Janelle Denison - Wild for Him

"I love you, Christy," he said, his voice filled with such overwhelming confidence, such amazing certainty, that it brought tears to her eyes.

Finally, he closed the distance between them. He framed her face in his big, warm hands and stared deeply, adoringly, into her eyes, making her feel like the most precious thing in his life. And she believed it, too.

"I love the strong, generous, independent woman you are," he said, continuing his litany of fealty and devotion. "I love the way you make me laugh and smile. I love arguing with you and I love making love to you. And, I even love when you kick my ass in basketball," he added with a touch of humor.

She laughed around the emotion clogging her throat.

"But mostly, I love the way you make me feel when I thought I was dead inside, and that's something I can't, and don't want to live without."

She bit her bottom lip, and when she blinked, a tear rolled down her cheek.

He gently wiped away the moisture with his thumb, looking dismayed. "Why in the world are you crying?"

"Because I'm so happy," she said, knowing that as a guy, he wouldn't understand unless she explained. "With all the bad luck I've had with the men in my past, I never thought I'd ever get this lucky."

"I'm the lucky one," he insisted.

Okay, she wasn't going to argue with that. "I never knew what true love was, or what it felt like, until you. And I don't ever want the feeling to end."

"I won't let it. I promise." He brushed his lips across hers in a soft, featherlight kiss. "Marry me, Christy."

She pulled back, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Do you mean it?"

He released a long-suffering sigh. "For only about ten seconds, then the offer is off the table, so you need to decide fast," he teased.

"Yes," she said quickly, and threw her arms around his neck to hug him tight. "Yes, Ben, I'll marry you!"

She kissed him, deeply, her desire and love for this man knowing no boundaries. When they finally came up for air, she knew exactly how she wanted to get married-and it didn't include the kind of circus her mother would no doubt plan, given the chance.

"I want to elope," she told him, certain that would make him happy, too. "I want to go somewhere with you, just the two of us. I'm thinking somewhere sultry and romantic like Hawaii."

A grin quirked one corner of his sexy mouth. "Your mother would never forgive you."

"I'm okay with that." She threaded her fingers through his hair and pressed her body closer to his, rubbing her thighs sinuously against his, and generating a whole lotta heat in the process. "I don't want a big, huge, elaborate wedding, and I know you don't, either."

"But I would, for you."

She knew he meant it, and that was enough for her. "Thank you, but there's no need for either of us to go through eight months of planning hell ." The thought made her shudder. She might plan other people's events for a living, but she'd been there, done that for herself, and it just wasn't for her personally. "And I really don't want to wait that long to get married."

"I'm ready anytime you are."

She wondered if next week was too soon for him. Now that she had Ben back in her life, she never wanted to let him go.

Then she thought of something she needed to tell him. "By the way, my parents are getting a divorce." For her, it was a huge relief, even though she knew her mother had a very rocky road ahead of her. And a lot of personal issues to deal with, as well.

"I know," he said quietly.

"You do?" She stared at him in shock. "How?"

He shrugged, and slid his hands around to her bottom as he walked her backward toward the long, wide couch, his intentions clear. "Your father told me."

She came to a stop before he could distract her further. "Wait a minute. You talked to my father?"

"Yeah." he admitted sheepishly. "Between him and Joel, they knocked some sense into me and made me realize what a fool I was for letting you go."

She grinned, making a mental note to thank both men when she got the chance. "They were both right, you know."

"Stop your gloating," he said in a playful growl.

He urged her back another step, then tumbled her onto the couch. She gasped as he came down on top of her, nestling his hips between her thighs until she could feel the press of his erection against the very heart of her. They were both still completely dressed, but she knew that wouldn't last much longer.

Face-to-face, he stared down at her, the love in his eyes nearly stealing her breath from her lungs. "How do you feel about having babies?"

She thought of two little boys that looked just like Ben, and maybe a girl to help balance out all that male testosterone. She wanted to give Ben the family he never had. "I want at least three."

"That works for me." He slid his hand beneath her skirt and trailed his fingers along her thigh. "In fact, I'm thinking we'd better start practicing, because it might take us a while to get it right."

She laughed, unable to contain the joy and happiness filling her to overflowing. "I couldn't agree with you more," she said, and pulled his mouth down to hers, ready to sacrifice herself to the cause, and more than willing to spend the rest of her life proving just how much she loved this man.