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She smiled at him through her tears. Her fingers gripped his. “Yes,” she said, the word barely audible. “I love you, too, Jake. So much it hurts.”
They sat there for seconds. Minutes. Their gazes locked. Their hearts healing.
Finally, Nikki glanced around the restaurant, seeming dazed, noting the people going about their business. She took a sip of her watered-down drink. “If you’re still serious about that hotel thing, I’ll take you up on it.”
And just like that, his body went hard all over. Except for his heart. That organ was embarrassingly soft and filled with love for this incredible woman.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly.
Outside the restaurant, he hailed a cab, not wanting to waste the time it would take to retrieve his car. Pulling Nikki against him in the back seat, he trembled when she laid her head on his shoulder.
He directed the driver to one of the city’s premier luxury hotels.
Nikki balked briefly when she saw the iconic facade. “We don’t have any luggage,” she whispered.
“They won’t bat an eye.”
It was true. The front desk ran Jake’s credit card and confirmed his request for a suite. The man handed over two keys.
Jake dragged Nikki with him to the small gift shop. Her face turned bright red while he bought protection.
Then they were on the elevator, streaking toward the top floor. When they were in the room, Nikki exclaimed over the view of Central Park. The light snow had dusted the tops of the trees.
Jake took her hand and went down on one knee. “Nikki, will you marry me? We’ll shop for a ring together.”
She tugged on his arm. “Yes, yes, yes,” she cried. Her eyes glowed with happiness.
He stood and scooped her up. “Is it too soon to try out the bed?”
“Honestly,” she said, with a mischievous grin, “I thought you were moving kind of slow for a well-traveled bachelor bad boy.”
He carried her into the bedroom. Though the ache in his body urged him to do everything in hyper speed, Jake knew this occasion was too important to rush. He set Nikki on her feet and started undressing her, pausing to caress her smooth skin, soft curves, lush hills and valleys.
Her body was a wonder to him. Feminine. Unbelievably arousing.
While Nikki settled herself in the sumptuous covers, he stripped in record time and joined her. “I’m sorry,” he groaned, burying his head between her breasts, feeling the ragged thump of her heart. “I’m sorry we’ve wasted so much time.”
She stroked his hair, shivering when he tasted her nipples. “We’ve learned a lot, Jake. We’ve grown up. We’ve faced battles and won. Life won’t ever tear us apart again, because we won’t allow it. Make love to me, my dearest heart. Now. Like it’s our first time. Like we have forever ahead of us.”
“We do, Nikki. We do.” He gave her his pledge and entered her slowly, stunned by the pleasure as her body welcomed his. The fit was snug, the stimulation almost unbearable. She deserved romance, but the lust he had bottled up for days and hours roared to life.
They moved together wildly, straining for dominance. It was heat and blessing, madness and perfect bliss. He took them to the peak and then slowed, tormenting them both. Trying to make it last.
Nikki arched and cried out beneath him, her fingernails scoring his shoulders. “Don’t stop,” she begged. “Don’t stop.”
He was beyond reason then, blinded by the need to find release, wrapped in the realization that their love had risen from the ashes against all odds.
The end was hot and hard and fast, draining, as close to perfection as mere mortals could get.
He held her after that, his breathing rough and jerky. Though it had been far too long since he had done so, he thanked the deity for not giving up on him.
Nikki’s body was a warm, sweet gift in his embrace. “You’re everything to me, Nik,” he muttered hoarsely. “Now and always. I love you.”
She smiled softly and reached for his hand, curling her fingers with his. “Emma and I will go wherever you go, Jake. You don’t have to run Black Crescent if you don’t want to...”
Shaking his head slowly, he exhaled. “I’m back where I belong. Here with you. And with my family and Falling Brook. I’m not leaving again.”
A tiny hesitation betrayed her last reservation. “You’re sure?”
He nuzzled her hair, letting sleep take him. “You can count on it, my love. You can count on it...”
