Long Slow Burn (20 page)

His smile faded, but not the intensity of his gaze. “Why me?”

Because I love you.
She shrugged. “I knew it would mean something to you.”

“It means a lot.” He swallowed; his expression took on an odd urgency and something that looked like…fear? “But you're not supposed to give
me
a gift like that. It's
your
birthday.”

She laughed, feeling a little uneasy. Something was going on, something really uncomfortable for him. Her instinct knew it, and according to Marie, her instinct couldn't be wrong. “I think it's fine to give you something on my birthday, Nathan. I mean it's not as if—”

“I love you, Kim.”

She stared stupidly. She couldn't have heard him right.

“I love you, and I got you something, too.” He fished in his jacket pocket, had a little trouble coming up with it, but once he did, her heart simply stopped beating.

A jeweler's box. Black velvet.

“Nathan.” She nearly got dizzy. “What is this?”

“My balls.”

“Your—” Her face froze in horror. “Uh. You want to explain that one?”

He winked, but his eyes were more vulnerable than she'd ever seen them. “It's actually your birthday present, Kim.”

“Oh, my gosh.”

“I know I'm taking a huge risk here.” His voice broke; he ran his hand nervously through his hair. “We maybe don't know each other— We haven't really— But I couldn't see—”

“I love you, too, Nathan.”

His mouth snapped shut. His turn to stare stupidly. “You do?”

“Yes.” She was near tears, trembling, and so, so happy. “Yes. I do.”

He took a long, slow breath, as if he'd been figuratively holding it for the past half hour.

“Open the box, Kim,” he said hoarsely. “So I can ask you.”

The tears came, probably ruining her makeup. A good reason not to wear any, except Nathan was about to ask her to marry him, and with life together ahead of them, she wouldn't have to worry much about tears.

With shaky fingers she opened the little box. Even knowing what was inside, she found the sheer magical beauty made her catch her breath. Yes, it was a ring. Simple and beautiful, a diamond flanked by smaller twins in a beautiful twisted gold setting. “Oh, Nathan.”

He dropped to his knees right there on the sidewalk, not taking his eyes off hers. Passersby and customers exiting The City Market holding cups of coffee began to gather.

“Kim. I've loved you since the first time I saw you a decade ago. From then on, I have never loved any other woman.” His voice was strong, calm and sure. “And I know now that I will never love any other woman. You have made me into a better man and my life would be empty without you. Will you marry me?”

Squeals from a gaggle of young girls startled Kim, and she glanced over. Open tears from a mom pushing her toddler in a stroller. Gentle smiles from an older couple with linked arms. Gagging noises from teenage boys in the back. A young woman held up her cell phone to capture the moment; Kim's marriage proposal would likely be on YouTube by the time she and Nathan made it to Candy's. She didn't care. No matter how many people saw, this was only for her and the man she loved.

“Nathan.” She turned back to him; he hadn't stopped gazing at her, and in that second she truly understood that
he wouldn't look away from her again. “I have never loved a man as completely as I love you. I have never been the kind of woman I wanted to be until I met you. Yes. I will marry you.”

She barely heard the cheers and applause from the onlookers. Nathan got to his feet and kissed her with a mixture of passion and reverence that nearly overwhelmed her, and that made the crowd cheer harder.

They lingered for a few minutes, accepting congratulations, until Nathan's phone rang. He glanced at the number and ushered Kim back into the car.

“Who was that?” She waved to the well-wishers through the window.

“Another part of your birthday surprise.”

“There's
more?
” She smiled at him as he maneuvered the car back onto the road, this handsome, gentle, funny, lovely man she'd be proud, for the rest of her life, to call husband. “I'm in your hands.”

“Putty in them?”

“Absolutely.” She deliberately lifted the hem of her dress. “Do I really have to be on time for this party?”

He groaned and nearly missed their turn. “Don't do that.”

“No?” She spread her legs, lifted her knees so her thighs were completely bared, leopard underwear making a brazen appearance. “I wore your favorite.”

