Page 162 of One Wealthy Wedding

The latter wins out as he strides onto the beach.

“Holy shit,” he pants. He drops the kite and the board, unclips the belt. He’s just in a wetsuit now, sleek and strong and whole. But he nearly wasn’t. And that makes all the difference.

“What the fuck?” I shout.

His eyes go wide as I stride toward him. The sand sinks under me with every step.

“Cat? Everything okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. How can you ask that?” I’m trembling with anger and the remnants of the panic I felt. “I thought you were going to die. You asshole.” I push at his chest. “You kept getting dragged out farther and farther, and I thought you were going to fucking die and leave me here.”

He captures my hand, presses it to his heart. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I just took a risk. I wanted to see if I could go faster. Caught a bad gust of wind.”

“You wanted to go faster. What the fuck?” Angry tears threaten.

“It’s okay, princess. It’s just some fun. What’s the worst that could happen?” He shrugs, and I see red.

“I almost lost you. You could have died.” I’m repeating myself, but maybe he’ll get it through his head. “I know you do this all the time, and maybe you think that people don’t care. Maybe you like the danger, but I—” I swallow. “I saw you out there, and you didn’t even realize you were being carried out and I thought—” Tears clog my throat. “You have to care, Theo. You have to care what happens to you.”

His face is serious now, his bright green eyes troubled. “You care,” he says softly. He clutches my hand.

I nod. “But you need to too. You matter, Theo. You matter, and if you die in a stupid accident because you were chasing an adrenaline high, I’ll—I’ll never forgive you.”

His mouth tips up. “You’ll never forgive me.”

“Shut up,” I grumble. I try to yank my hand back, but he resists.

“Oh no,” he says. “You’re not getting away after that. We’re going to warm you up, and then you’re going to comfort me. You know, since I almost died and all.”

“I hate you,” I say, but my voice sounds weak.

“You love me,” he says, confident and sure.

And damn him, I do.

50

Theo

Maybe I should care more about nearly dying, but I don’t. I can’t find it in me to feel anything other than satisfied as Cat’s ass in that tight wetsuit sways up the stairs to my house.

My house.

My wife.

And if she thinks she’s getting away from me after that scene on the beach, she better think again. I’m not letting her go. Not when she cares so much.

No one has ever cried over me before, but there were tears in her eyes.

It makes me the worst kind of man, but I’m thrilled at the evidence of her affection.

We push open the glass door that leads to the deck, and I press the ignition for the gas fireplace. It’s massive and suspended from the ceiling so all parts of the living area get heat.

The whoosh of the flame makes Cat jump backward, right into my chest.

Perfect.

My hands settle on her shoulders, drop to her zipper.

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