by Mari Carr
Jesus. He was nervous. So much for Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected.
Time to make a move. He’d congratulate her on the evening and keep things light and pleasant, try to feel her out and analyze exactly how pissed off she still was. From there, he’d figure out his next move. And try not to punch that smug smile off Gabriel’s face.
He spotted his opportunity when Gabriel excused himself. Kellan plucked two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and approached her.
“Sara.”
She glanced up in surprise, and he tried not to grin when her eyes traveled over his tux-clad figure. She wasn’t the only one who had taken special pains to look good tonight.
“Enjoying the view?” he teased.
She scowled, and he took a great deal of pleasure in the pink that tinged her cheeks. It wasn’t anger fueling the color. Thank God. Physical attraction was something he understood, something he could work with. “What are you doing here? I let you off the hook.”
He nodded toward the French doors that opened onto the patio and beyond that a large grassy area surrounded by gardens with several private paths. “Can I talk to you a minute? Outside.”
She sighed. “I’m here with Gabriel. I’m sure anything you need to say you can say right here.”
He shook his head. “Five minutes, Sara. That’s all I’m asking for.”
She glanced over her shoulder, and he followed her gaze to Gabriel. The man was deep in conversation with some colleague, another pediatric doctor Kellan recognized from the hospital.
“Kellan—” She was digging in her heels.
“Five minutes,” he repeated, before adding a “Please.” Then he headed toward the doors. He forced himself to face forward, praying that she was following.
He didn’t turn around until he reached the threshold, pleased to discover Sara standing next to him. She took one of the champagne flutes from him and threw it back, consuming the fizzy drink in one long gulp.
Kellan grinned and followed suit. Then he took the glass from her and placed it on a tray just inside the door. “Liquid courage?”
She glanced back at a still-oblivious Gabriel. “Something like that.”
He placed his hand on her lower back, enjoying the way she shivered slightly at his touch. He caught the scent of her floral perfume and had to fight down his own arousal.
The two of them walked to the edge of the patio. Sara stopped, but Kellan propelled her forward toward one of the secluded paths. The patio wasn’t as crowded as the ballroom, but there were several couples and groups enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Sara resisted his prodding for only a moment before allowing him to lead her along the dimly lit path. Once they were out of the hearing of the others, she stopped and turned to face him. “Five minutes.”
Her tone was hostile. Yep. He’d hurt her. And pissed her off.
“I wanted to apologize for the other evening. I let things end badly between us.”
She lifted her shoulder, and for the first time, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t sleeping any better than he was.
“You never lied about your intentions, Kellan. Never promised me anything more than sex. I know that you’re a professional at turning your emotions on and off like a faucet, but it’s harder for me.” Then she sighed, and her voice was calmer when she continued, “But we’ve been friends for too long to let this come between us. I get that. It’s just…you’re going to have to give me some time to find my way. I can’t flip right back to just friends. I’m not wired that way.”
“I don’t want to be just friends with you anymore, Sara.”
She laughed, the sound one of pure malice. “Oh, no. Don’t.” She raised her finger, pointing it at him furiously. “If you think for one second I would entertain the idea of being another one of your booty calls, you’re insane.”
What? Booty call?
“That’s not—”
Sara was on a roll. Clearly her anger had been building all week, and it exploded out of her now at what she had mistaken for yet another one of his sexual propositions. “You know what? I know exactly how to settle this, how to make this easy for you. I’m in love with you, Kellan. Completely, irrevocably in love.”
Kellan reached for her hands, determined to pull her into his arms, but she dodged too quickly.
He frowned. “Sara—”
“Sara?” Another male voice cut through the darkness. Gabriel had clearly caught a clue and realized he’d lost his date. Talk about shitty timing.
“I’m here,” she called out. “Give me a second.”
Kellan opened his mouth to speak, to tell her he loved her, but she was determined to have the last word.
“So there’s your cue to make a very hasty exit. God knows you don’t still want to sleep with a woman who has actual feelings for you. That would break all the Kellan James rules for an unencumbered, sex-on-demand lifestyle. I hope you and your hookups will be very happy together.”
She started down the path, encountering Gabriel on the way. The other man caught sight of him and frowned.
“Is everything okay?” Gabriel asked.
Sara nodded, without bothering to look back toward Kellan. “It is now. Come on. Let’s go inside.”
Kellan remained alone for several minutes. She loved him. And he loved her.
But she hadn’t given him a chance to tell her.
He didn’t blame her for her anger, or her belief that he was a shallow asshole who was only interested in one thing. God knew that was all he’d shown her these past two weeks.
So she’d gotten her say. Gotten the chance to tell him exactly what a jerk he’d been. He had deserved every word.
But now it was his turn. Because things weren’t going to end like that. He wasn’t going to let her walk around for another second without telling her exactly what she meant to him.
Which was everything.
Everything.
