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Dare puts a finger under my chin and lifts my head, looking deeply into my eyes.
"Talia, I'm embarrassingly in love with you. Deeply, irreversibly in love. I feel desperate for you to love me in a way I've never felt before," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you so much it scares me. What if you can never love me as completely as I love you? What if I'm always the one who loves more?"
My heart aches at the vulnerability in his question. I cup his handsome face in my hands.
"Dare, I love you as deeply as you love me. I promise you that with all my heart and soul."
He looks at me for a long moment, his eyes searching my face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Gazing into his eyes is like looking into the depths of the ocean. "I love you more than anything or anyone in this world. I may not have chosen to marry you willingly, but I can't deny the feelings that have blossomed inside me. And it's not just because of our child. I love you for who you are, Dare, flaws and all."
Relief and joy wash over his features. He leans his forehead against mine.
"We've both been running scared for too long," he whispers. "We have both been so paralyzed by our fears."
I tear up at his words.
"Here and now, we have a chance to put it all aside. We can start all over again."
Dare kisses me tenderly at first, then with rising passion. He pulls back just far enough to whisper against my lips.
"Tell me that you're certain, Talia. Because there's no turning back for me after this."
I smile up at him, my hands still cradling his face.
"I could never turn back now. You've changed me forever with your love. I'm not the same woman I used to be."
Our lips meet again and again, each kiss deeper than the last. Dare's hands roam urgently over my body as my fingers tangle in his dark hair. We are consumed by a passion that's been simmering for far too long.
"I need you, Talia," Dare rasps, his breathing ragged. "Here. Now."
My pulse races at the raw desire in his voice. "Yes," I gasp. "I'm yours, my love."
In one smooth motion, Dare lifts me onto the table, scattering maps and charts. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him against me. We shed our clothes in a frenzy until it's just skin against skin.
Dare enters me swiftly, filling me completely. I cry out, clutching his shoulders. He sets a relentless rhythm that drives me to the very brink, again and again. I have never wanted someone so much.
"Look at me, Talia," Dare commands through gritted teeth. "I need to see you."
I meet his smoldering gaze, utterly lost in the stormy blue depths. He is everything to me in this moment. My past, my present, my future.
Release crashes over us both like a wave. Dare collapses over me, his heart thundering against my chest.
"I love you," I whisper, stroking his hair. "With all that I am."
Dare lifts his head to smile tenderly at me. "As I love you. Always."
We kiss once more, a promise sealed. Dare's fingers trace delicate patterns on my skin as we lie tangled together, spent. The boat rocks gently beneath us.
"No more doubts between us," he murmurs. "You are my heart, Talia. Without you, I'm adrift."
I caress his beloved face. "We wasted so much time questioning. But no more. This is real."
Dare nods, his eyes never leaving mine. "I would face anything with you by my side. Even my family's wrath."
My heart clenches. The Morgans wield immense power and influence. Defying them is no small matter.
Sensing my unease, Dare touches his forehead to mine. "Don't be afraid. You give me courage I never knew I had."
