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“Better now, knowing that you are whole and sane.”
She winced at the soft rebuke in his voice, but knew it was well deserved.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that with the police and Trina, and …” Her voice faded. It sounded like she was putting him behind everyone else on her list of priorities, and that was far from the truth. He’d been in her thoughts every hour of every day, even if she’d made no effort to contact him. But then, she hadn’t really needed to. She’d known he was okay, just as surely as he’d known she was.
But it wasn’t their physical well-being that hung in the balance right now—it was their emotional one. Had he changed his mind? She couldn’t tell, and it scared her more than anything ever had.
There was only one way she was going to find out. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage.
“Do you remember that question you asked? The one I wouldn’t answer?”
He didn’t move, didn’t react in any way. “I’m not likely to forget such a question.”
Her stomach tightened. She stared at him for a moment longer, then said softly, “The answer is yes.”
He didn’t react for what seemed like an eternity. Then a sexy grin split his lips, and the link opened between them, flooding her entire being with warmth, love and happiness. She ran toward him and he laughed, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around until her head spun. Then he kissed her, his lips hot and urgent, devouring hers until it felt like her heart was spinning as fast as her head.
Breathless and giddy, she broke away, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. “I gather the answer is something of a relief?”
“You could say that.” His thumb traced the line of her cheek, his touch gentle yet making her whole body tremble. “Do you have anything else here that you need to do?”
She glanced down at Helen’s grave, then wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her head. “Why?”
“How long would it take you to pack?”
“Five minutes.” Everything she wanted to keep was already in storage. Everything else had been given away. “Why?”
“I’m asking the questions here, missy.” Mischief and love danced in his eyes. “What about a passport?”
She smiled. “I ordered one four days ago and paid extra for priority service. It arrived this morning.”
“Then how do you feel about a Las Vegas wedding?”
Her heart danced at the thought. She raised her eyebrows, barely checking her grin. “Making sure you get me to the altar before I change my mind, huh?”
“Exactly.” His mouth claimed hers again, but this time it was more a lingering promise of the night yet to come.
She sighed against his lips. “Las Vegas seems so far away.”
“More than twenty hours,” he agreed. He slid his hand down her back, cupping her rear and pulling her so close that their bodies almost seemed fused together. “Of course, I have several suggestions that’ll while away the flight time.”
“In front of a plane full of people? I thought you weren’t an exhibitionist.” She raised her eyebrows again, even though her pulse quickened at the thought.
“I’m not. I own a jet, and it comes complete with discreet staff and a bed big enough to get lost in.”
“My, we were a successful thief, weren’t we?”
“Yes. But my greatest acquisition is the one I’m now holding in my arms.” His smile shimmered through her. “I do love you, you know.”
“And I you,” she said, then added dryly, “Mind you, if all you’re intending to do is merely hold me and talk, I may have to reconsider my answer.”
He laughed—a warm, happy sound that sang through her entire being.
“Las Vegas, here we come,” he said, grabbing her hand and racing her toward the waiting taxi.
By Keri Arthur
THE DAMASK CIRCLE SERIES
