He reaches for my hand across the table and laces his fingers through mine, toying with them. “All of me belonged to you before, but it’s official now.”

“All has been made right with us. Once again. How should we celebrate?”

“It isn’t going to involve restraint. I’ll tell you that much. My willpower has been pushed to its limit. It has snapped, and there’s no mending it.”

He isn’t the only one with some snapped willpower. “Same.”

“Are we going back to the room and spending the rest of the day in bed?”

I nod. “That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Chapter13

Caroline Beaumont

Cabo San Lucas,Mexico

Present Day

The elevator pingsand the doors open for our floor. My heart pounds, and the butterflies in my stomach flutter.

We meet other hotel guests and staff in the corridor on the way to our suite, exchanging smiles and an occasionalholain passing, but neither of us says a word to each other. The sexual tension is heady. I’m not sure I could speak coherently if I tried.

We enter the suite and Dawsey reaches out, grabbing me around my waist. He pulls me back to him, my back pressing against his front. I tilt my neck to the side so my hair will fall away from my neck and his lips press kisses along my skin between my ear and shoulder. My knees weaken, and it’s possible that his tight grip around my body is the only thing that keeps me from dropping to the floor.

He stops kissing my neck and reaches for my face, turning it so I’m peering at him over my shoulder. He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I want you so much.”

“You get to have me. Now and forever.”

Dawsey takes my hand and leads me to the bed. We stand beside it facing each other and he cradles my face with his hands as he kisses my mouth. His tongue moves slowly in a wave against mine, and I melt against him.

He stops kissing me but doesn’t pull away, and I feel his lips move against mine when he speaks. “I don’t mean to be presumptive but if you brought something you want to change into, now would be the time to do so. Otherwise, I’m about to peel this dress off of you and keep you naked the rest of the day.”

“While being naked with you the rest of the day sounds quite appealing, I did bring something I’d like to wear for you.” Even if it’s only for a brief moment.

“Hurry, my love.”

“That’s the same thing Frank used to say to Augustina.”

“I somehow knew that.” He gives me a quick kiss. “I’ll put thedon’t disturbsign on the door while you’re changing. I’d hate to have to kill someone for interrupting this time together.”

“No, we don’t want any intrusions.”

I go to my suitcase and take out the satin gown that I bought months ago, somehow knowing that I would one day wear it for my soul mate. Quickly changing out of my clothes, I slip into the vintage satin gown. It looks so much like the one Augustina wore for Frank the night he sneaked into the cottage to be with her after being apart for two and a half months—the night she told him about the baby.

My heart is pounding, threatening to crack my sternum, but not because I’m nervous. My heart is singing its love song, calling out to Dawsey’s heart. And together, they’ll beat in sync in one rhythm.

I stop just inside the doorway, not going to him right away, and give him a moment to look at me. His eyes roam my body head to toe and he smiles. Seduction oozes from his every pore, and I don’t think he even knows.

“Where did you get that gown?”

“I found it months ago in my favorite vintage clothing store. I didn’t know when I’d ever wear it, but I knew that I had to buy it.”

“It looks like the one Gussy was wearing.”

“It’s very similar.”

His eyes follow me as I come to him, and he gets up from the bed, lowering himself to his knees in front of me. He pushes my gown up and brushes his lips over my stomach. I put my hand on top of his head and run my fingers through his thick, dark hair as he kisses each of my hipbones.