‘I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.’
She smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
‘You don’t have to,’ she said, dropping back. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
Her assurance was enough. It would do for now. Be satisfied. He squeezed her to him, love swelling in his veins. ‘I love you, so very much.’
‘I love you too.’
He stilled. The words resonating through him, each and every syllable chiming with his heart, his head turning dizzy with it. ‘You do?’
She pushed back to stare up at him. ‘Christ, yes.’
And then she was kissing him, her hunger, her emotion filling him. Tears welled behind his lids, making further words impossible; he threw them all into his kiss and he knew she was doing the same. They were both duelling for what they wanted: each other. Life had never been more perfect, more complete. And for the very first time, he felt like he’d come home.
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS TOGETHER and it felt like for ever. In the best way possible.
It was her birthday and Daniel had insisted on a surprise. What kind of surprise she had no clue. But they were travelling north from London and she’d been blindfolded for the last twenty minutes.
‘You okay in there?’ he rumbled close to her ear, his fingers squeezing her leg over her jeans and making her smile.
‘I have to say, being sat in a moving vehicle while blindfolded isn’t top of my list of fun.’
‘Well, I’d hoped our antics last night might have meant you fell asleep.’
She laughed at that. ‘Ah, so that explains your extreme virility.’
‘Hey, I’m always virile.’ His mock hurt had her cracking up further, her hand reaching blindly for his leg, his upper thigh, his—
‘Behave!’
‘Spoilsport,’ she complained as she heard the tick of the indicator and the car start to slow.
‘Not really,’ he said. ‘It’s only because we’re here.’
‘Ooh, great.’ Excited, she moved to take off the blindfold.
‘No, not yet.’ She let her hands fall away, turning her head to face him even though she couldn’t see. ‘I’ll do it when the time is right.’
Her body swayed as the car turned, the sound of gravel crunching beneath the tyres reaching her.
Where were they?
She waited patiently for the car to come to a stop. ‘Now can I take it off?’
‘Nope.’
She heard him open his door, felt the car shift with his weight as he stepped out and then it closed shut. She nibbled nervously over her lip, ears straining for his approach. She could hear his feet over the gravel, the latch go on her door as he swung it open and then his hand closed around hers, encouraging her out.
Awkwardly, she straightened and he cupped her upper arms.
‘Okay, now turn a little.’ She did as he asked, his hands guiding her. ‘Now stop.’
He released her, his fingers moving to untie her blindfold. ‘Ready?’
She nodded, every sense on high alert as he slipped the fabric away.