“Kim.” He took one hand off the steering wheel, adjusted his pants. “I'm going to be on fire all night now.”

“Yeah? You better not make moves on anyone else, wherever you're going.”

“Actually.” He pulled into Candy's driveway. “I plan to make a whole lot of moves on this party's guest of honor.”

“What do you—” She glanced toward the house. “This is for my birthday?”

“Come inside and find out how many more people love you.”

“Oh, wow.” Kim choked up, thinking of the girls and
what great friends they'd been to her. Darcy, Candy, Marie—did anyone deserve this much happiness? She leaned over for another kiss from her fiancé, wondering if she'd ever get enough of them. “Promise you'll keep that fire hot for me?”

His mouth curved in the sexy grin she loved so much, which now belonged only to her. “Sweetheart, this fire's been hot for the past ten years, no way is it going out. Tonight, tomorrow, for the rest of our lives, it's going to be a long, slow, beautiful burn.”

“H
OW MANY WOMEN DO WE
know who have two sets of leopard underwear?

Kim laughed and shook her head at Darcy. “I don't want that passed around.”

“I wish I'd been there to see Nathan's face when you caught him with his hand in your drawers.” Candy snorted. “I imagine the explanation was kind of a relief.”

“You could say that.” Kim sipped her coffee. “Thanks again for the party, everyone. It will always be remembered as one of the best days of my life.”

Kim was radiant. Seeing her beaming like that, even this early in the morning at their April Women in Power meeting at the Pfister Hotel, seeing her laughing loudly, making bold gestures with her hands—she was a different woman through and through, not just the makeup and hair.

“Turning thirty, winning an enormous contract and getting engaged in one day? Ha!” Marie winked at her. “I'd say you won't forget that soon.”

“How soon do you start work on the website, Kim?” Darcy asked.

“Ugh.” She pretended to look grouchy. “Right away. I'm nothing more than a slave now.”

“Poor baby.” Candy patted her hand. “Money, recognition, doing what you love… It just breaks my heart.”

“I know, I know.” Kim pressed a hand to her forehead, in a classic suffering-heroine pose. “Somehow I'll make it through.”

Amazing change. She was confident, relaxed and in charge of her life. Marie couldn't be happier.

Well, she could. If she could make some progress getting Darcy matched up. Marie had considered and discarded most of the men on Milwaukeedates.com, even seen if any sparks could fly between Darcy and Kent—no, they couldn't—and was feeling desperate. How did you get a woman matched up who had no apparent interest in cooperating?

“Have you and Nathan set a date yet?” Candy asked.

“Probably Christmas. We'll be looking to buy a place, but want to see where he gets a job first. He has two interviews next week.”

“Oh, a Christmas wedding.” Marie said yes to more coffee from the circulating pot. “I love those. So beautiful.”

“Fall wedding, Christmas wedding, I'm thinking it's your turn next, Darcy.” Candy took the words right out of Marie's brain.

“My turn?”
Darcy made it sound as if they were asking her to dive into a quarry with no water in it. “No, no. Thanks, really, I'd rather feed myself to sharks.”

“What, happiness not your thing, Darcy?” Kim joined Candy in a fit of girls' club giggles.

“Happiness has more to do with finding yourself than finding a man.” Darcy finished her serving of fruit cup and put her spoon down, obviously disgusted with the whole topic.

“Uh-huh. But sex with a man is a whole lot better than sex with yourself.” Candy leaned toward Darcy, blinking innocently. “Don't you like sex?”

Darcy sneered, eyes twinkling. “You can do that all you want without getting married.”

Ooh.
Marie brightened, and not just because the waitress had set down a heaping plate of pastries at their table.

Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. Maybe
the trick to getting Darcy matched up wasn't enrolling her on a dating site and sending her out on endless coffee dates with Mr. Wrongs Darcy could easily dismiss.

Marie helped herself to a muffin
and
a scone. Maybe it was a question of finding a Mr. Right who'd move straight to seducing her.