She swallowed hard. "How?"
"God, where do I start?" he said with a laugh that sounded as rough as sandpaper. But somehow, he found a way to explain. "When I first agreed to protect you for Zach, you were just an assignment, even though I was very attracted to you. But right from the very beginning, you had a way of seeing through me like no one else ever has, and that scared the crap out of me."
He braced his hands on his hips and paused a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "When my mother died, I just shut down emotionally, and that's how I coped with things, by keeping my distance and telling myself I didn't need anyone in my life." He tipped his head, a hint of that boyish smile of his making an appearance. "But you already know all this about me, don't you?"
She nodded. "Yes," she whispered.
"And you know why?" he asked as he slowly closed the distance between them. "Because you've cared more about me than any one else ever has. You're the only person who scratched deeper than the surface layers, and the things you exposed weren't always pleasant."
He stopped inches away from her, his eyes gleaming in the moonlit shadows as his gaze connected intimately with hers. "But, looking back, it was like cleaning out an infected wound in order for it to heal. And you did that for me, Lora. You coerced me to open up and purge the pain, even though I did everything to resist you and your attempts. You made me face the past and deal with it for the first time in my life. But mostly, you forced me to feel more than I have since I was a kid."
Reaching out, he skimmed his warm fingers along her jaw, then cupped her cheek in his warm palm. "How can I not love such a selfless, generous, caring woman like you? The thing is, I can't," he said, his deep voice raspy with emotion. "I can't not love you, and I can't live without you."
He loved her. Lora's breath caught in her throat, and tears of joy filled her eyes. "I knew you loved me," she said, her voice thick with those unshed tears. "It just took you a little longer to figure it out."
He laughed, the sound light and carefree, and ringing with undiluted happiness. "Yeah, you're a real know-it-all, aren't you?"
He swiped at a tear that had fallen while she gave him a sassy grin. "When it comes to you, yes."
Gently, he rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip, his eyes darkening with desire when she followed the touch with her tongue. "I don't want to be alone anymore, Lora," he said huskily, earnestly. "I don't want to be that man always standing on the outside. There's only one person I belong with, and that's you, because I can't function worth a damn without you in my life."
She'd never heard sweeter words, or such a heartfelt declaration, and she knew that Joel had finally stepped out of the shadows, and had finally stopped running. "So, are you saying that you're done playing it safe with your heart and relationships?"
"I'm done playing it safe with you," he said adamantly. "For you, I'm risking it all." He framed her face in his hands and stared so deeply into her eyes she felt as though he was a part of her soul. "I love you, Lora Marshall. Will you marry me?"
She didn't have to think twice, and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him enthusiastically. "Yes, I'll marry you," she said, dizzy with elation. "Yes, yes, a hundred times, yes!"
He chuckled in her ear as he held on to her just as tight, the feel of him as solid and secure as the future ahead of them. "I'll take that as a yes," he teased.
Grinning, and deliriously happy, she pulled back and slanted her mouth across his, pouring every once of love and affection she felt for him in the depth and sweetness of their kiss. With a groan, he gave her just as much passion, a lifetime of devotion, and the promise of a happily ever after.
In time, they broke the heated kiss, and Joel pressed his forehead to hers. "Now, back to the reason why I brought you here," he said, and kissed her softly once more. "This used to be my spot, but now I want this to be our place, where we can go to when we want to talk or just be alone."
She liked the sound of that. A whole lot. "And to make out?" she added with a wicked grin.
"Yeah, that, too," he agreed, and slid his hands down to cup her bottom and lift her tighter against him so there was no mistaking how much he'd missed her over the past three weeks.
He glanced at the motorcycle, then back to her. "You know, there's an awful lot of different things we can try on that bike," he drawled in a deliciously sinful tone as those wonderful hands of his now found their way beneath her coat and shirt, and he filled his palm with her breast. "You up for a little bit of risk and adventure?"
Her entire body heated, and her nipple hardened against the sweep of his thumb. "Oh, yeah," she said, and knew that life with Joel would always include a whole lot of risk and adventure, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Janelle Denison
