"Not twenty questions, just one.” He withdrew the velvet box from his pocket and offered it to her. She went still, her gaze darting from the box to his face and back again. She reached out, taking it from his palm then carefully opening it. The band inside was simple, plain. His family had been poor farmers, and had the simple tradition of taking the stone from their homeland to fashion it into rings for those that they loved. His grandfather had done it for his grandmother, his father for his mother. And he, who had outlived them all by many centuries, had finally fashioned a ring of his own for the woman he loved. Disbelief, excitement and love surged through the link, burning his senses, encasing his heart. He didn't really need to ask the question, because he had it right there in that rush of emotion. In the tears and affirmation that glittered in her beautiful eyes when her gaze rose to his again. But he asked it anyway.
"Nikki, will you marry me?"
o;Same to you. Though merry doesn't seem the right word to use right now."
"Perhaps. But I very much doubt if Mary would want this day wasted to sorrow."
"I guess not.” She sighed and shifted, exposing one bare shoulder and the swell of a breast. “We don't even have a Christmas tree. And I left your present at home." That she said home, rather than his home, had hope surging. Maybe the fight to keep her by his side was going to be easier than he'd first feared.
He raised an eyebrow. “Who said we don't have a Christmas tree?" She stared at him, her smile growing. “We do?"
He nodded. “Went out early this morning and found one."
"Where? It's Christmas morning. Everyone would have sold out by now." They were. But it was amazing what you could find when you had the money and the determination. “I couldn't let our first Christmas go by without a tree, could I?" She touched a hand to his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb. “You really are an amazing man sometimes."
"And you, my love, are an amazing woman.” He leaned forward and kissed her again, long and lingering. She sighed when he pulled away. “You keep doing that—stopping, I mean. I guess it means we have some serious stuff to talk about before we get down to the fun stuff."
"That we do.” He hesitated, not sure what to say first.
She solved the dilemma for him by placing a hand to his lips. “Let me.” She ran her hand down his arm and wrapped her fingers around his. “I'm sorry for walking out on you the way I did. And I'm sorry for being so unreasonable with my demands. While I still truly believe we could work as a team on at least some of your missions, I can't expect these things to happen overnight. As you once reminded me, you've been on this Earth for over three centuries. Changing set ways takes time." She was right. And yet it had taken so very little time to get used to having her in his life. He squeezed her fingers gently. “And I'm sorry for not taking your fears seriously. While I still believe much of my work is far too dangerous for you to be involved in, I agree with Jake in that there must be common ground between both our needs."
She raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you are actually thinking about me helping you on some of your missions?"
He'd not only thought about it, but had spent hours discussing the pros and cons with an old witch. “You walking out on me gave me a glimpse of the future. I don't want that future, Nikki." Emotion surged through the link—love and regret intermingling—stirring his senses, warming his heart.
"My mom once told me only a fool runs from gold. She was right. What we have is too good to let go so easily.” She hesitated, then added softly, “I guess I was just scared one day you'd walk out that door and never come home, and I'd be left to wonder for the rest of my life what happened. At least if I was with you, I'd know."
Then they shared the same sort of fear, though for different reasons. Still, the base was the same—love.
"I've been talking to Seline while you slept."
And she'd delighted in reminding him that she'd warned long ago this would all happen. That there could only be one end result if he really wanted happiness—and an end to the utter loneliness and despair that had begun to descend on him before Nikki came into his life. The old witch was right—as usual.
"So what did Seline say?"
Though her voice was carefully neutral, the tension running through the link increased. She still wasn't certain about his relationship with Seline, though it wasn't so much distrust as curiosity. He'd have to introduce them—if only because the old witch wouldn't stop harassing him until he did. He had a feeling the two of them would get on like a house afire, even if they were as different as night and day.
"First she chided me for being a stubborn fool. Then she agreed that there were some cases definitely too dangerous to risk taking you along."
"And?"
He had to restrain a smile at the edge in her voice. “And she said that you and Jake were one hell of a team, and I'd be a fool not to make use of you both on at least some of the cases." She laughed, the sound warm and sexy. It touched her eyes with heat and sent a surge of desire through his body. “You really must introduce me to this Seline of yours. She's sounding more and more like my kind of woman."
"Yeah, and it's got me worried. I don't need two of you nagging me senseless."
"You deserve it sometimes."
"Maybe.” He raised her hand and kissed her palm, then pressed her hand against his heart. “The way you and Jake dealt with Farmer proved you could take care of yourselves. But Farmer is far from the worst I deal with, and there will be times I cannot allow you to be with me. No matter what you threaten."
She nodded. “I know. I was just so angry that you wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't even consider...” She shrugged. “I'm not a fool, despite the fact I may have been acting like one the last couple of days. And I have no doubt there are things I'm better off not knowing about." That was a certainty. Some of the things he did she had no need to know. Sometimes the only way to catch a monster was to act like one.
"Seline wants you and Jake to become official Circle members. That'll mean undergoing some training, both in combat fighting and, for you at least, at a psychic level. And she'll probably want you to undergo some testing, so we have a better idea of where, exactly, these talents of yours might be leading." She blinked. “Wow. When you agree to something, you go in full tilt."
"If you're going to join me on missions, I'm going to make damn sure you and Jake are primed to defend yourselves. I don't want to lose either of you."
"Have you talked to Jake about this?"
"Yesterday. He thought it was a damn good idea.” He hesitated. “I don't think he wants to reopen the agency, anyway. Nor do I think he wants to return to Lyndhurst or his home there.” Too many memories. And no ghosts.