“I haven’t been afraid for a long time. Not in the military. Not during my…extra stints with Trace and Drake. Hell, not since that boat sank and my world changed. I was afraid then. Fucking terrified, and there was nothing I could do to save the people I loved most.”
Her heart ached for him.
“I’d planned to kill the man who was after you.” He said this bluntly, easily, as if death didn’t matter to him. “It was an easy choice. Someone was hurting you. I had to stop him. So I used the engagement, thinking that it would draw him out.”
“It did.”
“It drew him to come after you, not me.” His hold on her tightened. “That was never what I intended. I never wanted you to be hurt or to be afraid or—”
“I know,” she said, cutting through his words. And she did.
But Noah shook his head. “I’ve screwed up a lot with you. Made mistakes. Blundered my way around, and that’s not my way. I can usually charm women, but when I’m with you, I feel like I can barely speak sometimes.”
That didn’t sound like Noah. “You seem so confident to me.”
“It’s a lie. Most days with you, I’m just trying to figure out what I can do to keep you close.” He exhaled slowly. “After we met in Chicago, I…wanted to see you again. But you vanished after Sara’s funeral. You just disappeared. I figured that was a sign you weren’t interested in me, and that I should just forget about you.” He paused. “But you’re not easy to forget.”
“Neither are you.” She’d tried to forget him after Chicago, but he’d started to slip into her dreams. He’d made her feel, made her fantasize, and that had terrified her. So she’d run. Tried to start a new life—only that hadn’t worked.
“When you walked into my hotel in New York, I knew the instant I saw you that I wasn’t going to be able to let you go. I was going to do anything necessary in order to get you to stay in my bed and in my life.”
Claire lifted her hand. Pressed it to his chest. She was still wearing the bracelets he’d given her, and the diamonds gleamed. “You’re talking about sex.”
“With you, I’m talking about forever.”
Now it was hard for her to breathe. “You…you heard me when I said that I loved you.” That was why he was doing this. He felt like he’d put her in danger with the engagement, and he was trying to make up—
“Hell, yes, I heard you. Those were the most important words of my life. Do you really think I wouldn’t hear them?” Then he dropped before her, sliding down on one knee.
It wasn’t hard to breathe. It was impossible. Claire had just stopped breathing entirely.
“I want to marry you, Claire Kramer. This isn’t some bullshit fake engagement. It’s real. It’s forever.”
“Noah…” Claire felt her heart thundering in her chest. “The Press. You know what they’ll say about me—”
“Screw them. I don’t give a damn about them or what they have to say.” His fingers slid over the bracelet on her left wrist. “I care about you. I love you. Enough to kill for you. Enough to die for you. And, baby, enough to live for you, too. That’s what I want to do. I want us to live together and make love and be happy for the next fifty years.”
It sounded so good. So perfect. “Everyone I love…they all die.”
“Not me, Claire. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right by your side, from here on out.”
Her eyes burned, and Claire had to blink away tears. “I don’t want to lose you.” Her fear. Her weakness—him. She loved him so much. And it was love, not obsession. Loving him…she wanted to put him first. Wanted him to be happy. Safe.
Loving him gave her hope. Without Noah, Claire didn’t know what would happen to her.
“Say you’ll marry me.” Then he reached into the pocket of his coat. Pulled out a small, black box. When he opened that box, Claire saw a huge, blue diamond ring nestled inside. A ring to match her bracelets. To match… “Just like your eyes,” Noah told her.
He was on his knees. Offering her everything that she had ever wanted.
And fear was there. Surrounding Claire. Choking her.
I lose everyone.
She stared into his eyes, and in that moment, Claire was finally able to read the emotion there. It was the emotion that had always been in his gaze, but she’d been too scared to see it for what it was.
Love.
Noah loved her.
And she loved him. “Yes,” Claire whispered, and she threw herself against him. Noah fell back. They both hit the floor, but Claire didn’t care. Her mouth was on his, and Claire was kissing Noah with all of the love and passion that she had.
This was her chance. Their chance. They could be happy. They could have everything that they wanted.
Noah was laughing and kissing her, too. They stripped in a tangle of limbs. He put the ring on her finger. Sealed it with a kiss. Then he was thrusting into her. Claiming her with a fast and hot lust that stilled the laughter.
The sex was intense. Hard. Consuming. Their fingers linked. Their eyes held.
There was no fear. It was gone.
There was only pleasure. Love.
It wasn’t about control or power.
Just pleasure.
Claire called his name when she came.
And when he came, Noah kissed her. There was lust in that kiss. Raw need.
So much love.
She wrapped her arms around him. Held him as tightly as she could.
This was an ending she’d never seen coming. Wrapped in a lover’s arms. Dreaming of a future.
Life.
Hope.
***
Claire slipped from Noah’s bed. He felt the mattress shift as she rose, and Noah opened his eyes. He enjoyed the view of her back and her perfect heart-shaped ass before Claire slipped on her clothes.
Frowning, he sat up. He didn’t care that he was stark naked. He’d rather hoped Claire would join him for an early morning round of mind-blowing sex.
He’d never get enough of her.
“Where are you going?”
Claire tensed and glanced back at him. Then the tension drained away, and she smiled. “Just for a walk. The sun’s coming up, and I thought that I’d watch it. Seems like a good way to start a new life.”
He rose from the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and snagged a sweatshirt. “I’ll come with you.” Because it did seem like a damn good way to start their life together.
And I want to be with you, Claire.