Page 72 of The Billionaire's Cinderella

19

Ella

“Ryker…”

After shutting and locking the door behind us and starting a fire on the hearth, he takes both my hands and pulls me deeper into his bedroom. The French doors are cracked, letting in a cooling breeze from the ocean that ruffles the filmy drapes. A lamp on the nightstand fills the room with just the right amount of illumination, creating a romantic glow with the light and shadow.

Not that I give any of it more than a passing glance. All my attention is focused on the determined set of Ryker’s expression as he stares down at me, the way the light hits his face, turning his eyes into glittering indigo flames. It’s hard enough to think already, what with all the things I need to say waging a death match with my desire to touch him again and make sure he’s still mine. Hard enough to think straight when he’s so sexy in his classic tuxedo. So imposing with his height and broad shoulders. So delicious with that scent of linen and leather.

Making things worse is the fact that I’ve missed him so much. I’m not going to say that I’m dysfunctional without him, but my life sure sails along a lot better with him in it. The electric silence between us traps the air in my lungs and stops my heart. As for the spiraling desire coiling deep in my belly, there’s no stopping that.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I tell him, my voice husky. “We have things to talk about first. Important things.”

“I know.”

“We’re not having sex until we do.”

He nods, a muscle pulsing in his jaw as though he’s clenching his teeth and struggling to find the right words. To my astonishment, he looks down at my hands, then raises them to his mouth for the tenderest of kisses before brushing my knuckles against his cheek. It’s dizzying to see the most powerful man I know engage in a gesture of such vulnerability and supplication. As though I’m the most powerful person in the room. As though I’ve been promoted from serf to queen and he’s my humble subject.

My breath hitches. My heartbeat pounds into a rhythm that makes my pulse drum in my ears. And when he presses my hands to his hard chest, I quickly realize that his heart rate matches mine beat for beat.

“Here’s the thing,” he murmurs, his gaze flicking to mine again. “I think you’ve been torturing yourself wondering how I feel about you. And I haven’t been clear enough. So let’s cut through all that.”

“Okay…?”

Taking all the time in the world, he stares me in the face as he drops to one knee.

“Marry me.”

My brain empties out. I can’t believe my eyes, ears or heart.

Correction: can’t allow myself to believe.

“What?”

He takes a deep breath and tightens his grip on my hands, his entire body humming with tension as he speaks again.

“Marry me.”

To my ongoing astonishment, he leans sideways, reaches for his nightstand drawer and pulls out a tiny black velvet box. Inside is a sparkling yellow engagement ring that threatens to blind me if I look too closely.

“Oh my God,” I cry. Incredulous doesn’t begin to cover the way I feel in this dizzying moment. “What did you do?”

“It’s a yellow diamond. Sunshine for my sunshine.” He cocks a brow, a glimmer of amused exasperation creeping into his expression. “Are you going to put me out of my misery?”

“Oh my God,” I say again. What can I tell you? I’m extremely articulate during times of high emotion. “Oh my God. Yes. Yes!”

Ryker makes one of those indecipherable sounds of triumph, somewhere between a roar, a shout and a cheer. Then he slides the ring on my finger, tosses the box aside and surges to his feet to engulf me in his arms. I hang on for the ride, flinging my arms around his neck and laughing as he spins me in a circle. But swelling emotion gets the best of me by the time he sets me back on my feet and takes my face between his hands. I grab his wrists to make sure he stays right here where I need him as the floodgates open.

“I love you so much, Ryker. I love you so—”

“I’m so in love with you.” He presses his lips together, clearly trying to keep his own emotions in check, but there’s no hiding the shimmer of tears in his eyes as he lowers his head. “You have no idea how hard I love you.”

“I love you,” I say. “I love—”

He seals his mouth over mine. The kiss is long, hard and deep. Frantic, on both sides. I feel as though everything we wanted to say to each other this whole time pours out in this kiss. Both of our bodies are in this kiss. Our entire future is in this kiss.

He grabs handfuls of my hair, using it to tilt my head the way he wants it. But the passion between us can’t be confined. It overflows as we kiss each other’s cheeks and eyes. As he pulls my head back and skims his tongue and teeth down the side of my neck. As he finds my mouth again, then eases away long enough to let me catch my breath. He gives me a little shake, as though there could be some question about whether he has my full attention. I open my eyes, stunned by the open reverence I see in his.

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