Pulling his phone from his pocket, Summer entered numbers, a code, to unlock the massive front door. Interior lights automatically turned on, illuminating the white walls and design work of forged wrought iron and frosted glass.
“That’s pretty nifty,” her tone mocking.
“I’m gonna give you something nifty in about ten minutes.” Pressing the thick iron handle, Summer opened the door. A small timid smile touched his lips as he stepped over the threshold. “I should’ve done this years ago.”
Aspen agreed with a bark, circling his legs. He moved so swiftly, Carrie Ann could hardly take in the sunken open living space sparsely furnished with cream-colored sofas and exquisite natural wood tables. The cozy design resembled a rustic version of contemporary art.
Making their way past the dining room, she glimpsed a pool and spa beyond a full wall of frameless glass. Ryan Summer had found his way and was leaving a mark on society. He’d grown up thriving to be his best. No exceptions. No excuses. A sort of profound pride, rooted into the very core during his youth. Football had shown him the road to achieve greatness. It had been a stepping stone, a building block, to the man he was now. His treasures burrowed far deeper than things of monetary value, those were merely the shell of an amazing man.
A cold ache began to settle heavily on her chest, inundated with feelings of loss and regret. “I can’t help but feel like I’ve missed out on so much over the last decade. Time, so much time, that we’ll never get back. I would’ve loved to have been a part of your life.”
Lowering her bum on the granite counter, he brushed long, lingering strokes up and down her arms. Diffused lighting exposed the seriousness held in his eyes. “I feel the same way, but fate has a way of working things out. You probably would’ve never dreamed up the Bare Your Soul campaign for the Have a Heart Foundation. Think of the millions of dollars you’ve raised in honor of your mom. And surely, I would’ve never been an actor. Looking back, I’d like to think I would’ve been successful at something, but my career has opened so many doors for me…including a window into a much more grounded me. I identify with myself on a deeper level now. Everything I’ve been through has made me a better man…and you deserve the best version of me that I can possibly give you, Red.”
He dropped his hands into hers, tugging her from the counter, guiding her to the master wing at the far end of the home. Entering into the pitch black bedroom, she followed Summer’s lead and kicked off her shoes.
She remained still, curling her toes into the thick plush carpet. Summer crossed the room, drawing back the exquisite drapes, filling the room in moonlight. His powerful silhouette lit her veins with adrenaline. She could feel her cheeks turning rosy, radiated by her rising heat.
A cool, moist breeze swept through the room when he pushed open the sliding glass door. A pleasant tremor rippled through her, constricting the sensitive tips of her breast. The short distance between them disintegrated, as she went to him, pressing herself against his back. Making haste with his shirt, she peeled it over his head, tossing it on his bed. Her hands traversed the hard definition of cut abs.
Small tremors of tension flowed through his muscles beneath the tips of her fingers. Quiet pleasurable groans rose from his open mouth. Summer lifted her fingers to his lips, kissing them one at a time. Carrie Ann maneuvered around him, pushing his back to the open doorway and dropping to her knees. His breath was coming hard, in labored breaths. He was shaking as she unzipped his jeans.
“You excited?” she asked playfully, dipping her fingers into the warm humid confines of his jeans, releasing the thick shaft.
Harsh moonlight illuminated his eyes, exposing the shadows with apprehension. He captured her wrist, mumbling, “I can’t do this.”
She recoiled at his rejection. Sensations needled the corners of her eyes. “Excuse me?”
Summer plucked her from her knees. Jogging sideways, he distanced himself from her reach. His brows crouched over his dark brooding eyes. Seeming lost in his thoughts, he paced back and forth in a soundless stride. Each frayed exhalation brought another offensive sting to her heart.
“Fuck it,” he grimaced out loud. Summer’s attention, finally landed on Carrie Ann as if she just walked into the room. Throwing his hands out to the side, both shoulders winched nearly to his ears as he shrugged. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“You do realize I’m here? And that I was just on my knees getting ready to give you a blowjob, right?”
A goofy smile covered his face, pointing his fingers to her feet. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
A scowl pinched a deep groove at the bridge of her nose. Summer disappeared behind a door she assumed was his closet. Minutes felt like hours, standing alone in the romantic setting, feeling like a confused dejected idiot. He loves my blowjobs. I can’t believe he just turned that down.
He reappeared from the closet seeming calm and collected. His eyes locked on her with a galvanizing stare that made her heart nearly lurch from her chest. She felt her insides melting from the inferno slipping through her veins. Not missing a beat, Summer ambled straight for her still sporting a cocky grin tucked into the corner of his upturned mouth.
Mesmerized by the sight of him, strolling toward her in his jeans…oh those damn jeans… unbuttoned and revealing, made her nerves dance, her brain race, and her stomach turn a quick somersault. Carrie Ann staggered back, but he caught her around the waist, coercing an arch from the small of her back. Her hands caught between them as he held her securely.
Summer guided her hand to his beating heart. “I don’t care how many years have passed or how many miles lie between us. You have owned this from the first moment we met. I will never forget the first time I caught your big blue eyes staring at me from across the room.”
“Actually, you were the one staring at me,” humor colored her hushed voice.
“Same difference. We were staring at each other. You were wearing that sexy little smile, it’s the same one that’s spreading over your lips right now.” He brushed a soft kiss to her nose. Pulling back, a small frown strained his features. “I came to see you that day, on your birthday. I had something to ask you.”
His heart thundered beneath her palm. Carrie Ann’s pulse flickered and leaped in her veins, seeing tender emotions rim his lashes.
“You did?”
“I did.” He held a small diamond pinched between his fingers. “I’ve held on to this for all these years. At first I kept it because I just couldn’t bear to let go of the thought of not having you beside me for the rest of my life, but then…I held on to it in hopes I’d be offering it to you in a moment exactly like this.”
Her heart swelled as big tears rolled down her cheeks. He seemed to struggle with an internal thought, but only for a brief moment, showering her with a sexy grin as he dropped to one knee. The blush on his face shone through the darkness.
“I know it’s soon, but I don’t want to waste another moment, another day, another night. We’ve already endured nearly four thousand nights apart, I don’t want to waste one more. Carrie Ann Lowell, you steal the very breathe from my lungs every time I see you smile. The way you love me…so perfectly, blows my mind.” The blaze of adoration in his eyes, transfixed her. “You mean the world to me. It would be my privilege if you’d allow me the honor of being your everything. Marry me, Red?”
“You’re already my everything. You always have been. We just got lost for a while.” She made a pass at her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
Summer rose to his feet, slipping the band made of white gold on her finger. The solitaire diamond sparkled in the moonbeam shining between them. He raised the back of her hand to his lips. “Don’t get too attached. I plan on adding this diamond to a different setting.”