Rekindled (Titanium Security Series) (27 page)

It was quiet out here on Whiteface Mountain, near Lake Placid in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York. The only sound was the slight whisper of the wind buffeting against the windowpane. Alex had to be downstairs. She smiled to herself. Now was the perfect time to give him his early Christmas gift.

She was still tired, could easily have slept the rest of the day away, but she was getting stronger every day. It was likely she’d suffer fatigue and headaches for months from the sarin exposure but she couldn’t complain because those symptoms were on the extreme mild end of the spectrum.

She knew she was lucky to be alive, and though she hadn’t been able to attend the meetings, her UN-sanctioned team had gotten the deal signed by the Syrian delegation. The dismantling of the chemical weapons stockpiles and facilities was already underway. After the holidays, she was scheduled to go to Syria with the team to inspect the progress, and Alex would be back at work on his next assignment. In the meantime, she was going to savor every hour of this stolen time her recuperation gave them.

But Alex would be waiting for her downstairs and she had a gift to deliver, so she climbed out of the warm nest of the bed and took a shower in the adjoining master bath. They’d rented the cabin for the week leading up to Christmas, and she loved getting away with him like this, away from everyone and the demands of their jobs. It felt like the honeymoon she’d always dreamed of, and she secretly hoped she’d be having a real one within the year. Right now though, she was going to make this the most memorable Christmas Eve Alex had ever had.

Grace took her time washing her hair and shaving her legs. Once she was out and toweled off, she rubbed her favorite sugar and spice lotion into her skin and blew her hair dry. She brushed her teeth, put on more eye makeup than she normally did to accentuate her eyes, then took the special bag out of her suitcase she’d been saving for this occasion. Pulling on a knee length satin robe, she opened the door and nearly ran face-first into the thin red ribbon strung across the threshold.

She stepped back, finally noticing the handwritten note dangling from the end of it. She smiled as she read the familiar block printing.

Follow the trail to find your present
.

For a moment she stood there with a stupid, sappy grin on her face, so touched by his thoughtfulness that she had to swallow the lump in her throat. No one had ever done anything like this for her. When had Alex managed it? After making love to her he’d fallen asleep snuggled up against her back, but obviously he hadn’t slept long and she must have been practically unconscious because she hadn’t heard a thing while he set this up. That man was just full of surprises.

Feeling like an excited kid on Christmas morning, she took the end of the ribbon and began to wind it around the spool he’d thoughtfully left attached to it. She stepped out onto the upper landing to take a look around. He’d wound the ribbon from room to room, leading her on a quest through the entire upper floor of the cabin before winding it around the banister on the stairs.

“Alex?” she called. “I’m heading down.”

No answer. She frowned, paused in the winding. Was he even here? She could smell the homemade lasagna she’d made earlier and popped in the oven to warm before her nap.

Unsure what she was about to find downstairs, she wove the spool in and out of the wooden banister as she descended the stair, her bare feet silent on the carpeted runner. Halfway down she caught the magical glow of the tree they’d decorated the night before and she paused when it came into view. There was more ribbon criss-crossing the living room, but she couldn’t help the thrill that went through her at the sight of that tall spruce covered in white lights and the box of decorations they’d bought at a local store. No sign of Alex, but a roaring fire burned cheerfully in the hearth beside the tree so he couldn’t have gone far. It was the most romantic, cozy sight she’d ever seen.

Hurrying now, she unwrapped the ribbon from the bottom newel post and followed the trail through the kitchen. He’d been very thorough, she thought with a laugh. When the hell had he had time to do this?

The ribbon wove its way from the kitchen to the study, then to the powder room and finally back into the living room where the tree stood. She followed the trail right into the branches and back out again, finally spotting where he’d laid it along the rug in front of the fireplace and back toward the kitchen. The spool was almost full now. Bending to gather it from the rug, she straightened and stopped short when she saw Alex in the doorway. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest—a very muscular chest framed to mouthwatering perfection between the two halves of his open flannel shirt.

