Page 66 of Wanted

He smiles, and he looks so handsome. He has wild hair and is only dressed, or half-dressed, in his boxers, so my eyes enjoy the view.

“Happy?” he asks, looking me in the eye, looking for answers in the windows of my soul. Yeah, very Shakespeare of me. Love is in the air, can you blame me?

“Extremely,” I reply sincerely. “You make me very happy, Lionel, deliriously happy.”

He smiles again. Gosh, those eyes, the color of melted chocolate, light up.

“Are you up for an adventure?”

My eyes widen in surprise. What is he up to? “BDSM is not really my thing,” I answer half-jokingly.

Lionel throws his head back with a hearty laugh.

“You like a little spice,” he adds, leaning over me to take a light bite from the nipple covered in the fabric of the sheets.

Yes, that’s true. He has awakened a part of me that I didn’t know existed. And I want to know what else is hiding behind the curtain of my shyness.

My body has very few curves, but Lionel doesn’t seem to care. More than that, he seems delighted, adoring my skin as if he always wanted to carry my taste on his lips.

“But it’s not that,” he says as he straightens his back, staring at me again. “I thought maybe we could go out and take a walk around the city, you arrived almost a month ago, and the only thing you have seen are the walls of this house.”

Nothing wrong with these walls, but my mouth opens. I can hardly believe it. Going out sounds incredible.

“Is it possible?” I ask him. “I mean, I would love to, but after what happened, do you think it’s wise to go out?”

I don’t want him to take unnecessary risks to make me happy. Not when what is at stake is his life. That is irreplaceable.

He sighs before answering. “A little while ago, I called Jackson. His staff is well-trained, we won’t be alone, but they’re the best in town and will keep us safe.”

A smile pulls my lips up, and he does the same.

“What are we waiting for then?” My voice is full of emotion. I would go to the end of the world with this man, a tour of the City of Angels is an excellent place to start. “I’m going to have a quick shower.”

I try to get out of bed, but his hand on my shoulder stops me.

“Breakfast first, Mrs. Kral,” he says with a playful smile, mischief gleaming deep in his dark eyes. “Something tells me you’re going to need all that energy.”

I don’t know if he means more fun in our bed or if he’s talking about our adventure outside this house. None of that is important, as long as we are together.

Together and moving forward.

Because the future awaits us.

Chapter Twenty-One

“The best husband awards are on the other side,” Lionel murmurs in my ear, making my body shudder at his nearness.

Smiling, I turn to face him, three small golden statuettes like those of the academy awards are in my hands.

“Unfortunately for you, the deal is three for ten dollars, and I already have all the ones I need.”

I raise the three souvenirs to see what they have written on the base. It is more than clear who they are for. One for my mother, another for Alison, who will laugh hysterically when she sees the ridiculous gift, and another for my aunt Felicia, who’s been helping my mother with my bees the last couple of weeks. She’s my father’s sister, the only one who still lives in Carrollton, and we have a pretty close relationship.

Lionel presses his hand to his chest, in a somewhat exaggerated gesture. I know he was wounded quite close to the heart, the doctor told us in the hospital, an inch to the left, and it would’ve been a different story.

“Let’s pay for this, it’s time to up my game.” Lionel takes my hand and leads me to the register, where he pays for the awards, a few postcards, and magnets I picked out. Yeah, today I’m playing the tourist part. Souvenirs, check.

For about an hour, we have been wandering around the famous star-studded sidewalk. Having a new phone with the best camera on the market has its benefits, tonight I will be able to send a thousand photos to Alison and my mother. I’m sure they will be over the moon.

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