How could any man make a woman feel this way, make her totally lose herself in his body, the way he was doing. She clung to his shoulders as if they were a lifeline. And in a way, they were. After years of refusing to risk her heart, she had fallen in love…with him. And not because he could make love so darn good, but because in Paris she’d discovered there was a lot about Cortez that was worth loving.
His thrusts grew harder and she drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of them making love. She knew she wouldn’t be able to last much longer, and she closed her eyes when he leaned in and captured her mouth. At that moment, she surrendered to everything — to the air shimmering in sexual need around them, to the intensity of his lovemaking, and to the tripping of her pulse that signaled she was beyond gone. He was so deep inside of her, every part of her body rejoiced.
Then it happened…desire collided with fulfillment and she screamed his name when a multitude of sensations burst through her. He pumped and thrust that much faster and harder as she rocked her hips against him, needing to feel as one with him.
“Love me,” she whispered just moments before her body burst into a series of intense, pleasurable spasms
“Open your eyes and look at me, Victoria.” When she did, he whispered, “I do love you.”
Cortez eased off Victoria and then shifted their bodies so he could wrap her securely in his arms. He wondered if she’d realized what he’d said. He knew she hadn’t truly asked him to love her, but had merely asked for him not to stop making love to her. However, he’d seized on the opportunity to tell her exactly how he felt about her. He figured she would think she had either misheard him or misinterpreted what he said. Then, of course, there was a chance she might not even remember.
So, he waited. And waited.
As seconds ticked into minutes, he figured she had dismissed his words, and was about to close his eyes when suddenly, she turned in his arms and looked at him. “Did you mean what you said?”
A lump formed in his throat. “Yes, I meant every word.”
He watched her…and again waited. He released a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding when a smile curved her lips. “Since when?” she asked.
He returned her smile, and he reached out to stroke her cheek. “I want to believe it was the first time I made love to you and discovered you were a virgin. I was arrogant enough to believe you’d saved yourself for me. That’s why I was obsessed with finding you after I woke up that morning and found you gone.” Cortez paused for a moment, then asked, mainly because she hadn’t said yet, “And how do you feel about me, Victoria?”
She leaned up and pressed a kiss against his lips. “I love you, Cortez. I should have realized it sooner, but I never wanted to fall in love. I saw how love left my mother vulnerable.”
“I would never hurt you, Victoria. Please believe that.”
“I do.” She paused a moment. “I wasn’t sure at first, so I felt it was best to keep my distance. But when you asked for those two days in Paris, I decided to go because I truly wanted to be with you. Alexia and Quinn and Brandy and Grey think the world of you, and I wanted to trust their judgment. And I did. In Paris, I discovered you were someone I wanted to know a lot better.”
He nodded. “And when did you decide you wanted more?”
“Tonight. I’ve been thinking about you a lot since Paris, and the moment I saw you tonight, I knew why. I had fallen in love with you.”
He tightened his arms around her and snuggled them closer together. “So…where do you suggest we go from here, Victoria? Because I want forever with you.”
Her eyes lifted. “What do you mean?”
If he had to spell it out for her, then he would. “I’m not the kind of guy who falls in and out of love. In my lifetime, I’ve only loved you, and that’s the way I intend for it to be. So, what I mean is that I want to marry you. I want us to grow old together, share babies, grandbabies, great-grandbabies. I want to show you that I know how a man is supposed to treat a woman.” He saw the tears that shone in her eyes. “So, will you marry me?”
Instead of answering, she did something he didn’t expect…she buried her face in his chest and cried. Her tears soaked his naked chest. He tensed a little and asked, “Why are you crying, sweetheart?” He reached up and wiped the tears from beneath her eyes with the pad of his thumb.
“Because you’ve made me happy.”
Cortez untensed. “Does that mean you will marry me?”
“Yes, but first, we should probably go out on an official date. And just so you know, our times in Paris don’t count. I’m talking about dating in the open. So I guess we’re looking at a long engagement.”
“I don’t want a long engagement, Victoria. And as far as dating goes, we can date while you plan the wedding.”
She chuckled. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes, so how soon can we get married?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. Kennedy hasn’t set a definite date for her wedding yet. I figure it will be in June, since she’s always wanted to be a June bride.”
“June is five months away. But I guess you don’t want to tie the knot before she does, right?”
She smiled. “Right.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Does that mean you are going to make me wait beyond June?”
“Afraid so.”
He smiled. “Since I have no choice but to wait that long, I guess that means we’ll start dating regularly. And I mean regularly.”
Victoria smiled broadly. “And how will you manage that when you live in L.A. and I live in St. Paul?”
He chuckled. “Trust me. I intend to make it work, even if I have to fly to St. Paul every chance I get, baby.” And he meant it. He’d never considered a long-distance romance with any woman, but he would do so with her — the woman he intended to marry. “So, what do you think?” he asked her, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I think it’s the beginning of something wonderful.”
He did, too.
“THERE’S A DELIVERY FOR you, Ms. Bennett.”
Victoria smiled. It had been three weeks since the night of Grey’s birthday party, when she and Cortez proclaimed their love for each other, and she’d agreed to marry him. He’d kept his word about making a long-distance romance between them work by visiting her every weekend. This would be the first weekend that he wouldn’t be coming because he had a court case on Monday that he had to prepare for. Of course, she understood, but she’d miss him.
Standing, she moved around her desk, then opened the door and walked into the reception area. Her smile widened when she saw the beautiful vase of fresh-cut flowers. “They’re beautiful.”
“Yes, they are,” her administrative assistant agreed. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Charlotte.”
She’d called her mother the day after Grey’s party to tell her the good news, and then she’d told her cousins at lunch the next day when she’d met them around the hotel’s pool. Everyone was happy for her. Kennedy had even suggested they have a double wedding. It would be the first one ever in the Bennett family, and she really liked the idea. In fact, it made a lot of sense, considering the same people would participate in both weddings. Cortez was thrilled with the decision since it meant they could marry sooner than they’d planned.