“Perfect,” Josh said.
His voice startled her. Deacon was such a dominant personality that he made everything else disappear. She’d forgotten that they weren’t alone.
“Now I want one where you’re both looking at me,” the photographer said.
Deacon kept his arms around her as they turned. Josh snapped a few more pictures, telling them to tilt their heads this way or that. Then he paused to reload the digital memory card in his camera.
“This’ll take a minute.”
Deacon thrust his hands into his pants pockets before nodding at the photographer. “Come sit down with me, Kylie.”
“Why?” she asked. He was nervous and a part of her wanted to needle him about it. Everything in his behavior was different tonight.
“Because I asked you to.”
She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Deacon was so used to being in charge, she thought.
He led her to a wrought-iron bench near a small fountain and seated her on it. “I have something to ask you.”
“Okay.”
“Will you marry me?”
Ten
D
eacon waited for her answer. Time stood still and he heard the sounds of a couple arguing near the pool. Heard the rustling of leaves behind the bench and heard his own racing heartbeat in his ears.
He pulled the ring from his pocket and removed it from the velvet bag. Still Kylie said nothing. She watched him with eyes that were unreadable. He’d never been more aware of the unpredictability of women. Or the fact that he’d never understood them.
He took the ring from the bag. She gasped when she saw it. A flush spread over her face and neck, and he wished he’d done this in the privacy of his suite, so he could have made love to her first. Who knew if those bride magazines were right? Wouldn’t Kylie have enjoyed a proposal in bed after they’d both made love?
But it was too late now. The hand had been dealt and had to be played out. He dropped down on one knee. Something he sensed Kylie would find romantic. All he needed was to hear one word from her lips, and this entire backdrop of romance would be worthwhile.
He heard Josh moving around behind him. God, if this didn’t work out right, he was going to look like a fool. But then the biggest risks in a casino always yielded the biggest payoffs.
And Kylie was a huge payoff. The one thing he couldn’t control or make happen on his own. A part of him—the little boy who’d always craved acceptance—held his breath. But the man he’d become was realistic and knew that there were more women in the world. Still, there was a sense of rightness about the two of them that made the thought of asking another woman to marry him seem impossible.
She was worth more than he’d ever have guessed when he’d first glimpsed her in the security monitor. She was more than that faceless Ralph Lauren model holding a child. When he looked at Kylie now, he could easily see her holding a little girl with her eyes and his dark coloring. He saw the seeds of the future in her, and he’d never experienced that in a person before.
“Oh, Deacon,” she said, reaching tentatively for the ring. He took her hand in his. Her fingers were cold. Realizing she was nervous, too, comforted him.
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. He felt the shiver that went through her. After slipping the ring onto her finger, he admired his mark on her.
He liked having marked her. He liked the idea that any man who came near Kylie would automatically be aware that she belonged to him. And that she would be felt right in his soul.
Not because of any wager he’d made with Mac. Not because he didn’t want to lose face in front of Josh or Mandetti or the staff members at the Golden Dream who knew he’d asked her to marry him. But because life with Kylie would be brighter than he’d ever imagined.
“Is that a yes?”
She took a breath, watching him with those wide eyes of hers. “Is this why you wanted everything to be perfect?”
He nodded. He was afraid to open his mouth again, knowing he’d demand an answer from her. He was in agony waiting to know if she was going to say yes.
“Oh, Deacon. This is…magical. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet, then leaned down to take the kiss he needed. He was fairly certain dinner was going to have to wait. He needed to get her back to his suite and make love to her. To reaffirm the bond they’d forged over the past few days. To strengthen the bond they’d been building on. To make unbreakable the bond he knew would be the most important one in his life.
“I got the proposal,” Josh said. “Nice touch down on one knee.”
Deacon pulled back from Kylie and looked at the man. He didn’t give a damn what that bridal magazine said—they had enough photos for this evening. “Thanks, Josh. That’s all we need tonight. I’ll contact you in the morning about wedding photos.”
