“Blake,” I whisper, taking it all in, vases upon vases of flowers spread around the small room. Candles in between, casting a warm and romantic glow. And the man. Oh, the man.
He meets me halfway, hooking an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him, kissing me hard. Oh God, how I missed him. His scent, the feeling of being held in his strong arms, being pressed against his granite chest. I can’t get enough of his warm, determined mouth.
“I missed you,” he whispers when we pull apart to breathe.
“I missed you too.” That’s when I realize I’m level with him, and my feet are dangling in the air. The man lifted me off the floor. Now that’s what I call strong.
When he puts me back down, I stand on my toes, but since I’m wearing flats, I still only reach up to his chin. Honestly, I love that he towers over me. It gives me a sense of safety, as if nothing can happen while this mountain of a man has his arms around me. His solid build also has other benefits. There’s a lot of Blake to kiss and caress.
“As far as big, romantic gestures go, this is...wow.”
He kisses the tip of my nose, smiling before lowering himself on one knee and opening his fist. I shiver lightly as my heart seems to grow in size and then grow some more as I take in the clear-cut diamond and the intricately braided pattern of the white gold band.
“Clara, we’ve had many firsts, and we’ll have many more. But I also want to be your last. Your only. I want to be with you always. When you need someone to believe in you. When you need someone to love you. I’m yours, no matter what. I want you to go to bed with this certainty, and wake up with it too. Will you marry me?”
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and all I can do is nod. This reckless and totally adorable man is mine. All mine. And I can’t wait for the entire world to know it.
I soak in every second of this, to memorize every single detail. I want to look back on this moment years from now and remember everything. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. It’s exhilarating.
“Yes, yes, yes!” I say when I find my voice, watching as he slides the ring on. Then I cup his face with both hands and kiss him.
Still on his knees, he takes control of the kiss, descending until he reaches my belly, rubbing his cheek against it, then whispering, “Beanie, I promise you’ll have a great name. Don’t mind your mom, she’s just being hormonal. Nicknames don’t count.”
He holds my hips in that wonderful way of his, which is both possessive and protective. When he looks up at me, his gaze is molten and wanton. I lean into his touch, closing my eyes. He guides me to the bed, gently laying me on it, removing my clothes one by one while I do the same with his until we’re both naked. I can’t stop touching him. His broad, strong shoulders, the ridges on his chest marking the defined muscles, and the V-shaped lines leading downward. He’s hard already, and kissing me everywhere. My neck, my shoulders.
“My nipples are too sensitive,” I whisper, hating to break his stride, but they’ve been unbearably sensitive for days now. The friction with any kind of fabric is excruciating.
Blake nods, kissing along the top of my breasts, then the underside. I roll my hips against him, and the tip of his erection touches right next to my navel. The hot point of contact sends a wave of shudders through me.
With a wicked smile, he moves, rubbing his erection along the length of my opening. I part my legs wider, needing him, but he doesn’t slide in, though I’m ready for him. Any readier than I already am and I will break out of my skin. I’m hot and bothered, and I need him inside me.
He pushes just the tip inside before pulling back out, gripping himself at the base, and circling my clit with the crown.
“Blake. Oh God. Oh God. I will—”
Words fail me as he circles around my clit again and again, working me into a frenzy until every cell in my body strums with energy, every nerve is connected to my center. I cry out his name when the first spasm rocks through me. And then he slides inside me, every inch of him, while I’m coming so hard I’m afraid I will pass out. My inner muscles clamp around him, and the sensation of being so full of him while I’m still riding my orgasm sends my vision into a tailspin.
When I come to myself, his arms cage me in at my sides.
“You feel amazing, Clara.” He’s shuddering lightly, as if he’s barely hanging on to his control. “This moment here is everything, and I want to make you some promises while we’re connected like this.”
Oh, this wonderful, charming man. He’ll never cease to surprise me. If I loved him any more, my heart might burst. I fight to calm my racing pulse because the rush of blood and adrenaline causes my ears to buzz, and I don’t want to miss one word of what Blake has to say. But the more I fight, the more frantic my pulse becomes, the louder the buzz in my ears. I swallow hard twice, and there is a tiny pop in my ears. Then Blake’s voice reaches me.
“I promise to take care of you, and love you. I promise to be the man you need and deserve, every day. I want you to have the best of everything, Clara, and I want to be the one to give you all that. I’ll be a happy man to spend my life fulfilling every single wish you have, raising a family. It’ll be my honor to grow old next to you. I love you.”
I’ve never heard anything more romantic, and my eyes are stinging.
I swallow yet again, preparing to make some promises of my own. Oh, I have so many things to say to him. Though I’ve always been a chatterbox, when it comes to matters of the heart, I’ve always tried to employ a filter, but not anymore. There is not one part of myself I haven’t given Blake already.
“I love you, Blake, and I promise to make your life better, in
the small things and the big things. I love you more than I can say, and I’ll show you. Every day.”
He touches my nose in a sweet Eskimo kiss and moves inside me.
“Hey,” I admonish. “I’m not done.”
“We have all the time for words later. Now I want to make love to my future wife.”