He returned to the ballroom intent on dragging her away from the table and upstairs to the hotel room he’d booked for the two of them. It would be an arrogant, ridiculous move, and Sara would rip him a new one for it, but dammit, how could she not see how much he loved her? He was crazy about her.
His mother would have rolled her eyes at his presumptuousness in booking the room, but Kellan hadn’t come here tonight to fail. Life without her wouldn’t be worth living, so he had to make her see, make her understand that she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
He’d entered this ballroom determined to win back the heart of the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And that was exactly what he was going to do.
However, his plan was put on hold when he returned to find Sara standing next to the podium with one of the doctors from the free clinic. Dr. Rodriguez was serving as auctioneer while Sara handed him the items up for bid.
Kellan walked along the edge of the room, careful to remain out of Sara’s view. She probably expected him to leave in the face of her confession. What she failed to realize was how much her words had affected him. She loved him. He’d heard those words from women before, and they’d always been his cue to escape.
Hearing them from Sara had felt like a gift.
Standing in the back of the room, he watched only her as item after item was sold. The bids were going high, ensuring the fundraiser was a success. The clinic would benefit greatly from Sara’s efforts. She should be pleased, but there was no joy on her face. In fact, she looked as if she was fighting back tears. He hated thinking that he’d put them there.
When the final auction item came up for bid, she appeared to almost sigh with relief. The auction had gone on too fucking long, as Sara was forced to stand there thinking her love wasn’t returned. Kellan drummed his fingers against his leg impatiently, barely resisting the urge to walk up there and drag her away, to tell her that he was an idiot and a fool and he didn’t deserve her, but that he was going to beg her to take him anyway.
He had just t
aken the first step toward her, deciding he couldn’t stand it anymore, when they announced the final thing up for auction. Suddenly he knew exactly what to do.
“The last item is one I’m sure we’ve all been tempted by tonight,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “You’re bidding on a twelve-day cruise for two around the Greek Islands. Mountain Proteins has donated this once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Mediterranean. So, let’s start the bidding at five hundred dollars.”
Kellan bided his time as hands rose and fell around the room, more than a few people interested in winning the trip.
As the bidding slowed, he stepped forward, ready to make his move. “Fifteen thousand dollars,” he called out loudly, his bid nearly double the previous one.
There were audible gasps as everyone turned to look at him, but he only had eyes for Sara.
She was shocked to find him still there. That much was obvious by her expression.
“On one condition,” Kellan added.
Dr. Rodriguez looked at Sara and then back to Kellan, asking, “There’s a condition to your bid?”
He nodded, walking closer to the podium. He didn’t stop until he was halfway across the dance floor.
“What is it?” Dr. Rodriguez asked.
“That Sara Connelly goes with me.”
The silence in the room deepened. It was as if everyone had stopped breathing. Kellan certainly had.
Sara continued to look at him, appearing slightly shell-shocked.
“I can’t agree to something like that,” Dr. Rodriguez said. The poor man looked as if he was watching a tennis match, his eyes racing from Kellan to Sara and back again, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Kellan,” Sara said, glancing around the room uncomfortably. “What are you doing?”
“I thought that was obvious. I want to go on a Mediterranean cruise with you. I think it would be a nice honeymoon.”
Sara’s eyes widened for a split second before narrowing with suspicion. He didn’t blame her for her doubts. She’d known him for too long, had heard him swear off marriage no less than a million times. “Honeymoon?”
There were quite a few expressions of surprise from the onlookers when Kellan went down to one knee right there in the middle of the ballroom and pulled a small box from the pocket of his tuxedo jacket.
Sara had gone still as a stone.
“Marry me, Sara.”
“I…” She blinked rapidly, and Kellan wondered if she was trying to determine if he was a hallucination or not.
“I’m in love with you, Scrubs. Completely. Irrevocably. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you my whole life. I was just too much of an idiot to see it.” He gave her words back to her, wanting her to know that she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
“You are?” she whispered. He caught the slight sheen of tears in her eyes.
“What part are you questioning? The love, or the fact I’m an idiot.”
She giggled. “I already knew the idiot part.”
He laughed, taking no offense. “Of course I’m in love with you. How could any sane man not be in love with you? You’re beautiful, funny, compassionate, and sexy as hell. I know I’m a pain in the ass, Sara. I’m demanding, controlling, and stubborn. And I can’t promise you it’ll be easy, but I do promise to worship the ground you walk on every single day if you’ll do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
The room went painfully silent for several seconds. The only thing Kellan could hear was the pounding of his own heart.
Josh found a way to break the tension, his voice filling the room. “Don’t be too hasty, Sara. After all, I’m still available.”
Laughter erupted, including Sara’s.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to find another girl,” Sara said to Josh. “This one is taken.”
She raced into his arms. Kellan had risen and was waiting for her. He wrapped her in his embrace, determined to never let go of her again.
He had no idea how long they stood there, but it took a few minutes before Kellan realized the band was playing again and the dance floor was crowded with swaying couples, all smiling at them.
