Page 61 of To Have and To Hold

I sighed with a grin. “It scares me. I mean, I woke up this morning not in a relationship and this evening I might be engaged.”

He lifted my hand. “There’s no ring. And I’m not certain you said yes.”

“It’s so fast.”

To my shock, Em dropped to one knee on the sandy beach. Holding my hand, he looked up at me, the moonlight shining in his dark brown orbs. “Isabella Luciano, this is an official proposal. You know how I feel about you. If marrying me is something you want, I’ll fight for it to happen. If it’s not, please tell me now because I’m damn sure I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“In love?”

He nodded. “That day in your office when I first touched you, your arms, and held your freezing cold hands? I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, watching you blossom, touching you, and encouraging you to push your own boundaries. Dario may have sent you out here to fail. If that’s the case, he underestimated you. I think nothing is beyond your ability.”

Tears filled my eyes as I fell to my knees. “You love me?”

“I do.”

As I palmed his cheeks, I dove deep within myself.

Do I love Emiliano?

I loved the way he made me feel. I loved his encouragement and belief in me. I loved the way he kissed and touched me. I wasn’t sure if I loved him, but I believed I could. Every moment with him took me closer to that conclusion. I nodded. “I want to marry you.”

His lips crashed with mine. Forceful and tender. Possessive and giving. My lips parted as his tongue sought entrance. Moans and whimpers escaped my throat as his tongue slid over mine, dancing to a melody that was only ours. He wove his fingers into my long hair, tugging my head backward and sending shock waves to my core.

When we finally pulled apart, my nipples were hard and for the first time, I understood what was meant in books. Because I was certain my panties were damp.

“I think you’re right,” he said as I still panted for air.

“About?”

“I’m going to fucking hate not touching you and kissing you, but we should keep this between us right now. Have faith in Jano and Dario.” He grinned. “That doesn’t mean we can’t steal a kiss here and there.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to have faith.”

Em stood and taking my hand, helped me stand.

My slacks were covered with sand. As I tried to brush it away, I said, “How will I explain this to Mia?”

“You were on a tour, remember. I took you to Imperial Beach.”

“Yeah, a tour. I remember now.” I looked up at him. “For the record, it’s been the best tour of my life.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I don’t want to do it, but it’s time to get you back before we break your curfew.”

“Back to prison.”

“No, back to being protected.”

“I’m free for another tour sometime.”

We chatted about places to go. When Em mentioned the zoo, I remembered that I’d heard good things about the San Diego Zoo. I’d forgotten about the incident in the parking garage until we were back in the car.

“Are you going to tellel Patr?nabout what happened earlier with that kid?”

“I will. I have the kid’s gun and the name of the man who hired him. More than likely the gun is stolen, but we can run the serial number. It might tell us something.”

“I thought only the police could do that.”

Em scoffed. “I could do it by the time I was your brother’s age. Wouldn’t be surprised if he can do it too.”

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