‘I will never forget it again,’ he promised her solemnly, finally closing the gap between them and taking her face in his hands. ‘Will you?’
‘Never,’ she breathed, placing her hands flat on Zeke’s solid chest to reassure herself that she wasn’t dreaming.
‘Kiss me,’ he commanded. ‘So I know this is real.’
As though he had read her mind.
And Tia was only too happy to oblige. She pushed herself up onto her toes, her hands gliding up the reassuringly hard ridges and planes and winding around Zeke’s neck. She shivered as their lips met, his mouth so demanding, crushing hers so that pleasure and pain intertwined. Finally she melted as he pulled her body to his, fitting it to him as though they had been handcrafted to be together.
For ever.
‘I only have one amendment to make to your promise to lay dow
n your life for no one else but Seth and me,’ she murmured softly when they finally resurfaced a lifetime later.
‘Really?’ he managed abstractly. His teeth nipped at her neck, his hands moving over her as though he was trying to assure himself he hadn’t forgotten a single detail whilst he’d been away. ‘And what’s that?’
‘That you’ll also protect any sister or brother Seth might have.’
Zeke stopped, his head lifting slowly and his eyes coming to meet hers. There was no doubting the love shining from them. So bright, so strong, it was almost blinding.
‘You want another baby with me?’ He sounded almost awed.
‘I do. Don’t you?’
‘More than anything,’ he assured her gruffly. ‘When do you want to start? This year? Next?’
‘How about now? Or at least...when we get home?’
‘Home?’
‘To Westlake. There’s a house on a plot overlooking the sea, where I always wanted to live.’
‘Convenient.’
‘I thought so.’
And then he groaned slightly with the effort of pulling away from her, enveloped her hand in his, and finally took her home.
* * *