Sara was the first to step away. “You came here with a ring?”
“I’m so sorry for everything I said the last ti—”
She placed a finger over his lips to stop him. “Forgiven. For all of it.”
His mom had been right.
True love didn’t walk away in the face of mistakes. It forgave.
He took her hand away from his lips so that he could place the ring on her finger. He’d moved heaven and earth to find it today, knowing it had to be perfect.
“Oh, Kellan,” she whispered when he slid it onto her finger. “It’s beautiful.”
Cupping her cheeks, he lifted her face to his. “I love you, Sara. So much it hurts.”
“Lucky for you I’m a nurse.” She rose up on tiptoe and placed her lips against his. “I can kiss it all better.”
“There are a few places that are really aching right now.”
She laughed at his innuendo, then her face sobered slightly. “Are you sure about all of this?”
“Sara, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. And I’m a cocky son of a bitch who thinks he’s right about everything.”
“You’re right. You are. And you always said you were never getting married.”
“A very wise woman once told me I should never say never.”
“Very wise indeed.”
He took her hand. “I know we have a lot to talk about. I don’t blame you for your doubts. I’ve been an asshole.”
She shook her head. “No. You haven’t. I could have resisted an asshole. Instead, you were charming and sweet and romantic and funny, and you made it impossible for me not to fall in love with you.”
“Last week, at Score, what I said—”
“Was a mistake. But let’s face it, you’d nearly lost your dad, and you were dealing with some pretty serious demons from your past. You’re allowed to screw up when you’ve got that much crap falling on you.”
“I hurt you in the process.”
“I think you’ll find out I’m pretty resilient. We’re only human, Kellan. We’re both going to screw up from time to time over the next…” She paused, pure mischief in her eyes when she said, “Fifty or sixty years or so.”
Kellan recognized the test. And he passed with flying colors. “Expecting me to wince or run scared?”
She giggled. “Just making sure.”
“I want nothing less than eighty years with you.”
She feigned horror at the thought. “Let’s don’t get too carried away.”
He adored her. And wanted her. “Did I mention I booked a room upstairs?”
She rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”
“I prefer ‘optimistic.’ That, and the fact I wasn’t leaving here without you. Even if I had to kidnap you, tie you to the bed, and beg you until you said yes.”
Sara winked. “I like the sound of that. Can I take back my yes so we can try that version?”
He grasped her hand and pulled her toward the exit. “Done.”
She laughed, tugging free. “Wait. I need to grab my purse and…oh shit. Gabriel.”
Kellan reluctantly let her go to the table. He hung back, watching as she retrieved her things and spoke to Gabriel briefly before returning. Now that he knew she was leaving with him, some of the jealousy had faded. But not all of it.
“Everything okay?” he asked when she finally returned.
She nodded. “He’s a very—”
“Nice man,” he interjected, not bothering to veil the jealousy in his tone.
She grinned at his obvious envy. “And you’re the man I’m marrying.”
Kellan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “As soon as humanly possible.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “I’m still struggling to believe this.”
They walked across the hotel lobby hand in hand. When the elevator doo
rs closed behind them, and they were alone at last, Kellan turned and gave her the kiss he’d wanted to give her since she’d said yes. He pressed his lips against hers, forcing her mouth open for his tongue. Sara’s fingers gripped the lapels of his tuxedo tightly, holding him close. Wild horses couldn’t drag him away from her.
When the doors slid open, he hastily led her to the room as she giggled.
“In a hurry?”
He slid the key card into the slot. “I wasn’t kidding about those aches. Get ready to do a lot of kissing, Scrubs.”
As they entered the room, Kellan unknotted his bow tie and tugged it free. He lifted his jaw toward her. “Take off that dress. I need you naked and under me. Right now.”
Neither of them spoke as they quickly shed their clothing. And then, just like that, they came together. Kellan carried her to the bed and placed her in the center. He wasted no time kneeling over her.
“I know I promised to tie you up…”
“Next time,” she said as she parted her legs, silently beckoning him to take her. “Can’t wait.”
He knew the feeling. Though they’d only been apart a couple of weeks, it felt as if eons had passed since he’d been inside her. Unable to hold back a second longer, he placed his cock at the opening to her body and slid to the hilt in one hard, passionate thrust. Sara’s inner muscles fluttered against him. It wouldn’t take either of them long to reach the peak. Typically he tried for more finesse, more foreplay, a couple orgasms for her, and multiple positions. This time, he managed none of it. Missionary had never seemed so fucking hot. He thrust in, not bothering to restrain himself. Sara, as always, responded to his roughness, to his uncontrollable need to take her hard and fast.
Her nails scored his back as she tightened her legs around his waist. Within minutes, she was screaming with her orgasm and taking Kellan down with her.
Kellan called her name as he came. “God, Sara. I want you pregnant with my baby.”
Her laughter was breathless as she struggled to recover. “Can we do the wedding thing first?”
