“Okay, now I get why you and Tristan always had sleepovers at his place,” Dad says.
I grin at him. “Of course.”
Danny lets out a burst of laughter.
Our eyes meet again, and I continue, “Do you know what sealed the deal for me?”
Danny shakes her head.
“The woman you became. You’re so strong, Danny. You never back down from a fight, and I’ve watched you make one man after the other bend to your will.”
“Except for you,” she mutters. “Stubborn.”
“I was already on my knees, praying you’d see me,” I admit.
Danny tightens her fingers around mine.
I open my left hand, and as Danny looks down at the ring on my palm, I say, “Now I’m praying I’ll be the only man you see. There’s no one I’ll love more. You’re the one I want to spend every day with. You’re the one I want to sleep beside. I want to be the man who comforts you, who supports you, who gets to change your last name.”
You can hear a pin drop as I murmur, “Marry me, Danny.”
She stares at the ring, swallowing hard a couple of times before she lets out a quivering breath. Then she lifts her gaze to mine as she whispers, “I wish I could offer you the world.”
“You are my world.”
She lets out a sputter, and then she moves forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I love you, Ryker. Only you. With everything I am… until…” She makes a heartbreaking sound that has me tightening my arms around her. “Forever. I’ll never stop loving you. No matter what happens.”
“Did she say yes?” Uncle Rhett whispers, and it has Danny letting out a burst of laughter as she pulls back.
“That’s a hell yes, Uncle Rhett.”
I slip the ring on her finger.
I promise it will only be you, Danny. Even if the worst happens and you’re taken from me – you will be the only woman I’ll ever love.
Chapter 20
DANNY
“It was nice of them to come over,” I say while I wait for Ryker to lock up and turn off the lights.
“Yeah,” he murmurs. Walking toward me, he takes hold of my left hand and tugs me up the stairs. Once we’re in his bedroom, he lifts my hand and looks at the ring on my finger. His thumb brushes over the princess-cut diamond, then his mouth curves up. “You’re mine now.”
A smile spreads over my face as I say, “Thank you for the beautiful ring. I love it.”
Ryker’s eyes lift to mine, then he says, “I don’t plan on sleeping tonight.”
“Yeah?” I take a step closer to him. “What do you plan on doing?”
His gaze drifts over my face. “Loving you.”
Only then does it hit me that this might be our last night together where we can make love. Not wanting him to see the heartache on my face, I press close to him, resting my cheek against his chest.
Ryker wraps an arm around me, and then he tugs the beanie off my head. My eyes drift closed when his lips brush over my head. “I just want to love you, Danny. I don’t want to think of tomorrow or the day after. I want to spend the next eight hours loving every inch of you.”
I nod against his chest. My voice is hoarse as I whisper, “I want the same thing.”
Ryker moves his hands to my cheeks, and nudging my face up, his eyes find mine. I take in his warm brown irises, his handsome features, the sexy curve of his lips.
He lowers his head until I feel his breath skimming over my mouth. I lift my hands to his jaw, and then his lips tug at mine. It instantly makes my abdomen tighten. Ryker tilts his head, his eyes on mine, and then his mouth claims mine.
The kiss is different than any kiss I’ve had before. It’s poignant, profound, and powerful. I focus wholly on the feel of his lips and his tongue brushing hard strokes against mine.
I drink in the feel of his stubble beneath my palms.
I breathe in his scent.
Ryker presses his body to mine, and lifting me with one arm to him, he moves me back to the bed. I memorize the strength of his body.
He lays me down, and for the longest moment, he just kisses me. By the time his mouth frees mine, I’m breathless.
Sitting up, I pull off my sweater, and it has Ryker climbing off the bed. My eyes are glued to him as he strips out of his clothes. His strong fingers undoing the buttons before his chest is revealed. His hands pushing down his chinos and boxers, and when he’s naked, my gaze drifts over his body – muscular, healthy, and oh so hot.
I kick my jeans off, and then Ryker crawls onto the bed, helping me get out of my underwear. He lies down beside me, and it has me turning onto my side to face him.