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He hesitated and took a sip of his wine before setting the glass down and taking my hand. I quickly took my gulp before also putting my glass down on the table.
“I don’t know if this is all too soon or not. I feel like normal timelines don’t exist for us anymore. The past is the past, but the future is now and all I know is how I feel when I’m with you. And what I feel is…perfect. I don’t use that word lightly. I know that we’ll have our challenges and we’ll have our bad days. But Maya, you feel like my family. You always will be my family. You and Eli are the best things in my life at the moment, and I don’t want to lose you. Ever. I can promise you exactly one thing in this life: and that is, I’ll never walk away from you again. So, Maya, I’m asking you–in probably an over-the-top way that I hope you find charming and not terrifying–if you will take this next step with me. I would like to ask you to start a new relationship. A real, grown-up relationship based on the truth, communication, and a promise to work through the hard stuff.”
I didn’t even notice a tear had fallen from my eyes until Jack gently lifted his thumb to swipe it away.
“Yes, Jack,” I whispered, and his face split into a beaming grin.
“I was hoping you’d say that. As I said, this isn’t a proposal. I’m not trying to belabor the point, I just want you to know that if and when a proposal is something that happens, it will be much more surprising than this. But I did want to mark the occasion with something.”
Jack slid a small box from his pocket and handed it to me. I gently undid the ribbon and pulled the top open. Inside was the most beautiful–and huge–pair of square-cut diamond earrings.
“Oh my God, Jack. These are gorgeous.”
“Not as gorgeous as you,” he murmured as I slipped them on, feeling truly like royalty.
Suddenly Jack whistled, startling me. I dropped the empty box. Jack chuckled as Eli bounded into the room.
“I asked him to stand back in case this didn’t go well,” Jack whispered in my ear and I hugged him, so appreciative of his thoughtfulness.
“Mama, you look like a princess!” Eli’s eyes lit up as I scooped him into a hug.
Jack led us to a table, and we shared a much fancier meal as our first official family dinner. We talked, laughed, and reminded Eli about table manners until the sun fully set and Eli was practically asleep on the table.
Jack drove us back to his cabin and gently tucked Eli into his bed.
When he came back to the living room, he silently took my hand and led me to his bedroom.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he whispered in my ear, the warm breath setting goosebumps off everywhere. “I just really wanted to be alone with you for a minute.”
I moved my head a fraction and caught his lips in a kiss, gentle at first, but it quickly turned heated. All of our longing was poured out in that kiss. It was filled with promises of our new beginning.
We pulled away, breathless, foreheads touching, eyes locked in a moment of quiet understanding. Jack’s hands rested gently on my hips.
I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, that there would be bumps in the road and obstacles to overcome, but at that moment, I felt like nothing could ever come between us again.
Jack dipped his head again and kissed me more deeply, full of passion. His hand slowly traveled to the zipper on the back of my dress. He kept me enthralled in a kiss as he slowly lowered the zipper. He slipped one side of the dress off my shoulder and followed with his mouth. He left a trail of hot desire across my collarbone and shoulder. Slowly, so slowly, he slipped the other one down and looked into my eyes for confirmation to continue.
All I could do was nod.
That was all it took. Jack’s hands fully lowered the zipper, and the dress slipped off my body and pooled on the floor.
I broke the moment to quickly snatch it up to hang it in the closet.
Jack’s eyebrow quirked with silent teasing as I walked back, wearing only my undergarments and black strappy stilettos I’d picked out in the boutique.
“It’s a gorgeous dress. There’s no need for wrinkles," I explained.
“I’ll buy you a thousand gorgeous dresses,” Jack growled before tugging me against his body.
It felt strange only wearing a lace black strapless bra and barely there underwear while he was still fully clothed in his tailored black suit. The fabric felt illicit as it ran against my naked, heated skin.
Jack guided me down gently on the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. He slowly unbuttoned his jacket and lifted it with one finger, deliberately throwing it on the ground, with a teasing smile. Next was the soft white shirt and then his beautifully tailored pants. He stood there in his boxer briefs, an impressive erection already straining the front.
He joined me on the bed and pulled me close, a look of wonder in his eyes, and without a word, our lips met. The kiss was slow and passionate, both of us taking our time. I knew I was exposing my need through the intensity of my kisses, of my hands roaming over every inch of skin I could reach. My hands moved down his body, exploring the angles and ripples that made Jack the beautiful man he was, savoring the feel of the muscles of his toned abs, and then cupping his face in my hands.
Jack’s hands were wandering too and leaving trails of sparks and desire everywhere he touched. It seemed impossible my body could be lit up so brightly and still want more.
He cupped one breast over the lace and gently swept his thumb across my peaked nipple. I cried out and arched my back at the sensation.
