He kissed me softly at first, his lips brushing mine with the tenderness of downy bird wings.
It invoked a fluttering sensation in my heart, like a column of swirling butterflies in my ribcage circling out of my throat.
I inhaled deeply, drawing his scent into my body. I wrapped my hands around his muscular back, kneading and caressing his muscles.
We ground our mouths against one another as a heady rush of pleasure flooded my core.
Our mouths grinding became a collision between galaxies, like stars exploding in the heavens and new universes birthed into existence.
Quiet moans escaped his throat as he brought his hands around to cup my ass and pull me against his rigid erection.
I became consumed with our bodies melting, the distinctions between us dissolving into nothingness. Nothing else mattered but this kiss, this moment of shared connection.
I never wanted it to end.
I groaned as Roman thrust his hips against me, stirring my desire to rip off his clothes and join him.
As our lips continued to meld, a sense of gratitude filled my heart at finding this man. I would walk through hell and back to be with him. There wasn’t a thing about him that I didn’t love. I loved how he walked into my presence after battling the enemy, muscular and imposing like a warrior. Or how he became soft and vulnerable when we loved one another, the way we were doing now. I adored his intelligence, thoughtfulness, and lightning-fast responses to danger.
I forgot to bring food to Emily!
The thought wrenched me away from the kiss.
“I need to see to Emily,” I said sheepishly.
“Not yet,” Roman said, panting. A curious expression fell upon his face.
“What?” I said, tipping my head to the side.
“This…” He dropped to one knee before me and held my hand. “Olivia, my love… the flame of my life. Would you do the honor of marrying me?”
I took flight, soaring toward the heavens. Yet, I found myself unable to speak.
A memory floated to the surface as I blinked at Roman, tongue-tied.
While living in Seattle, I’d been in a fit of pique when my father had told me that Tristan, my boyfriend, the man I’d wanted to marry and give my life to, couldn’t be trusted. He was right, but at the time, I was angry. I’d driven into town and wandered through a street fair. I’d come upon a fortune-teller who had told me I’d marry a warrior. At the time, I’d assumed she meant Tristan.
How wrong I had been.
Tristan was a weak man. He was a sneak, a liar, and a betrayer.
Roman was a thousand times the man Tristan could ever hope to be.
But, given the challenges facing us, could we marry now? My heart and my mind warred.
Finally, I pried my lips apart and spoke. “How can we marry with so much danger ahead of us? I doubt it will be easy to destroy Balthazar.”
Roman, still on bended knee, looked up at me with fierce conviction radiating from his eyes. “How can wenotmarry? There is nothing that can break us apart. Already, we’ve endured the emperor. We’ve both been captured and escaped. We’ve faced loss, grief, and unendurable challenges. I can’t imagine another moment without knowing you are my wife—my life.
“You are why I get up each morning and lay my head down each night. The thought of seeing you on the morrow fills me with hope, even when we are far apart. No matter what, if there’s the hope of seeing you again, there’s a reason to get up each day. Having found you twice in this lifetime, I know we will always find one another. I will always be by your side.”
My heart split wide open. Grinning madly, I said, “Yes, I will marry you, Roman Alexander! I want nothing more than to be your wife and to take you as my husband.”
Roman bolted to his feet and seized me in a crushing kiss.
My body burst into flames of desire and passion. I hooked my leg around his hips and tugged him against me. God, how I wanted him inside me.
We kissed until we were breathless.