He gave her a slow, sexy smile and watched her without a word. Grace belatedly noticed that the ribbon trailed right into his front jeans’ pocket. “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me,” she said with a little laugh. She slid her gaze down to where the ribbon ended, right next to a particular package she was very interested in enjoying some more. “So, are you my present?” Because she would love to unwrap him here by the tree with the firelight flickering over his body.

He quirked a dark eyebrow. “Come find out.”

Grinning, she sauntered up to him, making sure to put an extra sway in her hips. Alex tracked her with that bright silver gaze, the heated look in them making her sizzle from fifteen feet away. She stopped less than a foot from him, cocked her head. “Hmm, what’s in the pocket?” she asked playfully, cupping her hand around the bulge in his pocket, very close to the other, equally prominent bulge behind his fly.

Rather than answer, he reached into the pocket, drew something out, and held it out to her.

Grace forgot to breathe as she focused on the blue velvet box in his hand. The smile froze on her face, the humor evaporated. Elation and a jolt of nerves flooded her veins. This was it. Her heart thudded in her suddenly dry throat.

“Open it,” he urged quietly.

She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. They’d talked about getting married of course, but she never thought he’d propose so soon. With shaking hands she reached out and slowly lifted the lid. Something shiny and metallic sparkled in the lights from the Christmas tree. White gold, or maybe platinum?

She lifted the lid all the way to expose the item nestled on its bed of velvet and got her first full look at the…

Key.

Grace blinked then looked up at him in confusion, caught off guard by the sharp stab of disappointment. He’d already told her he would propose when she least expected it, but still. She stared at Alex, not understanding what the key meant.

One side of his mouth quirked up in a charming, endearing grin. “Grace, I love you, more than you’ll ever know. Will you move in with me?”

He’d warned her about doing the unexpected, and he certainly had. She chuckled softly. Staring into his eyes, Grace felt the relief, the absolute rightness of it click into place. There was no doubt, no hesitation in her mind, and she felt the permanency of what he was asking wrap around her. He wasn’t asking her to just share a roof. Their commitment to each other was unshakable; they already belonged to each other body and soul. The ring and ceremony were only formalizations, and she knew they would happen at some point. This step was more than enough for now, and it thrilled her to know that he wanted to live with her day in and day out.

She stepped forward to take the key from the box and wrap her arms around his waist. “Yes. I’d love to.”

Alex tossed the box aside and dragged her close for a deep, searching kiss that left her breathless and hot all over. His hands explored her curves through the thin satin robe, leaving her tingling all over. He broke the kiss and leaned back. “I’m a little disappointed. I was expecting some kind of protest or demand,” he murmured, eyes twinkling.

“About what?”

He huffed out a laugh. “A key, Grace? Really?”

She frowned. “It’s the key to your heart. I got it. Pretty romantic, too. I love the symbolism of it.”

He shook his head at her, his eyes alight with amusement. “You’re too adorable. Don’t you want your real present?”

She cocked her head. “You know I love presents. What is it?”

Still grinning, he reached into his other pocket and pulled something out. He kept his fingers curled into a fist and held his hand out to her. But when she held her palm up, he pulled his hand away and got down on one knee. Her throat tightened and she bit her lip.

“I don’t just wanna shack up with you, angel, though I’m looking forward to that too. What I want is for the world to know you’re mine forever.” He opened his hand, revealing the sparkling round-cut diamond ring on his palm. “Will you marry me?”

She glanced down into his eyes, saw the love and respect there. Dropping to her knees facing him, she slid one hand around the back of his neck. “Yes. In a heartbeat.”

Alex growled in approval and kissed her, slow and sweet until she tingled all over. Then he eased away to take her left hand and slide the ring onto her finger. The diamond burned with an inner fire in the reflection of the flames dancing in the hearth. “You’re mine.”

The possessive way he said it sent a delicious shiver through her. “That goes both ways.”

“Damn right it does.” He grabbed her close and took her mouth in a searing kiss.

