I still and narrow my eyes at him.
“Okay, I’ll get my things.” I move to get up but he tightens his hold on me, clenching his jaw and his eyes closed tightly.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m not breaking up with you.”
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I’m fucking this up.” He opens his eyes and I see fear, and longing, and love.
What’s this?
“I’ve wanted to do this all night, but I couldn’t find the right time, and I’m glad I didn’t because it should be here, while we’re alone.” He swallows and takes a deep breath. “Natalie, since I’ve known you, my world has changed. I found something with you that I didn’t know I was missing, but that I wanted very much. You are such a beautiful woman, inside and out. You beguile me. I can’t keep my hands off of you. You are so sexy and fun and smart. Your sassy mouth makes me crazy.” He smiles down at me and runs his fingertip along my lower lip.
I’m speechless, which is good because he doesn’t seem to be finished.
“I can’t ever imagine my life without you. You are the center of my world, Nat. I want to love you, protect you, fight with you, make babies with you and spoil the shit out of you for the rest of my life.”
He takes a deep breath and pulls a small Tiffany-blue box out of his pants pocket. I feel my eyes go wide, my heart rate spikes and my breath catches.
My eyes search his as he holds the tiny box in his beautiful hand.
“Natalie, be my wife. Marry me.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Oh. My. God.
My eyes are locked on his face and all the breath leaves my body.
Marry him! Marry him?
It’s so soon. We’ve only known each other, what, less than two months? Two incredible months.
His worried eyes are gazing deeply into mine, blue to green, and I know in my heart that the answer is yes. After everything we’ve been through these past two months, everything we’ve shared, I can’t imagine life without him either.
And I don’t have to.
He wants to marry me!
“Baby, you’re killing me here.” Luke moves to open the little blue box, but I put my hand over his, stopping him. He turns startled eyes back to mine, but I smile reassuringly.
“I just have a couple things to say.” I am now giddy and jumping up and down on the inside, my heart in my throat, but I’m amazingly calm on the outside.
“Go ahead,” he murmurs and still looks a bit scared and uncertain.
“When I see my future, Luke, I see you. I see you, not your money or what you do for a living, or who you know. I love and respect you for the kind, giving, loving man you are. I want what my parents had; what your parents share. I would be honored to be your wife, give you children, and make a life with you.”
As I speak tears run unchecked down my face. Luke’s eyes soften and his arms tighten around me.
“Is that a yes?” he whispers and I giggle tearfully.
“Yes.”
“Thank God.” He brushes his lips across mine softly and I cup his cheek in my hand.
“You had me worried there for a minute,” he whispers against my lips.
Oh, I love whispery Luke.
I just love Luke.
“You surprised the hell out of me. I think I forgot to breathe.”
“Can I show you this now?” He holds the ring box up and grins down at me.
“By all means.”
He sits me up on the small couch and kneels in front of me. Oh my. Seeing my sexy man, disheveled blonde hair, bright blue eyes, in a black suit with the tie loosened kneeling before me, holding a little blue ring box is an image I’ll hold in my head forever.
“When I saw this, I knew it was yours. I’ve had it since the day I bought your pearls.”
I gasp, my eyes widening. He’s wanted to marry me since the night at the vineyard!
“I didn’t think you were ready then.”
He chuckles as I shake my head.
He opens the box, and cradled in the velvet is diamond perfection. The center stone is princess cut and large, but not crazy big. It’s nestled in platinum, with two lines of smaller diamonds on either side that twist around each other to meet at the center stone.
Tears prick my eyes again as he takes it out of the box, places it on my left hand and kisses it there.
“Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“Like you.” He leans up and kisses me, passionately, and I wrap my arms around him, pulling him to me.
He gathers my long skirt in his hands and pushes it up around my thighs, skimming his hands along my thighs and up under the skirt to grip my hips.
“Jesus, I love this new habit you have of not wearing any underwear.” I smile against his lips. “We’re writing that into the vows. No underwear for you.”
I let out a belly laugh, and then gasp as he pulls my hips forward and pushes me back against the soft cushions of the loveseat.
He pulls in a shaky breath as he gazes down at me, exposed to him from the waist down, my black skirt hiked up, in my pearls.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?”
“You make me feel beautiful.”
He sits back on his heels and pushes one finger inside me, his eyes locked on my center, watching his hand. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life, baby.”
I moan as he continues to torture me with that finger. My breath hitches and I start to pant. Jesus, what he does to me with just one finger.
“Luke, I want you.”
“Oh, trust me, you’ll have me.” He pulls his now wet finger out of me and sucks on it. “You taste good.”
He bends down and pushes my thighs wide with his palms, spreading my labia in the process. I grip the cushions of the couch, preparing for the incredible invasion of his mouth, and buck my hips when his mouth covers me, his tongue pushing between my lips.
“Oh my God!” My hands dive into his hair, my hips circling. He grips my ass, tilting my pelvis higher and he continues to make me wild with that talented mouth. He rubs the tip of his nose against my clit and I give into my orgasm, convulsing and shuddering, calling out his name.