“And when did you realize you were wrong and it was more than lust?”
“Tonight. The minute you opened the door. Seeing you again put a lot of things in perspective. I had missed you so much and it had only been five days. I wondered how I would handle it if it had been five weeks, five months or five years. That’s when I knew I loved you, Jaxon.”
“And I love you, sweetheart. And I meant what I told you that night. I intend to marry you one day. Granted, I hadn’t planned to tell you about my plans that soon, but I felt I had to be honest with you. I didn’t want you to think all I was interested in was sex.”
She smiled. “It was hard to believe you were serious since most men run away from marriage.”
“Not me. My parents set good examples for me to follow.”
“Are you sure about me? I’m not a sophisticated or refined kind of woman.”
“Trust me, you’re the kind of woman I need, want and desire.”
“And speaking of desire...” she whispered against his lips. “What will it take for you to give me one more steamy night?”
“All you have to do is ask.”
“Well, I’m asking, Jaxon.”
He stood with her in his arms and headed for the bedroom.
Nineteen
Nadia knew the moment her sisters Jill and Paige arrived at Cheyenne Steele Westmoreland’s birthday party, which was being held in the nation’s capital at the Saxon Hotel. The huge ballroom of the luxurious hotel was beautifully decorated with balloons and birthday streamers. Nadia had seen her sister Pam when she first arrived a short while ago.
To say Cheyenne had been surprised about the party was an understatement. Quade had told her they would be attending another joint fundraiser for his two senator cousins, Reggie Westmoreland and Jess Outlaw. She hadn’t suspected a thing and the look on her face when she’d entered the ballroom to discover the party was in her honor was priceless.
Nadia thought it was good seeing so many Westmorelands and Outlaws together. If anyone found it odd that Jaxon was always by her side, they didn’t mention it. However, several women in the family did give her curious looks. The men did not, and she thought that was rather strange.
She braced herself when she saw Jill and Paige make a beeline straight to her. None of her sisters had a clue about her and Jaxon. She hadn’t had a chance to pull them aside to tell them anything yet.
After greeting everyone in the group standing around Nadia, Paige and Jill gave their sister a hug. “When did you arrive in town?” Paige asked.
“I got in early today.” No need to tell her that her plans to arrive yesterday had been waylaid when instead of helping her pack like he claimed he would do, Jaxon had kept her on her back in bed. But then she’d kept him on his back a few times as well.
“That’s why we couldn’t reach you. You were probably in the air,” Jill surmised.
“Probably. I caught a ride with Jaxon on his jet.”
Both women shifted their gazes to Jaxon and smiled. “Thanks for getting her here. Does that mean you didn’t bring a date?” Jill asked.
Jaxon lifted a brow. “A date?”
“Yes. We had suggested early in the week that Nadia catch a ride here with you, but she was worried you might be bringing a date and didn’t want to impose,” Paige said.
Jaxon smiled back. “Oh, I see. And to answer your question, yes, I brought a date. In fact, I brought the woman I intend to marry as soon as she’s ready to tell me yes.”
Nadia noticed several people around them had their eyes and ears on Jaxon and she knew why. He’d never mentioned being in a serious relationship with anyone. “Really?” Paige said, smiling brightly.
Jill’s and Paige’s gazes searched the group surrounding them before glancing around the room. They then turned their gazes back to Jaxon. “Where is she? We can’t wait to meet her,” Jill said.
A huge smile spread across Jaxon’s lips. “She’s standing right in front of you.” He wrapped his arm around Nadia’s waist before leaning in to brush a kiss on her lips.
“What! When! How!” Her sisters’ squeals of excitement caused others to look their way. Then others came over to join them to hear the details.
“Don’t tell me you and Jaxon pulled a secret affair like me and Aidan,” Jill said, grinning from ear to ear.
Nadia chuckled as she leaned back against Jaxon. “There was nothing secret about us, trust me. None of you were in Gamble to get into our business.”