My brother doesn’t say anything for a long minute. He stares at Xavian, seeming to test his sincerity, but his steely resolve speaks for itself. Finally, he turns to me. “Do you really want to marry him? The bastard son of a criminal who’s probably fucked a thousand women?”
“It’s none of your concern. From now on, I’ll be making my own decisions.” When Parker sighs, shaking his head, I take his hand. “You either love me or you don’t. If you don’t, let’s part ways here. If you do…then I’m asking you, as the only blood family I have left, to let me live my life as I choose.”
Xavian drops a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m so proud of you, princess. You said that perfectly.” Then he looks at my brother. “What do you say?”
“You really love her? Until death do you part?”
Xavian doesn’t hesitate. “I really do.”
Parker presses his lips together, his expression telling me it’s a lot to accept. Then he exhales. “I’ll try. I’ll really try.” He squeezes my hand. “I don’t want to lose you. And I…didn’t realize how much you’d grown up.”
In some ways, I hadn’t until Xavian challenged me. Until he proved to me I was good enough. Until he loved me.
I step forward and wrap my arms around my brother. I’ll do my best to forgive him. It will take time. All I can do is hope that he lives up to his end of the bargain. “Thank you.”
He envelops me in a tight hug. “I only wanted to see you happy.”
I step back with a nod. “I know. But that’s up to me. I’ll call you later.”
“All right. I’m going back to LA tomorrow.”
It’s for the best. “Hopefully, I’ll see you for the holidays.”
That gives us a few months to settle into the new norm of this relationship. I pray that’s enough.
Parker hesitates, then nods. “That would be nice.”
I send him one last smile as I grab my suitcase and exit the hotel room.
Behind me, I hear Xavian stop in front of my brother. “Take care.”
Over and over, he just keeps proving he’s the bigger man. I admire the heck out of him for it.
In the hallway, he takes my hand and leads me to his car. “Do you want to talk about this now or…”
“Not until we’re alone.” I want to get as far away from this place and this confrontation with my brother as possible.
“Whatever you want, princess.”
The twenty-minute drive back to Xavian’s house is silent. We’re both lost in our own thoughts. The moon hangs high in the sky and the Hawaiian breeze whips through the car. Katy Perry softly sings “Roar” on the radio because the volume is turned way down. It’s the perfect song after tangling with my brother. Who knows what will happen next? All I can do is be optimistic and look forward to the future I determine.
Clearly, I have a big decision in front of me.
Xavian hops out of the car and comes around to offer me his hand. Neither of us addresses my suitcase. Like, now that the moment is here, he’s afraid to ask whether I’m staying or I want to be alone—maybe for good.
Inside his place, he drops his keys on the wide kitchen island and flips on the light. “We’re alone. Do you have an answer for me?”
He’s nervous. It shows. And it tells me that whatever I say next is deeply important to him. It’s everything.
I take him by the hand and tug him down the hall, to the darkened bedroom where we first made love. Slowly, I shed my clothes until I’m completely naked before him.
His eyes flare with hunger, sucking me in with his hot stare. But he doesn’t move. “Corinne?”
“I want you inside me.”
Xavian swallows and hesitates half a second, then peels off every stitch. By the time he’s done, I’m already lying across the bed, watching him walk toward me, erect and full of determination. He pauses to grab a condom from the nightstand.
“Don’t.”
He sends me a sharp glance, scans my face, then slowly sets the foil packet back in the drawer. “Princess?
“Hurry. Please.”
“You want me bareback? You want to live dangerously?”
In answer, I spread my legs.
Xavian doesn’t waste another second before he settles between my thighs, spreads kisses across my neck, and works himself into me until I gasp with the familiar tingling fullness I can’t get enough of. From this man I can’t get enough of. I rock, willing him to stroke me deep. I need to feel him everywhere—skin to skin, lips on lips, heart to heart.
He refuses to move. “Yes or no? Will you marry me?”
I meet his gaze and smile, showing him all the happiness he’s given me and all the dazzling joy I’ll spend every day trying to give back. “I love you. And I’m choosing you for you. Yes!”