"Fiancee," I repeat. I look at my naked left hand. "You sure about that?"
He takes both my hands in his. "It seems ridiculously fast, but if you think about all the years put together, it's actually ridiculously slow. And I know I said that we weren't ready yet, but I was wrong. I am ready. I realized it the moment I got here and you weren't by my side. Please, Kiki," he says, sliding off the bed and onto one knee. "Will you marry me?"
I launch myself off the bed and into his arms, then answer him with a bone-melting kiss.
"Is that a yes?" he
asks when we come up for air.
"A very enthusiastic one," I confirm. "I love you, Noah Carter. I have for a very, very long time."
He pulls me close again and considering the heat in his eyes, I have no doubt as to his intentions. And even though I want nothing more than to feel his body pressed against mine, I need to know one more thing.
Gently, I press my palm against his chest. "What about your son?"
"He's not my son," Noah says, his brow furrowed. "And I don't think Darla realizes that."
"Are you sure he's not? How do you know?"
"He has brown eyes. Mine are green. Hers are blue. There's no way I'm that kid's father."
My heart wants to leap, but then I realize what that means. "If she got pregnant that close to the kidnapping . . ."
He nods. "She doesn't remember being raped. And I think she's blocking the realization of what his eye color means. The man she lived with in Mexico was a doctor. A shrink. But, still, he must have known."
"The man she lived with?" I ask, and he tells me her story. A heartbreaking story of loss and pain and guilt.
"She adores the kid," Noah says. "Honestly, I like him too. Acknowledging the truth is going to be hard for her."
"What do you want to do?" I ask.
"Help her," he says, the words sounding both simple and extraordinary.
"How?"
"I have some ideas. Financial. And emotional. She's going to need therapy, I think, when she has to let go of the fantasy that I'm Ricardo's father. I thought you and I could talk about all the options. Figure out together what would be best to do for her. And for Ricardo."
Tears prick my eyes. Not just because he wants to help Darla, but because he also wants me at his side, helping him work through this. "Of course," I say. "We'll do it together."
"But not now," he adds with a grin.
"No?" I smile innocently. "Why not?"
"There's something else we're going to do now."
"Oh, is there? Making decisions for me again, Mr. Carter?"
He flashes a wicked smile. "Yeah. As a matter of fact, I am."
"Is that so?" I lift a brow. "Then I guess you need to tell me what to do."
"Kiss me," he demands, and I don't hesitate. I turn so that I'm facing him directly, then hold onto his shoulders as I kiss him deeply, my mouth open, my tongue tasting all of him, this man who is truly mine now. To tempt and explore. Love and hold.
His arms go around me, and he pulls me close, then settles me on his lap so that I'm straddling him, my legs on the bed behind him and my crotch pressed hard against him.
He wrests control from me, deepening the kiss. Claiming me. Marking me.
It's wild. Raw. An assault on my senses, and I feel it all the way down to my core.