“Axel . . .” She wanted to get out of this damn hospital bed and hug him. Frustration that she couldn’t welled up.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper after lunch and let you go. And you’ll never know how badly nearly losing you yesterday scared the hell out of me. After that son of a bitch nearly shot you, I ran across the room and scooped you up in my arms.” His face tightened, as did his grip on her hand. His eyes swam with tears. “I knew I couldn’t live without you another moment. And I knew I loved you. Well, I knew it when you left the café, and like an idiot, I’d failed more than once to see the other half of my soul right in front of me. Never again. You’re mine.”
His expression, the warm glow of his blue eyes, told her that he meant every word. Her heart nearly burst. A huge smile broke across her face. “And you’re mine.”
He leaned in and kissed her so gently it made her chest tighten and her heart soar. “I knew how to fight for forever, but I didn’t know how to embrace it . . . until you. So what do you want to do next, princess? Obviously, you need to marry me.” He gripped her hand tighter. “And we’ll have to decide where to live. I’ve never been to London, but I’m not opposed—”
“Say that again?” Mystery couldn’t possibly have heard that right.
“I’ll move to London with you.” He grinned at her.
“Actually, I’d like to stay here, but repeat the part you said just prior.”
He sighed heavily, then pressed another kiss to her lips. “I can’t slip anything past you, can I? All right. Marry me.”
“You’re sure? We’ve really only known one another for a few days.” She played devil’s advocate. “Are you certain?”
“Yep.” He grinned broadly, showing off his dimples. “I don’t have to think twice. When you know, you just know. In fact, I’m so sure that when I called your dad to tell him everything that had happened, I asked him for permission to marry you. I wanted to propose to you with an engagement ring but I wanted it to be special, like you. Meaningful. The most meaningful thing I could think of was your mother’s wedding ring.”
He extracted it from his pocket and held it up, his big fingers around the thin band holding up the winking diamond solitaire. Mystery gasped, touched all the way down to the bottom of her heart. Mom couldn’t be with her, but with this ring, Axel both gave her the promise of a future and something like her mother’s spirit and blessing.
Tears stung her eyes, rolled down her cheeks.
“We can have a new wedding band made to match. Or if you want something that’s all yours, that’s fine. I want you to have whatever—”
“This is perfect. Ohmigod, I love that you thought of this,” she sobbed out, losing herself in his eyes. “I’ve always known you were the one for me. I swear I’ll do my best to be the most loving, trusting, supportive wife ever, but I’m not perfect and I may slip up—”
“I might, too. Listen, I took your advice and tracked down my mom this morning. Turns out she regrets leaving the family more than anything and didn’t think any of us would ever speak to her again. She’s sad and lonely and broken, just like my dad and brothers. Just like I would have been without you. We’re going to keep talking, but the whole thing made me realize that I masked my isolation well by taking care of everyone around me, especially Sweet Pea. But no one ever touched my heart until you. We’re not perfect people, but I think we’re perfect for each other. Isn’t that what’s important?”
Happiness broke through her headache, the fog of her sedatives, her exhaustion, insecurities, and trembling desperation.
“Yes.” Mystery met him halfway for a reverent kiss. She pressed her lips to his for a long, lingering heartbeat. “With my whole heart, yes. Nothing is more important than how perfect we are together. I will very happily marry you, you wonderful man.” She cupped his face; she couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than to see him in her arms, across her kitchen table, smiling in the car, holding her and their children. She couldn’t think of anyone else she wanted to share a future with.
“Oh, thank God.” Axel sounded like he’d been genuinely worried about her answer. “And you want to stay in Dallas?”
“I think so. It’s hotter than hell, and I may change my mind come August, but yes. I’m an American girl at heart. I can write anywhere, but this is your home.”
“You’re an amazing woman. I’m so lucky you said yes.”
Mystery smiled, then rolled her eyes. “How could you doubt my answer? Come on, I’ve thrown myself at you since almost the moment I met you. At the ghost town . . .”
He groaned. “I wanted so badly to throw you against the wall and fuck you blind.”
Mystery smiled. “I wanted you to, but you were right. Now that I’ve felt how connected we are when we make love, I couldn’t have handled the emotion then.”
He dragged in a shuddering breath. “I don’t know if I could have even handled it. But when you picked me up at that little beer dive the other day? Oh, princess, the things I wanted to do to you. You know, I’ve only scratched the surface.”
He hissed through his teeth, a sound sizzling with need. Every cell in her body pinged with life. “Is that right? Well, then . . . I really wish we could go somewhere more private and . . .”
“Talk?” He echoed the words he’d said to her in the bar the afternoon that had changed both their lives. The heated grin he paired with that deep, dark syllable had her shivering. Conversation was the last thing on his mind.
“No.” She shook her head and sent him a saucy, come-hither stare. “To fuck. Would you be interested?”
As she traced a random pattern across his jaw and over the rapidly beating pulse at his neck, he sucked in a breath. “Every day. I love you, princess.”
“My hero.” She sighed, smiling at him with her whole heart. “I love you, too.”
DON’T MISS THE NEXT BOOK IN SHAYLA BLACK’S NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING WICKED LOVERS SERIES
Yours to Protect
COMING SOON FROM BERKLEY BOOKS
NOW, TURN THE PAGE FOR A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEXT PERFECT GENTLEMEN NOVEL FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS SHAYLA BLACK AND LEXI BLAKE
Seduction in Session
COMING WINTER 2016 FROM BERKLEY BOOKS
I DON’T really need a bodyguard.” Lara Armstrong took a sip of her chai tea and sat back, staring out the coffeehouse window. Everywhere she looked, people bustled by, their briefcases in hand, cell phones pressed to their ears. They were lawyers and politicians, along with their aides, and anyone else who thought they were important in the political spectrum. Soon, one of those people hustling about would be the man designated to throw himself in front of a bullet for her.
Connor. No last name. Or maybe that was his last name and he hadn’t given her his first name. She wasn’t sure. She only knew that enigmatic Connor had commanded she meet him here at three thirty. Did he realize how bad traffic was going to get?
“Look, someone knows what you’ve been doing, L, and that means you need a bodyguard.” Her best friend, Kiki, traded a look with the only male at the table.
Tom sat forward, his hands around his nonfat latte as though he needed the warmth. “I don’t know. I kind of agree with Lara.”