He shakes his head as if embarrassed and his eyes meet mine. “But I am hopelessly in love with you,” he whispers.
I kiss him gently. “And I am hopelessly in love with you, Twinkle, and you are very good at this love thing.”
He smiles broadly against my lips. “How good?”
My tongue sweeps through his open mouth. “Exceptional.”
He pulls back and smiles the most breathtaking smile. The emotion I feel for this man is overwhelming. How can you fall so deeply in love in such a short amount of time? It’s unheard of. He turns and puts our luggage up on the luggage holder and unzips it as he begins to unpack.
“Why can’t we just leave the stuff in the suitcase?” I shrug with an eye roll as I walk around looking at my new surroundings. “Save packing it back up when we leave.”
He looks at me as he refolds one of my shirts. “Please tell me you are joking.”
I laugh out loud. “You have a serious organization problem, Alastar.”
He smiles and shakes his head to himself as he continues to unpack my bag. “Aye, you may be onto something there.”
* * *
I sip my wine as I watch the perfect man across from me. We have just finished a beautiful dinner and are now moving on to dessert. The afternoon has been amazing. We have been exploring this beautiful castle and Alastar has been telling me its history. I’m fascinated, to say the least. Candles are spread throughout the restaurant and fresh flowers adorn the tables. The mood is sensual and romantic. A man is playing a grand piano and the beautiful sound is piping throughout the space. This is luxury dining at its best.
“Tell me.” I hold my wine up to my lips. “How do you know so much about this place?” I slip my shoe off and rub my foot up his leg softly. I have to touch him at all costs.
He smiles sexily into his wine glass. “History is my thing.”
“Obviously.” I think for a moment. “What is it exactly about this place that you love?”
He hesitates and shrugs. “It resonates with me somehow.”
I look around at the opulent luxury surrounding us. “Me, too.” I frown. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“How so?”
“Some places make you feel...” I shrug.
“Make you feel what?”
“Like you know more about them than you should. As if they are ingrained into your subconscious somehow.”
He smiles and takes my hand over the table. “Is that how you feel here?”
I smile. “I do, it’s weird. I must have studied this place in history at school.”
“Yes, we did at at our school. Even then it interested me.”
“Hmm.” I smile broadly as a dreamy idea crosses my mind.
Alastar’s smile mirrors mine. “What are you thinking, my love?”
“I was just thinking that if I ever got married, I would like to get married here.”
His eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that I haven’t seen before. “I would like that,” he whispers.
I smile nervously. Oh jeez, why did I say that? It sounded so desperate.
“Tomorrow,” he adds.
I raise my eyebrows. “Huh? Tomorrow what?”
“I would like to get married here tomorrow.”
“H-huh?” I stammer. What the heck is he talking about?
He leans over and takes my hand in his. “Marry me.”
I frown in shock. Did I miss something here? “I beg your pardon…” I whisper.
“I want you to marry me. Here. Tomorrow.”
I sit still… in shock. What the hell? “Are you serious?” I breathe.
“Deadly.” He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “I couldn’t be more in love with you than I am. Do you love me, Emmaline?”
I nod, unable to speak because my brain is literally tripping out.
“Then let’s throw caution to the wind. Forget about everything else. Marry me because of us.” He smiles hopefully.
My heart stops. There it is, the because of us thing that I love so much.
“Alastar,” I whisper as I bring his hand to my lips and kiss his palm. “That might just be the most romantic or incredibly stupid thing that I have ever heard in my life.”
He smiles softly as he cups my face. “I would like to think romantic.” He rubs his thumb over my bottom lip.
“What about our families?”
“It’s about us, because of us. We don’t need their approval. We can marry again for their sake later down the track. I just know that I don’t want to be apart from you again. I want you to be my wife for now and forever, and I want it to start tomorrow.”
My eyes tear up. Okay, mostly romantic now… the stupid theory is fading fast. I shrug. What am I doing? I hardly know this man.
“Marry me, Emmaline,” he whispers as his eyes search mine.
“Yes,” I breathe.
He smiles broadly and the candlelight flickers in his eyes. “I love you,” he whispers. “Tomorrow it is, my love.”
I tear up again. “I love you, too.” He gets out of his chair, comes around to kneel down on the floor next to me, and kisses me on the lips gently. It’s all I can do not to throw him onto the table and give the other diners an X-rated show.