Before she lost her senses completely, she pulled her mouth away from his and dragged in a breath. “I got you a present too. And in my family, the tradition was everyone got to open one present on Christmas Eve.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm. I hope you like it.” She took his hands and brought them down to her waist where the robe’s satin belt was tied into a bow.

His eyes ignited with frank male interest. “Can I open it now?”

“I think you should.”

He stared at the belt as he pulled on the ends of the bow and the robe fell apart. Alex let out a soft growl, his eyes flaring when he saw the snug red lace teddy with its row of tiny black velvet bows holding the two halves together at the front. His molten gaze locked on the one between her breasts where the fabric gapped to give him an eyeful of her cleavage.

“You like?” she murmured, amused and delighted by his response.

He met her eyes, the raw hunger there stirring a delicious flutter low in her belly. “Oh, hell yeah.”

“I was going to wait until after dinner to give it to you, but—”

He let out a harsh laugh. “I’m not hungry for food anymore.” He yanked the robe off her and grabbed her by the hips to tumble her to the rug in front of the fireplace, coming down on top of her to smother her laugh with a sensual kiss that promised many more erotic gifts to come before they eventually got around to eating dinner later.

Much, much later, she hoped as he stared down into her eyes and undid the first velvet bow between her breasts with his teeth.

Five months later

“All right, everyone grab your seats. It’s about to start.”

At Ellis’s announcement, Alex walked over and slid his arm around Grace’s waist to interrupt the conversation she was having with Jordyn. “Time to roll, angel,” he murmured, bending his head to kiss the side of her neck. Her neck and shoulders were bare in the pale aqua dress that hugged her generous breasts and fell to her knees where it ended in a flouncy hem, showing off her shapely calves. He noticed the goosebumps that broke out across her skin and smiled against her neck.

When she twisted around to look up at him, the top of her head coming to his chin even in her sexy high heels, he noted the spark of hunger in her eyes. One touch, one little kiss or caress and she still lit up for him. It never failed to amaze him how hot they burned together. He knew he’d never get enough of her, not in ten lifetimes.

She turned in his arms and gave him a quick peck on the lips, her saucy red-glossed smile promising much more later on. “Okay. See you in a few.”

He watched her walk away from him, his stare fixed on that gorgeous round ass and the sway of her full hips. The woman was a walking pinup girl and he was the lucky bastard who got to see her laid out in his bed every night.

“Alex. Quit stripping Grace with your eyes and get in here.”

He grinned and turned around to find Claire—Mrs. Gage Wallace now—in her bridesmaid’s gown impatiently motioning him into the back room of the private house they’d rented for the occasion. She let him in and quickly shut the door behind him, and the sight that met his eyes made him feel like someone had punched him in the heart.

Zahra stood there in her silky white gown, a bouquet of white orchids clutched in her hands. Her long dark hair was pinned up on top of her head with just a few pieces left down to frame her face. The white veil trailed down to her slender waist. She flashed him a nervous smile. “You ready?”

Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded and looked down at the tips of her pink-painted toes that peeped out from beneath the hem of her dress. Hell, his damn eyes were stinging. He hadn’t expected to get this choked up.

Claire cleared her throat. “I’ll just give you two a minute.”

Alex appreciated her consideration. As the door closed behind Claire, he pulled in a breath and met Zahra’s gaze. Her pretty hazel green eyes were bright with tears. Her lips trembled a little. “Damn, Alex, don’t make me cry,” she warned, flashing a hand up to wipe the moisture away.

He shook his head. “You look so beautiful,” he told her hoarsely. Maybe they weren’t related by blood but he definitely felt like a proud father. It was his honor to walk her down the aisle.

The quiver in her lips vanished and a happy smile curved her mouth. “Can I get a hug?”

Aw, hell, was she trying to break him? He closed the distance between them and slid his arms around her back, squeezed his eyes shut when her arms wound around his shoulders and hugged him hard.

“Thanks for everything,” she whispered.

“No, thank you,” he answered in a rough voice. They’d been through so much—all of them had. When she let go he eased back and she grinned when she saw the dampness in his eyes.