“Yeah.” Aileen lowered her gaze to his chest.
“Yeah.” Heath moved slightly closer to allow people to pass behind him. “So?”
“So.” She took a deep breath and frowned. “I found out about the ring.”
“I’m sorry?” Heath sounded confused.
“The engagement ring you ordered from the jewelers.” Aileen cringed. “I wasn’t snooping, I promise. It’s just that when I was at your condo one day I saw the message light was flashing on the answering machine and well, there it was.”
“Oh. Yeah. It was just some crazy idea I had to make our cover more solid, that’s all. Never picked it up.”
“Hmm. That explains it then. Have to say for a minute I was a bit panicked, thinking it might’ve been for real.” She gave a sad little chuckle. “Not that we were ever that close, right?”
Heath tilted his head, his eyes warm with affection and hurt. “I was. Close, I mean.”
A merry bark of laughter rose from nearby and Aileen glanced over to see Murphy and Shayma and Daveed and Mel, all happy and so obviously in love. Loneliness and loss stabbed inside her for what she and Heath had and could have been, if only circumstances were different. “Must be hard for you,” she said. “Being around Mel now, after what happened.”
“Not really,” Heath said, the frown lines between his brows deepening. “Why would you think that?”
“You must’ve loved her, if you were engaged. Loving and losing is never easy.”
“No, it’s not.” He slipped his fingers through hers and this time she didn’t pull away, craving his touch and his heat too much. Heath traced gentle circles on her palm with his thumb. “But it was never like that with Mel and me. We both went into the engagement to get our families off our backs, not because we couldn’t live without each other. She’s much happier now with Daveed.”
“And what about you?” Aileen asked, looking up into his eyes.
“What about me?” Heath asked, a slight catch in his deep voice.
“Are you much happier now?”
“Not yet, but I could be.” He placed her hand over his heart and she felt the steady thump-thump beating in time with hers. “Please give me another chance, Aileen. For real this time, no undercover missions or covert goals. Just you and me, and what we feel for each other. At least what I feel for you.”
He bent and brushed his lips across hers, so softly she would’ve thought she’d imagined it if not for the lingering tingle his kiss left behind.
“Please,” Heath whispered. “Darling.”
Aileen wanted to say yes, so badly it made her entire body ache with longing. But her old doubt demons died hard and her questioning ways surfaced. They were what made her an excellent journalist and what caused her love life to be such a wreck. “I don’t know. We’re so different.”
“Differences are good.” He nuzzled her neck and she nearly melted into a puddle of goo at his feet. “And we’re not that different really. Not inside, where it counts.”
“But what about your wealth? You’re rich and I’m not.” Her words emerged breathier than she would’ve liked, but damn. If he kept up licking that spot beneath her ear, the one that made her weak in the knees, she couldn’t be responsible for her actions. “And you’re a total neat freak and I’m a slob.”
“I’ll give my money away,” Heath said, his voice rough as he set his drink aside and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her hard against him. She placed her hands on his shoulders to stay upright. “I don’t care about that. All I care about is you. And we can hire a maid.”
She slid her hands up into his hair, mussing it a bit. “I guess we could…”
“Hell yes, we could.” He nipped her jaw, then drew back slightly. “Listen. Not to get all stalker on you, but I found you once Aileen Coen, I can do it again. Until you tell me flat out you don’t want to see me ever again, I’ll keep finding you, no matter where you go. My heart is yours forever. No returns. No excuses. You can keep it or throw it away, your choice. I love you.”
Aileen blinked up at him, speechless. She’d come here tonight to tell him goodbye, knowing he’d most likely forgotten about her the minute he’d left her apartment, knowing he’d probably never cared about her like she cared about him, knowing this was the end but still needing to see him one last time to have those memories to keep her warm on all the long, lonely nights ahead. But now, here he was—the man of her dreams—telling her he loved her too and that he wanted to be with her, no matter what challenges they might have to face.
“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!” the crowd around them yelled as the New Year approached.
“Did you hear me, Aileen? I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to you.” Heath said, shaking her slightly. “Please give me another chance.”
“Four!” the crowd yelled.
“Aileen?”
“Three!”