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The warm feminine scent of her made his head spin as he claimed her mouth in a tender, poignant kiss. He kept a ruthless hold on his libido. This was not the time nor the place to show her how five days of abstinence had driven him mad with longing. They had all evening and much of the night for him to demonstrate how fully beneath her spell he’d fallen.
“Shall we go?” he purred beside her ear, feeling the shiver that passed through her muscles. “I have a full night planned.”
She pulled back and regarded him with alarm. “I can’t stay out all night. Marc gets up early and will expect me to be here.”
“I will have you back before the roosters start to crow.” For most people this would only be a saying, but in fact Noelle kept several chickens on her acre of land, and Marc had mentioned the rooster’s predawn bugling several times.
“Thank you.”
Christian held her hand as the town car wove through Carone to where the yacht was moored. Earlier that day, he’d prepared a speech. It ran through his mind like a hamster on a wheel and he found himself oddly tongue-tied. Thankfully, Noelle had never been bothered by silence between them, but tonight her tranquil acceptance offered him no solace.
After boarding the yacht, Christian led her to the salon. The September warm spell would enable them to enjoy a romantic dinner on deck where they could observe the lights of the city reflecting off the water as dusk became night. But that would come later. He had something he needed to get out of the way first.
A bottle of champagne was chilling in a silver bucket on the bar. Two tall flutes stood beside it, waiting to be filled. Christian had asked for privacy during this cruise except while dinner was being served. He wanted no audience this evening. Since the champagne had been opened, all Christian had to do was pour the sparkling liquid and hand Noelle a glass. He was happy to see that his hands didn’t shake as he clinked his flute with hers.
“To us.” He felt rather than heard his voice break awkwardly and swallowed far too much of the fizzy wine. The bubbles burned as they went down, and he coughed.
Noelle peered at him over her flute and cleared her own throat. “I think we should get married.”
A racing speedboat passed recklessly close to the yacht, almost drowning out her words. Wondering if he’d heard her properly, Christian searched Noelle’s expression.
“Did you say we should get married?” The noise of the speedboat was receding, but Christian continued to hear buzzing.
“Why do you sound so surprised? I thought that’s what you wanted.” Anxiety flitted across her delicate features. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” Explaining to her that he’d planned out the romantic evening with the sole intent of proposing seemed a little anticlimactic. “You’ve just caught me by surprise.”
“I said I needed some time to think about it.” Her gaze was fixed on the passing shore. “After watching you with Marc this week, I realized just how much he’s missed not having his father in his life.”
“So, this is about Marc and me.” He’d been thinking in terms of finding the sort of marital bliss and perfect little family that Gabriel and Olivia enjoyed with the twins.
“Well, yes. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along? To become Marc’s father and to legitimize him as your heir?” Her obvious confusion proved she had no clue how his feelings for her had grown over the past couple of weeks.
And now he had no reason to tell her. She was happy with her decision to marry him. They would have a good partnership, and the sex between them was fantastic. Why muddy things with sentimental declarations of romantic love?
“It’s exactly what I want,” he told her, pulling the small jewelry box out of his pocket and opening the lid so she could see the ring. “And I’ve had this waiting for the moment you agreed.”
Christian was happy to let her think he hadn’t planned for anything out of the ordinary tonight. He lifted her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. As eager as he’d been all day to present this token of his commitment, the way the moment had played out left him with a hollow feeling in his gut.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, sounding more emotional than she had while suggesting they get married. She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him.
For once desire didn’t consume him at the slightest brush of her lips. He tasted the champagne she’d sipped and inwardly grimaced at the bitterness of his disappointment. Calling himself every sort of fool, Christian plunged his tongue into her mouth and feasted on her surrender. She was his. That was all that mattered.
“We should tell my family tomorrow,” he said, sweeping kisses across her forehead. He drew back and gave her his best smile.
“Marc first,” she replied. “I don’t want him hearing it from someone at school. Can you come by in the morning?”
“Of course.”
They carried their champagne outside and sat at the beautifully set table. Around them white lights had been strung to provide a romantic atmosphere. Servers brought the first course and, by mutual agreement, Christian and Noelle spoke no more about their plans for the future until they could be safely alone again.
“The timing on this is quite good,” Christian said. “Ariana returned from Paris yesterday, and Nic and Brooke aren’t set to leave for Los Angeles until the end of the week. We can tell my whole family at once.”
“That’s wonderful news. Have you thought when you’d like the wedding to take place?”
“We could elope to Ithaca the way Gabriel and Olivia did.”
Noelle shook her head. “I don’t think your mother would approve. Perhaps we could have a Christmas wedding?”
