Any Time, Any Place (Billionaire Builders #2)(95)
She took the phone and opened her door. The night sky exploded with stars, and Raven slowly smiled. “I think it’s time I let him off the hook.”
“Good for you. When are you coming to visit me in Verily?”
“Soon. I’ll bring Dalton. You’ll love him. Tell Liam I said hello and that he has the smartest woman on earth in his arms.”
“I’ll make sure to relay the message. Take care of yourself, babe. Peace out.”
“Peace out.”
She ended the call. Watched the stars for a while. A faint voice drifted to her ears, whispering through the darkness.
But if it’s your road to follow, take it.
She smiled and hugged herself. “Yes, Papa.”
It was time to go see Dalton.
chapter thirty
Dalton heard the sound again, and frowned. Sitting up in bed, he strained his ears, listening in the silence.
Ping. Ping.
Something was hitting the windows.
He padded naked over to the balcony doors, which he’d closed to keep in the heat. Squinting, he peered through the glass. Was a bird hitting it? He doubted a robber would use a ladder that high. Escape wouldn’t be too easy.
Ping. Ping.
He pushed open the doors and stepped outside.
Everything slowed, stopped, then restarted again with a lurch. Raven stood below the balcony, her hands full of rocks, and motioned for him to come down. In seconds, he flung on a pair of shorts, then raced down the stairs and past the dogs, who gave him a grumpy glare before plopping their giant heads back down in their beds to go to sleep.
He tore down the path and stopped in front of her. Dressed in jeans and a baby-blue T-shirt that emphasized the perfect swell of her breasts, she cocked a hip and studied him as if she were out for a casual evening stroll. Across town.
“Are you okay?” he huffed out, trying to calm his racing heart.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Her heated gaze raked over his bare chest and legs. His skin tingled where she lingered, as if she’d run her hands over him. “Whatcha doing?”
His brow lifted. “Umm, sleeping. It’s one a.m. What are you doing?”
“Having a revelation.”
A mixture of nausea and excitement churned his gut. Was she here to finally tell him to go away forever? Was she tired of him following her around, trying to gain her forgiveness? Was she ready to move on with another man who hadn’t been stupid enough to hurt her? He tried to swallow, but there was no spit left in his mouth. “Oh. I guess revelations are good for this time of night. Are you here to share it with me?”
“Yes.”
He waited. She didn’t say anything, just kept looking at him with a hungry she-devil sort of gleam in her dark eyes. The moonlight played in her hair, which was wild and curly around her face. He didn’t want to imagine his life without her, and at that moment, Dalton didn’t know what he’d do if she announced it was completely, irrevocably, definitely over.
“Have you ever watched the movie When Harry Met Sally?” she asked.
He didn’t even blink at the weird change of topic. “Not into chick flicks, but yes. Along the way I was forced to watch it. Wasn’t too bad.”
“Well, that’s the reason I’m here. In the middle of the night.”
He tried hard to understand, but he was too damn nervous and his brain wasn’t working. He caught her scent on the breeze and almost groaned from pure lust. Sandalwood. So damn sexy. “Umm, you want to watch a movie? I can do that.”
A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “No. Remember the scene in the movie where Harry ran all the way through the city on New Year’s Eve and finally found Sally, in the middle of this big holiday party around midnight, and she looked at him like he was nuts and asked him why the heck he was there?”
Damn, he wished he’d paid better attention. Dalton swore to study every chick flick in the future if he could pass this one test. But he’d promised no more lies. “No,” he said sadly. “I don’t remember.”
“That’s okay. Harry said when you realize you love someone and want to spend the rest of your life with that person, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
Dalton didn’t move, didn’t breathe. “What are you saying, Raven?”
This time she smiled fully and walked over, closing the distance between them. Reaching out, she slid her arms over his shoulders and pressed her forehead against his. “I’m saying I love you. I forgive you. I trust you. And I want the rest of our life to start right now.”
His hands caressed her cheeks, her hair, her body, as if he was terrified she was an illusion ready to drift away in a puff of smoke. “You’ll be mine?”
“I think I always was, Dalton Pierce,” she whispered against his lips. “Now will you stop talking and kiss me?”
And he did. With a groan of delight, he took her lips and slid his tongue inside her mouth, fusing them together with pure intimacy. He kissed her like she was the most precious gift in the world—because she was. His hands stroked over her body, bringing her tight against him, reveling in the crackling energy that stole his breath.
“I love you so much,” he said, finally breaking the kiss. “Today. Tomorrow. Always.”