Soleil perched on top of the picnic table, mostly because she wasn’t certain her legs would keep her up. They felt like jelly to her.
He grinned at her as he sprayed the vibrator with antibacterial spray and dropped it into the small plastic bag.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Clearly, you’ve done this a lot, being so prepared and all. The washcloth, the spray, the plastic bags.”
He shoved the bag into his pocket. “Never cared that much one way or the other about getting a woman off. I want you to feel everything. I want you to have any sensation I can give you, as long as it feels good to you. No, baby, all this preparation, it’s only yours. Only for you. And yeah, I thought about it before we ever came here.”
Her heart stuttered. His beautiful blue eyes moved over her with a kind of reverence that made her stomach slide.
“Walking back tonight, I scouted for a place we could be alone, found this and knew it was secluded. Asked a few of the brothers to make certain we stayed alone, to watch our backs because it was important to me to show you how I feel about you. When I touch you, princess, every time I touch you, I’m showing you how I feel.” He fished around in his pocket and brought out a jewelry box.
Her heart began to pound. She looked from it up to his face. “Ice.” She just breathed his name. His face. That beloved face. So sensual. So hers. He didn’t give that expression to anyone else. She brushed his jaw with her fingertips because she couldn’t help herself.
With his thumb he flipped open the box. Her wedding ring was nestled there. Made of platinum, the etchings were infused with dark chocolate diamonds to match her eyes. He took her hand and slipped off the laminated ring to push the platinum one in its place.
She just stared at it, knowing it was one of a kind. “What does it say?”
He kept her hand, his thumb sliding over the ring. “In my language, ‘Soleil was born for Ice.’ Mine says ‘Ice was born for Soleil.’ Then here, ‘For Eternity.’” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the ring. The paper one he put in the box, and that went back into his pocket.
She had to blink back tears. “It’s beautiful, Ice. I really love it.” She wanted to just stare at it, to fling herself into his arms and hold him tight. She couldn’t move. She could only look at his face. Into his eyes.
He curled his palm around the nape of her neck and pulled her into him so he could kiss her. She loved when he did that. It always felt to her as if he was being possessive, as if he was telling her and the world that she belonged to him. And then he could kiss like a dream . . .
She cupped her hands around his face. “Thank you for finding me, Ice. You changed my life. I love being your wife.”
“I love that you’re my wife,” he answered and caught her hands in his so he could kiss both of them. “Technically, you found me.” He jumped down from the table, pulled her boots on her and helped her off. Raising his voice, he called out, “We’re coming out.”
She tried to pierce the veil of darkness and the long, sweeping limbs of the weeping willow tree, but it was impossible, and the members of Torpedo Ink were too quiet to ever hear them coming.
“Let’s get back and eat. I’m starved,” he said. “Tomorrow will be fun. There’re vendors, rows and rows of them. The girls will want to visit them all.”
“I’ll be able to use my bank account,” she said. “We filed the papers, they know I’m alive and I don’t have to hide. I can actually use my own money instead of living off you all the time. I’ve hated not being able to help you out.”
Ice stopped dead, just before he pushed back the weeping limbs of the giant tree. He caught her hair in his fist and pulled her head back, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Are we fucking married?” With his other hand he lifted her hand to hold up her ring.
She blinked, her stomach dropping in trepidation. At the same time, a wicked little flame sprang into life, flickering hotly between her legs. “Yes.”
“What did I tell you?”
“I don’t know. About the money?”
“We don’t argue about money. Not ever. My money is your money. You want money, you just use it. We don’t talk about yours or mine. I hear you talk about money, what are you supposed to do with your mouth instead?”
“Umm.” She squirmed a little, the flames spreading, which was insane after what they’d just experienced together.