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“What sort of ride?”
At first, I felt a little silly when I put this steamy suggestion into my voice, but this past week, we’ve grown too close for me to brand my desire as a joke. We’ve had sex countless times in different positions. The most nerve-inducing was the first time I went on top. I had to bite back a thousand comments about my body, about how I shake or move in unappealing ways.
The second the sex began, I knew I was wrong. He grabbed my hips, moving them in time with my motions, and then helped me toward the end when my body got tired, and all the while, he was groaning, staring, captivated.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” he teases, sliding his hand down to my ass and squeezing possessively.
“Notthatsort of ride?”
“No. I’m taking you up in a helicopter.”
“You’re being very mysterious. You know that, right?”
“I’ve got to keep you on your toes.”
“Me too,” I say, delighted. “Forever is a long time, after all.”
“Think you’ll get bored?”
I love the way we banter and tease, always with a current of passion flowing beneath the surface, imbuing every single word.
“I could live a million lifetimes with you, Jacob, and never get bored. Not once.”
* * *
As exhilarating as the helicopter ride is, I spend much of it watching Jacob. He sits opposite me, the harness cutting into his body and emphasizing his powerful form. I wonder if the day will ever come when I tire of admiring his physical strength, the bulging muscles that hypnotize me, draw me in, and escort my thoughts swiftly to the bedroom.
But there’s something wrong. Or not wrong, maybe, but different. It’s clear in how he looks at me, his intense eyes passing across me quickly, and his hands most of all. He’s fidgeting, something I can’t remember him doing before. He won’t tell me where we’re heading.
After we land, a car is waiting for us. We sit in the back of the chauffeured vehicle, the countryside rolling by. Jacob’s hand has a tight grip on my leg as if he thinks I’m going to run when we reach our destination, but nothing will send me running, not from the man of my dreams.
Finally, we pull up outside a large activity center. At least, that’s what it looks like from the outside, with the fence surrounding it and large swathes of open land. There’s an obstacle course, and then a golden retriever leaps out of a tire, yapping happily with a dachshund following swiftly on his tail. The dog runs in a circle, head thrown into the air, barking like it’s the best day of his life.
Jacob steps from the car. I’m about to do the same, but then the door is already opening. Jacob hurried around to my side to open it for me.
“What is this place?” I ask, gazing through the fence as more dogs emerge, all of them playing, all of them happy.
“It’s a nonprofit dog shelter,” Jacob tells me. “They were on the verge of going bust last week. Their donors had lost interest. So, in between tearing apart the deal with Trent, I bought this place and tracked down the dogs from the ring you busted.”
“But they have owners, don’t they?”
“Some,” Jacob says, “but the sad truth is, Maddie, some of the owners weren’t interested in getting their pets back. They ended up in shelters, so I brought them here. We’ve got five dogs from the ring, and there are many more. I wanted you to know… good has come from your work. You’ve made a real difference.”
“Youmade the difference,” I say.
“No—”
“Okay, can we saywedid?”
He smirks, taking my hands. “You’re too stubborn for me. Sure,wemade a difference, but it never would’ve happened if it wasn’t for you. I wanted to tell you here, surrounded by all this happiness… I love you.”
I stare, heart thudding, the world suddenly feeling as though it’s spinning faster.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he says passionately. “It’s what we told your mom. It was love at first sight. I’ve almost said it countless times this week, but I wanted to tell you here.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper, then say it louder, the emotion impossible to contain. “So much. I can’t even put it into words.”
“That’s good to hear. It will make this easier…”
