Lust comes later.
If this goes how I hope.
I take her by the hand and lead her away from the helicopter. We’re in a field, surrounded by fences with dog-paws painted onto them, with a large redbrick building at the end. A massive ribbon is pulled across the whole building, bursting with vivid red, like the entire thing is a gift.
And it is. A gift for my woman.
“What is this place?” Daniella murmurs, even as hope bubbles up in her voice.
I can tell she already knows.
But she doesn’t want to risk it and be wrong.
I know the feeling.
I adjust my suit jacket, feeling it pushing firmer against my heart.
She walks ahead of me with slow footsteps, as though she’s walking into a dream, and I find myself surging with possessive contentment at the thought.
My perfect Dreamer is walking into a dream…
The dream of the career she’s always wanted, the dream of the life we’re going to build together, the dream of the love we’re going to bring into this world.
“It’s yours, if you want it,” I growl passionately, walking up behind her. “It’s your dog sanctuary. It’s the place you can spread all the love you’ve got brimming in your heart.”
I wrap my arms around her from behind, pulling her close to me, feeling the passion flame through her body as she sinks against me and lets out a breathy sigh.
“Are you serious? This place is mine?”
“Yes,” I growl. “Because I know how incredible you’re going to make it. I know how dedicated and passionate you are. It’s one of the reasons I love you so damn much.”
She gasps and turns in my embrace, staring up at me with tears shining in her eyes. “What?”
I smirk. “I didn’t stutter, Dreamer. I love you. I loved you from the first moment I saw you. I always thought love, at first sight, was a ridiculous phrase, something relegated to the movies. But I love you more than I can understand. I love you so much that I want to prove it every second of every day. I love your passion and I love your beauty and I love your nervousness and I love how adorable you get when you’re paid a compliment and that captivating blush spreads across your face.
“I love every little thing about you. Everything you are, everything you’re going to become, I love. I love you, Daniella, and I’m so unbelievably grateful we met.”
She stares at me for a long time, her mouth open as a thousand emotions shimmer across her face.
“I love you too,” she whispers, and then she says it again, louder. “I love you so, so, so much, Dom. Oh, God, I’ve wanted to say it for a while now, but I was worried…”
I chuckle softly, leaning down to kiss the warm tears from her cheek. “I felt the same. What we have is so new, so incredible, I didn’t want to upset the balance.”
“Exactly,” she murmurs, a sob cracking her voice, a sound of untethered joy.
“But I see now how foolish that was. I should’ve roared it the first time I saw you. I love you, Daniella Smith, and that’s why I have to ask you a very important question.”
I step back and fluidly glide to one knee, reaching into my jacket pocket and taking out the ring box.
She gasps and brings her hands to her face, clasping them together as she gazes wide-eyed down at me.
“Daniella, my perfect Dreamer… will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?”
I open the ring box to present the glimmering diamond. It’s full and beautiful like my woman, set within a white gold band which is as elegant as she is.
The pressure on my chest lightens when I see the way she looks at it. When I see the love gushing out of her expression.
“Yes,” she murmurs, and then she throws her hands up in an explosion of emotion. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“Give me your hand then,” I laugh, taking the ring from the box.
“Oh, yeah, silly me,” she giggles adorably, offering me her right hand. “Oops, wrong hand.”
I chuckle, so much love fluttering around me I almost feel a tear rise in my eye.
I take her hand and slip the ring on, and then leap to my feet and pull her into a hug, leaning down and pressing my lips against hers. She moans through the kiss, sliding her hands over my shoulder, up into my hair as she lets out a soul-shivering sigh.
“It’s a shame this place doesn’t have a bed,” I say between breathless kisses.
She leans back in my arms, a captivating sassy look coming into her eyes, her head tilted in a wonderful challenge.
“Who needs a bed, huh?” she says, all fiery, reminding me of what a precious joy it is to be the one to help these parts of her personality emerge. “Come on, fiancé.”