“We need to go now or we’ll never leave.” Willow’s sex pulsed as she heard the implication, the warning, in his words. Because I’ll take you right here. She wanted that—badly, but then he laughed hoarsely rolled his head in a circle as if easing bunched muscles.
“God, I never thought I’d say this, but not now. I have something special planned. You have no idea how hard you’re making this. Come on.” He held out his hand but looked as far away from her as he could.
Willow smiled, a sexy curling of the lips and took his hand. Her previous thoughts almost seemed ludicrous now that she’d spent time with him. He was right about what he said in the gym, she thought as he led her not to his truck but a sleek black BMW parked next to it. She did have the power.
The car was clean and buffed to the shine, even the silver rims glinted in the moonlight. Willow couldn’t help but think this was how Cinderella felt getting into that carriage.
He opened the door for her and allowed her to get inside before he quietly closed the door. Willow took the time to watch him come around. It was amazing how graceful he was wearing a fitted suit. His legs were long and she knew just how strong and muscular they were first hand. Yet the suit hid the strength of his muscles behind a wall of soft fabric, and the jacket and shirt underneath teasingly hid the hard packs of muscle he had along his stomach and chest. Willow was practically panting as he got into the seat next to her and pulled away from the cabin and out of town.
Again, her previous question floated through her mind. How had she ever suspected he’d be the power in the relationship? Her logic had been spot on—he was an Alpha, he was dominant. But Rachel was right. With enough pushing back, the scales didn’t tip one way or the other but settled perfectly in the middle allowing both sides to be equal.
Her heart beating in a fast rhythm, Willow reached the realization that she could do this. If she chose to, she could be with him and be happy. The thought scared her on a deep level but at the same time, filled her with a serene cool as if she’d finally put the last piece of the puzzle together.
“Where are we going?”
His hand reached until he found hers and curled their fingers together. “It’s a surprise.” Willow laughed something that sounded like a giggle and quickly squelched it.
“Normally I’d take you to dinner, and had planned on it too, until I remembered you don’t eat food anymore.” The way he said it made it sound naughty as if he was thinking about how she “fed” herself.
Fighting a blush, Willow said, “Yes, well, I am a succubus.” She looked out the window at the mass of dark trees and sky that whipped past the window. Her eyes almost bugged out and she silently, viciously cursed her stupidity. Was this the most charming conversation she could weave? Well it was his fault for making her so nervous, she decided smartly.
He laughed softly. “Yes you are. My succubus.”
With that warming her body, they drove for some thirty minutes before arriving at a large, modern building with a slanted sign on the front that read Indigo Park in tall block letters. He parked the car in a parking lot off the side of the building where signs warned that it was for VIP parking only.
“You’re a VIP here? What is this place?”
“It’s a surprise.” He parked the car and Willow reached for her door handle. He touched her shoulder, freezing her in place. “Ah, ah,” he tsked. “I’ll get that.” There was silken promise in his voice, a playful glint in his blue eyes. His eyes fell to her lips for a moment too long before he stole out of the car and opened her door.
She took his hand and followed him inside. The building was quiet on the outside, only bright white lights lighting the entrance, giving no signal as to what this place was. But inside, the place was booming with energy. Smells and sounds greeted her senses like static shock. Several bars lined the walls with dinner tables in the middle. Conversations and laughter filled the room to the chink of glasses being toasted.
“I thought you weren’t taking me to eat?”
“I’m not,” he said with a sly smile. He led her up a black wooden staircase and to the second floor of the building. Two doors stood at the top with two employees wearing black and white suits.
“Good evening, Mr. Keelan,” one of the guards said.
“Hello, Pete.”
“Go right in.”
Confused, Willow trailed behind Lyonis into a separate room and dread filled her at what she saw. A large room without any tables but a large bar fit against the left wall. The floor was made of a light colored wood that was buffed to a shine. Dozens of couples danced in loose and tight embraces to a live band on a stage to the right.
“Oh, no.”
Lyonis turned to her with that same sly smile. “Oh, yes. Come on.” He pulled her into the crowded room and swept her into his arms. Willow had no time to protest before he was swaying with her to the soft music of the band. They played a slower song filled with acoustic guitars, a soft drumbeat, and vocals so lovely she almost melted.
“I can’t dance.”
“Yet you’re in my arms dancing. Strange.” Willow sent him a glare that had his lips twitching.
“Oops, I almost forgot something.” Pulling back, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. Willow’s breath froze in her lungs. Time didn’t slow, though she wished it would so her mind had more time to react to this.
He opened the box and showed her the contents. Relief swept through her at the sight of earrings. No man proposed by giving a girl earrings, right? She hoped not.
“What is this?” The earrings were lovely. They were silver and long so they’d dangle and move from her ears when she moved. The long stem was black and at the bottom was an intricate woven design that reminded her of veining plant where inside sat a sparkling diamond. She hoped it was an imitation. “Tell me it’s not real.”
“Okay, it’s not real.” Her heart and stomach sunk through the floor. It was real. Diamonds. He’d bought her diamond earrings, and they were the prettiest things she’d ever seen.
“Why?” she said softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the gift.
“Because I’ve wanted to shower you with gifts since you got here. But with everything that’s been going on, my plans have moved much slower than expected. But now that Stephanie’s back, I can finally break these out.”
Willow didn’t have to ask. She knew he handpicked these just for her; it was his way. She wanted to reach for them and put them on, but her fingers shook. When he finally asked if he could have the honors she nodded. He parted the hair around one ear and gentle inserted the earring and attached the back.
A strange feeling came over her. Somewhere between happiness and sadness. She’d never been one to care for jewelry before. She had her ears pierced but that was mostly for her cheap plastic and fake earrings she usually forgot to wear.
He put in the second earring then tucked her hair back to look at his work. “You look beautiful all the time, but with your hair down you take my breath away.”
“Ditto.”
He tossed back his head and laughed so hard her face turned red with embarrassment. God, she was an idiot! What was wrong with her? Was she so surprised by this that she couldn’t handle basic conversation anymore? Apparently.
He swept her back into his arms and led her in small circles around the dance floor.
“I never thought I could make you speechless, my Willow. I couldn’t be happier.”
Surprisingly, Willow couldn’t remember a time she’d been so happy either.
For the rest of the night they danced in each other’s arms, bodies fitted perfectly together, moving in unison to the soft beat of the music. Willow was in some other world. Some romantic world where she was the princess dancing with the prince. She drank sweet, bubbly champagne then was swept back into his warm embrace time and again.