Josh turned and walked away, leaving Deacon alone with Kylie. “Let’s go celebrate.”
The magic of the evening didn’t end. Deacon escorted her up to his rooms which looked like every woman’s dream of a romantic setting, Kylie thought. Candles blazed on every surface and roses were everywhere, their scent filling the room. Deacon lifted her in his arms to carry her over the threshold.
He put her down quickly and stepped away. But not before she’d felt his erection against her side. The fact that he was taking such pains not to let their physical relationship overshadow the romance of the evening touched her, and she decided that tonight she’d reward him by giving him whatever he wanted from her.
He pulled out a chair at the dining table and seated her. Miles Davis trumpet riffs filled the room, and she felt the warm desert breeze, just as she had the first night they’d been together.
He’d gone to great lengths to make this night special for her, and she couldn’t help but fall a little more deeply in love with him.
“Thanks for doing all this for me,” she said.
“You’re welcome. I’ve never asked a woman to marry me before and don’t plan to ever again, so I figured I should make it a night to remember.”
“You have. I can’t believe you asked me to marry you.”
“Having second thoughts already?” he asked, pouring champagne into two flutes.
“No. It’s just so incredible. I’ve got to call my parents and let them know.”
“Want to call them now?”
“No. They’re in France, in wine country. I’m not sure of the exact time there, but I think it’s the middle of the night.”
“Do you want to wait for them to return before we wed?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. When do you want to get married?” she asked.
“Tomorrow. I thought we’d do it before your friends leave. But I’d forgotten about your family.”
Tomorrow. Wow, that was fast. She closed her eyes for a minute to block out all the trappings and really focus on what she wanted. Was marrying Deacon the right thing? Her heart said yes, but her mind said he was moving way too fast.
Yet at the same time, getting married with her friends present tomorrow seemed a perfect ending to her vacation. “I think I’d like that. I can wear this dress.”
“No. You have to have a wedding gown. I’ve arranged for a fitting here in the morning.”
She didn’t want to go through a fitting. Dressing up tonight was enough for her. And she especially didn’t want to wear a white gown. She’d had enough of the production that most weddings turned into her first time down the aisle. Of course, with her parents absent, it would be simpler. The last time her groom had been in full military dress and her brothers-in-law, as well.
“I was married before, so I don’t want a big white gown.”
“What do you want?” he asked, reaching across the table, taking her hand in his. She felt like the center of Deacon’s world when he looked at her that way.
What she really wanted was just him. But she doubted he’d understand what she meant. She wanted something quiet and intimate. She’d had the big show the first time and had realized that having the perfect wedding didn’t mean a perfect marriage. Or even a happy one.
“We have a lot to discuss,” she said.
“Yes, we do. I hope you’ll understand that I can’t move to California. Will living here suit you? You can redecorate this place or we can build a house.”
God, her job. She’d have to give notice and find another job. Some of the magic of the evening was waning. “Let’s wait and talk about it tomorrow.”
Deacon nodded. “I’ll take care of everything.”
The music changed and Ella Fitzgerald come on, singing “The Memory of You.” Deacon stood and held his hand out to her. She let him help her to her feet and he pulled her into his arms. Deacon was a good dancer and they fit well together.
She rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed in time to the music. He pressed his lips to her temple and murmured words too soft for her to understand.
“What?” She lifted her head to look at him.
“You’ve made me a very happy man tonight,” he said, then turned away. She knew displays of emotion didn’t come easily to Deacon, and felt in that moment that he must feel the same way she did. That together they shared a depth of feeling that was found only once in a lifetime.
He radioed the restaurant and asked for dinner to be served. In no time, a trolley was wheeled into the dining area and dishes set on the table. Deacon said nothing until the staff had left and they were once again alone.
“I had a hot dinner prepared so I wouldn’t be tempted to skip the meal.”
