Love by Design

“If we have a girl, you realize my mother is going to try to set her up with Gavin, right?”

She laughed. “I bet.”

“I want you to know that one of the greatest moments of my life will always be the day my mother sent me you. I love you, Lani.”

She squeezed his hand. “Te amo, mi amor.”

Chapter 18

“I want you to come with me. Don’t ask any questions, just trust that you’ll love it.”

Dakota gazed up at her office door. Logan was standing there in a suit, holding one calla lily.

“Holy cow, you look hot,” she blurted out.

He grinned. “Thank you, now let’s go.”

“What? But I have—”

He strode up to her desk and held his hand out. When she took it, he guided her around her desk. “You’re leaving for the day. We have plans.”

“Logan, where—”

She did not get that question out, either. He kissed her so deeply that he had to hold her up when the kiss ended.

“Now, are you going to keep interrupting, or can we get going?”

“That depends,” she said, slightly dazed. “Are you going to kiss me like that again if I do?”

He let her retrieve her purse and then slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. A limousine was waiting at the curb. Dakota tried not to ask any questions, but it was hard. Especially when they pulled up to the Montague jet. He escorted her up the steps.

She looked around. “Are you serious? Where are we going? Where’s Angela?”

“She’s off tonight, and the captain will be flying the plane, so that leaves just you and me.”

It took her a moment, but she finally noticed the table and candlelight dinner.

“Logan, it’s beautiful.” She looked at him. “What a wonderful surprise.”

“This is part one,” he told her. “More’s coming.”

“But you said we weren’t doing anything for New Year’s Eve. We were just going to sit at home, order takeout and watch Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. What happened to that plan?”

“Plans change, my love. Now sit back and prepare to be pampered.”

They had a decadent meal right there on the tarmac. Soft lights and romantic music accompanied their dinner. When they were done, Dakota was not surprised to see waiters appear out of nowhere and whisk everything away. They were airborne shortly afterward.

Dakota was sitting on the couch with her head resting on Logan’s chest.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been wined and dined like this before.”

“There’s another aspect of that sentence that you left out.”

She blushed as Logan got up, decisive purpose gleaming in his eyes as he swept her into his arms and then carried her toward the back of the plane. He set her down and opened the door.

She went through and was not surprised to see a bedroom, and an elegantly appointed one at that. There were two cream-colored fabric chairs, built-in wood dressers, a small table and a flat-screen television on the chocolate-brown wall above the queen-size bed with the same neutral color on the bed linens with chocolate-brown, gold and deep red accent pillows.

“Wow.”

He slid off her jacket and then began to unbutton her blouse. He lowered that off her shoulders and unzipped her pencil skirt. When that was around her ankles, Dakota stepped out of it. She was only wearing her bra, panties and heels now. He kissed her.

“Part two,” he whispered against her lips.

Making love with Logan in a private jet, midair was an intense experience. It had never happened before, and Dakota was certain that it never would again—unless it was with Logan. He was attentive and thorough, soft and slow, but at the same time frenzied. They made love in extremes that night, and when they both soared over the edge in an explosive ride that left them both breathless, Dakota was overwhelmed with emotions. She burst into tears.

“Hey,” Logan whispered into her ear. “You’re supposed to wait until part three for that.”

“What’s part three?” she sniffed.

He got up and went to the table and got a box of tissues. He handed it to her, and then got back in bed. He sat up and faced her.

“Dakota, I think life has been pretty amazing between us for the last few months, don’t you?”

“Of course. I’ve never felt this loved before.”

“I’m glad, because I love you, Dakota. There’s no one in this world who can love you like I do, and I know I’d never be able to find another woman like you.”

He took her hands in his. “You’re it for me, sweetheart, and I want to make it official.”

Logan held out his hand and presented her with a black velvet box. When he opened it, she saw a diamond ring that was so large it was practically its own light source.