“Pick one,” he whispered.
I looked at him, confused. “A star?”
“Yes.”
“Um,” I paused, staring into the heavens. They all winked at me, vying to be the one I chose. A particularly bright star caught my attention. I watched it for a few seconds to make sure it was actually a star and not a planet. Planets don’t twinkle.
“That one,” I said, pointing to the shiny one directly over our heads.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
I felt his body behind me, standing close. He hooked his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Which one is it again?”
Baffled and extremely amused by this little game we were playing, I pointed again towards the star. “See it?”
Raising his hand next to mine, he pointed with me. “That one?”
“Yes, Holden. It’s ri—”
Something glinted off his index finger. I squeezed my eyes shut and re-opened them to make sure I was actually seeing this. Yep. It was there. Instead of the star winking back at me, a diamond ring sparkled in its place. Were those emeralds in there too?
Oh. My. God.
“I figured it was time we made this official, yes?”
I don’t know if it was the accent, the smile or the way he was looking at me but I couldn’t form a complete thought. My no-relationships-non-dater just out romanced every other guy in the universe.
“I thought we weren’t doing rings.”
He shrugged. “I changed my mind.”
His expression was completely blank but his eyes flickered. I eyed the ring as though it wasn’t real. It looked vintage. The diamond was round and huge and surrounded by a halo of emeralds in a platinum setting. There were even diamonds on the band.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said, reaching up to touch his cheek.
“Lia…I…”
Fiery passion ignited a glow in his eyes that I’d never seen before. Fisting his hand in my hair, he pulled me against his chest, kissing me with such fervor I couldn’t breathe. Gasping, he broke the kiss. “You are my everything.” His gaze, fringed by thick lashes, revealed an overwhelming vulnerability coupled with a never-ending intent to claim me.
Enclosed in his magnetic sphere, I took his hand and placed it over my heart. “Always.”
Swallowing hard, he slid the ring off his own finger and slipped it onto mine.
“Promise you’ll never leave.” His request hovered somewhere between a plea and an order. Knowing how hard it was for him to become emotionally attached to anyone, I ignored the slightly demanding tone.
“You’re stuck with me, chief. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
I lost myself in his intoxicating scent the second he pressed his forehead to mine. I loved this man so much. From the top of that gorgeous head of dark red hair down to his toes, he was perfection. And right now, surrounded by the sight and scent of him, all I wanted to do was…
His emerald eyes darkened a bit, giving me a rush. “What are you thinking about?”
“If you don’t know the answer to that question by now, then—”
He hovered his mouth over mine, essentially halting me from continuing. So help me, the level of seduction he operated at was out of this world. His come-hither stare and kissable sculpted mouth made my pulse race. He wasn’t even touching me, yet my skin warmed at the mere thought of it.
A devilishly hot grin pulled at his lips.
“I know, I know,” I breathed, too wrapped up in his sexually charged haze. “The look.”
“My favorite.”
A rush of anxiety surged through me, filling me with a sense of foreboding. I shoved it away as fast as possible but not before Alastair noticed.
“Hey,” he whispered. “None of that. You’re here with me now. You’re safe. I will never let him near you.”
“It’s not that, trust me,” I said, flicking my wrist to ward off the mention of my ex-boyfriend. “Can we go to bed now?”
Alastair studied me for several seconds to make sure I was really alright. I didn’t want him to worry over what was probably just my self-doubt rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune time.
Placing my hands on his chest, I smiled. He smiled back, melting my heart. “What do you want to do in bed?”
“You.”
Nuzzling into my neck, he hugged me soundly, as though holding me in his arms was the only thing he was meant to do for the rest of his life. I wanted to bottle this moment up for as long as I could.
“You’re mine, Alastair,” I declared, tightening my arms around him.
“Always,” he said.
I stretched under the blankets as best I could, not wanting to disrupt Alastair’s vice-like grip on me. A delicious, satisfied soreness hummed between my legs and down my thighs. His gloriously naked body pressed into mine as he grunted in response to my movements.
“It’s not time to get up yet, is it?” he muttered in my ear.
“Almost. It’s just after six.”
I managed to free an arm and shut off the alarm on my phone before it buzzed. Alastair turned me so I faced him, opened a sleepy eye and grinned. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning, yourself. Did you sleep alright?”
“Never better.” He kissed my forehead, nose and cheeks before pulling me into his chest. The last thing I wanted to do was remove myself from this amazing cocoon of comfort. Pieces of his messy hair tickled me like they always did. Waking up with him never failed to put a smile on my face. It was one of the perks of us sharing a bed.
“You feel good,” he said, sliding his hand over my backside. And there was the other perk. “Come shower with me.”
Untangling his body from mine, he pushed back the blankets and stood up. I drank in every absolutely stunning naked inch of him. His toned, athletic physique was second to none. That body was made to please a woman and thank goodness I was on the receiving end. Lifting an eyebrow, he gazed down at me. “Look at you, all sexy and gorgeous on that bed.”
I stared at him through a lusty fog. “Why did you leave?”
“Good question.” He crawled back on the mattress. “You smell good,” he said, leaving a trail of kisses up my stomach. “So beautiful. And sweet.” Lacing his fingers through mine, he held both my hands over my head against the mattress. “And mine.”
I parted my lips, welcoming his kiss.
“I love this look,” he said with a note of satisfaction, “and seeing you this turned on.” He angled his head so his mouth hovered near my ear, making it easier for the velvet tone of his accent to slide through my bloodstream. “You’re always so ready for me. Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
Forming a coherent sentence wasn’t possible. Neither