“I wouldn’t have minded eating a cold supper,” she said. She liked that she could make Deacon forget about business or his plans. There was a heady sense of power and knowledge of her femininity that came with that.
“I would. There’s more to us than just what we have in bed.”
“I know.”
“Sometimes it’s easy for me to forget it.”
“I’ll remind you.”
And she would. That was her job as his wife. And this time she was going into the marriage with her eyes open. She had no unrealistic sitcom-family illusions of what marriage should be, and she knew that Deacon had taken the time to know the real her. That he was marrying the woman she was with no expectations that she’d fill some role in his mind of what a wife should be.
Deacon waited until they’d finished dining before leading Kylie by the hand down the hall to the bedroom. “I’ve got something special planned for dessert.”
More candles flickered in the bedroom. Rose petals littered the floor. And on the dresser was their last course—strawberries on ice and three different dipping sauces.
“Oh, Deacon. This is beautiful,” she said. She let go of his hand and moved around the room. Taking off her shoes, she closed her eyes as she wriggled her toes in the rose petals.
“Ready for some payback?”
“Hell, yes, angel. But not yet. This night is for you.”
She crossed back to him. Took his tie in her hand and pulled him across the room to the bed. Pushing gently, she forced him to sit on the bed. “This night is for
us
. And you’ve already given me enough.”
“But I have one more gift for you.”
“No more. Not now. I want to make love to my fiancé. I want to make this night special for you, too.”
Her words made him feel good in a way he never had. His heart actually beat a little faster, and it had nothing to do with the knowledge that they were going to be having sex soon. Well, maybe a little to do with that. But a bigger part of him was stunned that this beautiful woman who was the key to his dreams felt so strongly about becoming his wife.
“You already have by saying you’d marry me.”
She canted her head to the side. “Then let me show you how happy I am that you asked me to be your wife.”
“Gladly, but with two conditions.”
“The first?”
“That you wear only these two items.” He took the diamond choker out of the box on the nightstand. She gasped when she saw it.
“Turn around.”
She did and he fastened the choker around her neck. Unable to resist the smooth expanse of her neck, he lowered his head and bit her gently, then soothed the spot with his tongue and lips.
“Now give me your wrist,” he said.
She did and he fastened the matching bracelet around her small wrist.
“Your second condition?” she asked breathlessly.
“That you let me return the favor of showing you how much your agreeing to be my wife pleases me. I think our dessert will keep.”
“Agreed. Now, if you’ll have a seat.”
“Do you have a CD player in here?” she asked.
“Yes. What CD do you want to hear?” What kind of music would this sweet woman choose to dance to? Most nightclubs had hard-driving rock.
“I can get it. Something jazzy I think—you like jazz.”
“I do.” And I like you, he thought. Deacon seated himself on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and removed his belt before piling the pillows behind his back. Unless he missed his guess, he was about to be treated to a very special strip tease. For a minute he felt every jaded moment of his life weighing heavily on his shoulders. He’d been in strip clubs before he was fourteen.
Women and their bodies had never been a mystery to him, but with Kylie everything was new. Until Kylie, he’d never realized that seeing one woman could be special.
She flipped through the CDs in a case near the player. At last she made her choice and fiddled around with the volume and track selection. Soon the sounds of Steely Dan’s “Babylon Sisters” filled the room.
It wasn’t a song he’d have thought was seductive. But when Kylie turned to him and crossed the room with slow steps, her hips swaying to the beat, he thought it was the most seductive tune he’d ever heard.
His eyes tracked every movement she made. She ran her hands up and down her hips, sliding them over the soft fabric. With each stroke up her thighs, she lifted the hem of the dress higher, teasing him with more and more of the skin he was dying to see. Finally the tops of her lacy white garters were visible to him.
He was so aroused he had to spread his legs. He could actually feel his pulse in that part of his body. He wasn’t sure if he could play this hand out. But the gleam in Kylie’s eyes strengthened his resolve.