Page 71 of Seductive Nights

"Yes."

He set his fork on his empty plate and pushed his plate to the middle of the table. He stared at her quietly, waiting for her to finish. Emotions rushed into her body and her nose tingled as tears threatened. She swallowed. "It looks like this."

A tear spilled from her eye and slid down her cheek. He reached over and swiped it away with his thumb. His eyes glistened, and he sniffed a couple of times. She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed repeatedly.

"It does for me, too." He finally managed.

She took a deep breath and held it before releasing it. She was a different person these days. Old Margo would never have played hooky or danced in the kitchen. New Margo savored all of this and more.

Margo took Jace's proffered hand and stepped onto the boat. He guided her to the back of the large sailboat where there was a beautiful sitting area.

White sofas lined the entire back of the boat. Tables made of teakwood, and adorned with floral arrangements, stood in front of the sofas and the view over the back of the boat into the water was spectacular. Jace held her hand and directed her to the middle of the sofa. He seated himself next to her and wrapped his arm around the back of the sofa behind her, his hand caressing her arm soothingly.

A man, who wore white pants, a white shirt, and a captain's hat, walked toward them. He smiled at her and nodded his head. "Ms. Price, my name is Anthony, and I am your captain today."

She smiled at his politeness. "It's nice to meet you, Anthony. Thank you for allowing us the use of your boat and for leading us on this journey."

He grinned and nodded. Jace stood, and the two men shook hands. "Thank you for today, Anthony."

Anthony nodded, and it seemed as though he had become emotional. He took a deep breath. "Thank you for all you've done to help me."

Jace nodded. "Any time."

Anthony nodded to her once more and Jace took his seat. "We'll be pulling away from the dock in five minutes. Please sit back and relax."

She smiled again. "Thank you."

A waiter brought them out a beautifully arranged plate of fruit and cheeses. He set them on the table, without a word, then disappeared quietly.

The sails were hoisted. She'd never seen anything like that in her life, and the thrill that ran through her experiencing it now was exciting. They slowly pulled away from the dock.

Jace once again put his arm around her, and they both closed their eyes and turned their faces to the sun. It was wonderful. Simply wonderful. When had she ever had a moment to just sit and enjoy the beautiful weather here in Florida? Her life consisted of working on beautiful days like this.

After they were out on the open water, Jace pulled a bottle of champagne from a cooler, which looked exactly like the sofa. She hadn't noticed it when they arrived. She chuckled. He opened the bottle; the cork popping out with its usualpop,and she laughed. He pulled beautiful crystal champagne flutes from inside the same cooler and poured them each a glass of champagne.

She admired him as he set about making this a lovely day off for both of them. His tanned skin and strong arms were bare in his tank top. His muscular legs were sexy in the shorts he wore, and he had sandals on his feet, which he'd already kicked off.

He handed her a champagne flute. "Here's to us."

She smiled. "To us?"

He pulled a gorgeous, long-stemmed red rose from the vase in front of them and handed it to her. She smiled and smelled the rose, then looked into his eyes. "I meant what I said earlier today. You'll spoil me."

When he smiled at her, it nearly took her breath away. "I hope so."

They sipped their champagne. Then he set his flute on the table before them. He stared into her eyes for a long time, then dropped to one knee in front of her and pulled a ring from the pocket in his shorts. Her heartbeat increased so much she could hear the beating in her ears. She stared at his handsome face as he smiled at her. He held the ring up; the sunlight glinted off the diamond and sparkled beyond belief.

"Margo Price, will you marry me so I can spoil you forever?"

She swallowed the emotion that filled her throat. The visage before her of her handsome man and the ring he offered her as a symbol of his love wavered as tears filled her eyes.

She didn't have to think about this decision. She knew this morning when she confessed that she felt happy and whole, that he was her person. "Yes. I plan to spoil you, too."

His smile grew. "All that matters is that we dance, spend time, and enjoy each other. Always."

He slid the gorgeous sparkler on her finger. He then rose and kissed her lips, and she kissed him right back.

Epilogue

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