Dalton said they were shaking in their boots by the time he and Travis left, promising I would be free to register for classes ASAP. He also assured me that he only told Travis the bare minimum about my indiscretions to secure his help and advice. Travis wasn’t stupid, though. It wouldn’t have taken him long to figure out the rest. Still, once I calmed down and was able to fully understand Dalton’s motivation for interfering, I was able to see that he had saved me from a year of looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wasn’t being blackmailed into keeping quiet about a sleazeball professor manipulating young female students into affairs with him anymore, and that was incredibly freeing. He did it because he loved me and knew I’d be a basket case the entire year if I had that extra weight on my shoulders.
Thankfully, I never heard from Jason or the dean again. I found out through a classmate who’d taken some of Jason’s classes along with me that Melody left him shortly after the baby was born. Good for her, for both of them.
***
Our first few days back on the island went much like the last few days of our previous trip to the resort. We sunbathed and made out in the water. His hands would find my ass and he’d grind his erection into my pelvis, then we’d end up in bed in the middle of the day, a mess of tangled limbs and salty skin. At night, we had dinner and walked on the beach, enjoying the entertainment and nightly parties. We put that infinity pool and tub on the deck to good use. I hoped our bungalow neighbors didn’t see or hear any of our late-night activities, but in the end, I really didn’t care.
On day four, I broke out that infamous red bikini he lost his mind over last time just to taunt him. He got all growly and possessive, just like I hoped. We had a good bit of privacy out there, but that didn’t matter. That bikini incited his lust and inflamed his jealousy. I enjoyed the three minutes I got to wear it, but I enjoyed him taking it off me even more.
That evening we had early reservations for dinner, so we left our little private slice of paradise while the sun was still high in the sky. We feasted on crab legs and split lobster tail, washing it all down with generous amounts of sangria. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, casting the clouds in a riotous glow of orange and purple as we left the restaurant. We walked along the beach at a leisurely pace, passing a familiar little bar nestled right up to the sand. It was the place where Dalton had pulled me away from Nico to claim me as his own. I giggled at the memory, so glad he finally gave in and confessed his feelings for me.
“What’s so funny?” Dalton asked, tugging on my hand. He pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around me as we walked.
“Do you remember that place?” I pointed up the beach.
“How could I forget?” His jaw ticked with annoyance and my pulse raced.
Maybe I should poke the bear some more. It could make our evening a little more fun.
“I was so mad at you for swooping in and ruining my night.” His mouth flattened into a hard line and I chuckled. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I was glad afterward when I found out why you came in there all broody.”
“I was not broody,” he claimed defensively, but the corner of his mouth quirked up.
“You were totally broody. I thought you were going to challenge Nico to a duel.” He threw his head back and laughed, the sound deep and rich, sending a vibration through my chest that settled in my stomach. I never knew a laugh could be so sexy.
“Hey, if you hadn’t run off that evening and made me chase you down, I wouldn’t have felt the need to get all broody. I was pissed,” he admitted.
“I could tell.” We both chuckled. Looking back, it was kind of funny. I’d screwed with him on purpose just to piss him off. It had the unexpectedly fabulous side effect of him going all caveman and carrying me back to our villa and making love to me. And for that, I wasn’t the least bit sorry.
He slowed to a stop and I turned to look at him. He pulled me in close and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted my gaze to his. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown at any other time, but tonight had taken on a more whiskey hue as the golden glow of the sunset reflected in them.
“Do you remember this spot right here? Where we’re standing now?”
I glanced around, trying to recall the significance, but that night was a whirlwind, the landscape passing by in a blur.
“This is the spot where everything changed,” he said when I didn’t answer right away. “It’s where we had our last first kiss.”
“Our last first kiss?” I asked, perplexed. That didn’t make any sense.
“Technically our first kiss was ten years ago, but we went so long before our next, it was like having our first kiss all over again.” His sweet declaration brought a smile to my face. That first kiss in his old smelly Tahoe was a disaster. It started out perfect, but then he pushed me away, shattering my heart into a million pieces. The next go around was much better, and what I wanted to remember as that very special milestone.
“This was where our love story began,” he announced, his eyes soft with affection, an elated smile parting those beautiful lips. He gripped my hands and rubbed his fingers over my knuckles. “And I hope it’s also where our forever begins.” He released my right hand and dropped to his knee, reaching into his pocket.
My hand shot to my mouth, covering a gasp. Is he about to...?
“Taylor Marie Wesley, I spent far too many years trying to keep from loving you. I wasted so much time… time that we could’ve been happy together. I won’t waste any more. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He released my hand and opened a black velvet box. I didn’t even look at the ring. I fell on my knees in front of him and pulled his face to mine, planting my lips on his.
“Yes!” I cried between kisses. “Yes,” I repeated, hoping this wasn’t a dream. If it was, I never wanted to wake up.
We kissed for what seemed like forever before I finally pulled away, my eyes damp with happy tears.
“Do you want the ring now?”
“Oh, the ring!” I’d been so overjoyed with the prospect of becoming his wife, I forgot all about the ring. “Yes. Give it to me.” His laughter filled the air once more and my face heated. I didn’t mean to be that blunt and demanding, but I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted any material thing in my life. My breath stuck in my throat when he finally aimed the open box in my direction.
“Dalton,” I breathed, my eyes flashing to his. It was perfect. A vintage halo diamond ring with a rose gold band. I couldn’t have designed a more fitting ring myself. He slid it out of the black velvet cushion and grabbed my left hand.
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life fighting with you so we can have incredible make up sex.” A giggle erupted from my lips as he slid the cool band onto my ring finger.
“Let’s start right now,” I offered. He wrapped me in his arms and our lips met with the same electric intensity as they had the first time we kissed on this beach. The sky darkened as we rushed toward our bungalow, where he made love to me for the first time as the future Mrs. Dalton James. We forgot all about the fight, but we sure remembered how to make up.