Page 56 of Burn for Me
“Oh Gray, can’t you stay?”
“I’m sorry, honey. I really do need to go. But it’s only for a couple of hours. I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, you and Phillip have a lot to catch up on.”
Elenore, who’d been mostly silent up to this point, observed, “You need to take your meds and rest some too. You’ve had a busy morning so far, and I can see the lines of strain around your mouth. Even if you aren’t willing to admit to it.”
“I’m not a child, Mom,” Kitty groused, a thoroughly disgruntled look on her face.
“I know, Pussycat,” her mother soothed. “But you can’t deny you’re tired and uncomfortable, can you?”
Kitty sighed. Tenderly, Gray wrapped his arms around her. Placing a kiss on her temple, he stood with her in his embrace for long moments. Savouring her. Enjoying the familiar smell of her light, floral perfume.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
Tilting her face up for a kiss, she nodded. Gray leaned down and complied with her request. The moment his lips touched hers, everything around them faded away. Nothing but the taste of her on his tongue, the sound of the breathy little noises she made when he kissed her, and the feel of her skin beneath his hands mattered.
Someone clearing their throat penetrated the fog of desire clouding Gray’s mind. Smiling against Kitty’s lips, he said, “I best be on my way.”
“I’ll see you out,” Kitty replied, taking his hand in hers.
At the door, he gave her one last, lingering kiss. Gifting her that heart-stopping smile she loved, he let himself out, promising to see her later.
Chapter Twenty
Gray stood staringat the gorgeous ring in his hand. He had known for a while Kitty was the woman for him. He loved her with an all-consuming passion he’d never thought he’d find. But when she’d been shot and he’d been faced with the possibility of a lifetime without her, it had brought everything into sharp focus for him.
He realised he wanted marriage, children, the white-picket fence – all of it. And he wanted it with her.
While Kitty had been in hospital, Gray had taken Elenore to dinner one evening and asked for her blessing. After many of what he hoped were happy tears, Elenore had not only given her blessing but had told him about the ring her husband had given to her. One she’d worn with pride and love until that moment – long after he’d been gone.
Taking the ring off, she’d handed it to him and asked him if he would do both her and Kitty’s father the great honour of carrying on the Spence family tradition. It was, after all, Kitty’s inheritance anyway.
Moved beyond words, Gray had agreed to use the family heirloom to propose to Kitty. The antique was an exquisite, emerald-cut diamond ring, steeped in history and clearly important to the family. And he felt flattered Elenore held him in high enough esteem to offer him the ring.
And here he was. The day had arrived. He would ask Kitty to marry him tonight, with her family and closest friends there to celebrate the happy moment with them. Or, at least, he hoped it would be a happy moment.
Gray paid the jeweller for cleaning the ring before heading for his car. He had booked at their favourite restaurant – the restaurant they’d gone to on their first date. While they would be taking care of all the catering, he had a last few things he needed to finalise to make it all as perfect as he could. Pulling out his phone, he called Morgan to confirm he was on his way to collect her.
Tucking his phone back in his pocket, he started the car. Anticipation hummed beneath his skin. He and Morgan were going shopping for what the woman had decreed the perfect engagement outfit. He’d seen firsthand the superb taste Kitty’s friend had when it came to selecting clothes and so had roped her into the task.
Finally,everything was ready. Gray had dropped Morgan off so she could go get ready for the evening and was headed back to Elenore’s house. He couldn’t quite decide whether to be nervous or excited, as both emotions vied for first place.
For the millionth time, Gray patted his pocket to make sure the ring box was still there. The mere thought of losing the ring had him breaking out in a cold sweat. Reassured it was there, he blew out a harsh breath, telling himself to pull it together.
After pulling into the driveway, he parked the car. In a few short hours, he would have the opportunity to ask the single most important question of his life. And he couldn’t wait.
Climbing out of the vehicle, he saw Kitty standing in the open doorway at the front of the house. Waiting for him. It made him inordinately happy imagining a lifetime of such moments.
* * *
Takingin the goofy grin on Gray’s face as he walked up the pathway to the front door, she wondered what had made him so happy. Whatever it was, happy was a good look on him. She knew that her shooting had shaken him to the core. It was a feeling she was intimately familiar with, having dealt with his own brush with death.
Her eyes lovingly roamed over him as he walked toward her. He was a beautiful man, both inside and out. Whatever she’d done to be blessed with his presence in her life, she was eternally grateful for it. She shuddered to imagine a life without him in it.
Kitty still had the occasional nightmare, dreaming of him leaving for work never to return to her. Along with her own ordeal, the fear was something she was working on overcoming. Despite thinking at one time that she couldn’t live with the stress of Gray’s job, she came to understand she simply couldn’t live without him.
When he reached her, he stopped and stood, gazing deep into her eyes. As if he sought the answers to life’s mysteries there. Returning his intense gaze, Kitty caught her breath at the love she saw in the depths of his emerald-green eyes. Eyes she would never tire of.
Oh, so slowly, Gray drew her into his embrace. Watching her the entire time. Lowering his lips to hers, he took his time with the kiss. Almost as if he were trying to tell her without words what he was feeling.
