Page 19 of Before We Say I Do

Chapter Five

She was gone when the sun slipped across his lids, and the emptiness that accosted him from her absence was the thing that shook him from rest.

Rising to his elbows, Kyle scanned their bedroom, his gaze following the naked trail of the nightshirt and house slippers she’d left behind. Pulling himself from the duvet covers, Kyle slipped out of bed, his bare chest a smorgasbord of muscles as he checked the bathroom and the kitchen when a noise caught his attention.

In the foyer,London reached for the doorknob.

“Leaving so soon?”

She paused, whipped around on her heels to catch her bare-chested fiancé drenched in the sweetest savory skin, eyes half-mast, arms crossed, a shoulder leaned in the doorjamb, his bare feet traversed at the ankle.

She smiled. “I was going to get breakfast with Carla, and I know this is the day we have to spend apart before our big day.” Her smile extended, but Kyle didn’t feel her excitement, only that it was the polite thing to do.

Was she lying?

He nodded. “I was hoping we could have breakfast together before we parted. But we do have a lifetime, so I’ll let you get to it.”

She nodded. “Last night was…you know, you love me so good that it amazes me you can do it over and over. I fall deeper in love with you every day, Mr. Valentine.”

His heart warmed, and he moved from the door and strolled to her. Wrapping London in his arms, their mouths met, spreading warmth across their faces as they inhaled each other.

Against her lips, he murmured, “I love you, Mrs. Valentine.”

Her smile elevated. It was the real deal this time as it highlighted her brown eyes.

“It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” she agreed, kissing him around his bottom lip.

He recaptured her mouth and almost lifted her from her feet, his dick getting hard again.

“Mmmm, you better get out of here before I consume you, woman.”

She laughed and wiggled out of his arms, opening the door and running to her car.

He watched her from the entryway, in love and ready to be everything she needed. But he couldn’t deny feeling unprepared since she had yet to confide in him with her worries.

A ringtone sounded from the bedroom, and after making the journey to retrieve it, Kyle answered the call from a number that wasn’t logged in his contacts.

“Valentine.”

“She’s gone already, isn’t she?”

Kyle’s brows furrowed, then he sighed. “Ms. Smalls, how did you get this number?”

“I can get whatever I want. You should know that by now. And it’s Regina. Must we continue to go over this?”

Kyle smirked. “No, we won’t. If you lose the number, you’ll never have to worry about it again.”

“That’s rude.”

He shook his head. “It’s rude for you to go behind my back and get my number. What exactly are you trying to do, Regina? How does giving me information you think I don’t know, benefit you?”

“When you’re twenty-four hours away from marrying someone, they shouldn’t be keeping secrets.”

“Again, how does this benefit—”

“Because I’m trying to show you, I can be a better woman than her.”

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