison, then both held out their left hands.
There were screams, followed by a burst of unintelligible words. At least they were unintelligible to the three men and a boy who looked on.
Simon watched his mother and her two friends jump and squeal like the girls did on the playground at school. Wrinkling his brow, he looked up at Brad.
