‘We can tour my properties after your production ends, and you can choose which one you wish to make our home. Anywhere in the world will be home as long as I’m with you. And you’re completely naked.’
‘Oh, you say the nicest things.’
‘I say what’s in my heart. I love you.’
‘I love you, too, Xandro. So much.’
His nostrils flared as he took in a shaky breath. Then, as natural as breathing, her alpha lover was back, taking charge of her, worshipping her, loving her long into the night. And for as long as they had on this earth.
EPILOGUE
‘YOU HAVE A six-week hiatus between productions. Now that you’ve chosen where we’ll live, I think it’s the perfect time to plan a wedding.’
Sage gasped and stared across the breakfast table at the owner of her heart. ‘What did you say?’
‘I have a wedding planner on standby,’ he drawled without taking his eyes off the finance article he was reading. But she sensed a watchful stillness about him. And the fingers holding the newspaper were decidedly white-knuckled and unsteady. ‘I think it’s time to stop this dating nonsense.’
The love of her life wasn’t as calm and collected as he wanted to appear.
She slowly relaxed in her chair, raised her face to the beautifully warm morning sun and the breeze blowing from the beach where they’d just enjoyed a pre-breakfast swim in the Aegean.
At Xandro’s urging she’d chosen more than one place for them to live throughout the year. Their summers would be spent here on Ianthe Island, the rest of the time split between New York and Vegas, with long weekends away in the Caribbean. The rest of his extensive private property portfolio had been sold off. ‘Well, he or she can remain standing by. I’m not interested.’
The paper hit the floor and then it was his turn to look poleaxed.
‘What?’ His voice was a shocked husk.
‘You heard me.’
‘You don’t want to get married?’ he asked carefully.
‘Quite the opposite. I’m dying to get married. Only I haven’t been asked. I’ve just been informed a wedding planner is standing by.’
He shut his eyes for a tense moment. When he opened them they were stormy. He rose from his seat to crouch in front of her. ‘I’m sorry. I’m learning, agape mou.’
Her heart melted and she placed her hand on his lean cheek. ‘I know. But I reserve the right to yank your chain on your journey up the learning curve,’ she replied with a saucy smile.
He nodded solemnly. Then he completely chopped her off at the knees by reaching into his pocket and extracting a very velvet, very suspicious-looking box. He dropped to both knees, his eyes pinned to hers as he slowly pried open the box and offered it to her.
She couldn’t look. Not just yet. The look on his face was so much more breathtaking.
‘Marry me, Sage mou. Make me the luckiest man in the world by giving me permission to call you mine.’
Tears filled her eyes. ‘Oh, Xandro. I’m already yours. You know that.’
He nodded. ‘I want to make it official. Do you want me to call your father, formally ask his permission?’
A sliver of sadness threatened her happiness. Unknown to her, Xandro had flown to Virginia and had a conversation with her parents about her and about helping Ben. Whatever he’d said to them had brought them to her first performance as a Hunter Dance Company member. Despite the Broadway show’s rave reviews, and her performance receiving even more acclaim, they hadn’t congratulated her.
They’d had a stilted dinner together, during which she’d bitten her tongue against blurting out that Xandro was the secret investor who’d saved Havenwoods from bankruptcy. Only the warning gleam in his eyes had kept her quiet.
When they’d returned home he’d made slow, poignant love to her and cradled her in his arms afterwards. Her strained relationship with her parents might never be whole again, but she was done being heartbroken over it. Her heart belonged to Xandro Christofides and it chose to live in perpetual joy and happiness.
‘You can do that if you want, but I’m marrying you either way.’
‘Not to be pedantic, eros mou, but is that a yes?’
‘It’s a definite, try-getting-rid-of-me-now yes! I love you.’