The Proposal (The Proposition #2)(68)

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I feel the same way babe.”

After taking a turn off the interstate, they drove along the dark and curvy mountain roads. Glancing at the directions on his phone, Aidan made a final turn. “Greg had maintenance come out this afternoon and get things set up for us.”

“Like sex up the place?” Emma asked with a grin.

Aidan grinned. “Maybe. They delivered some food as well. We’ll go out to dinner a couple of times too if you want.”

“With us out here in the middle of nowhere, how do I know you won’t hold me hostage as your sex slave?”

Aidan threw his head back and roared with laughter. “No babe, you’re my wife, never my sex slave.”

“Pity,” she murmured. When he jerked his wide-eyed gaze from the road to meet hers, she giggled. “Just kidding.”

He exhaled a noisy breath as they turned into the driveway. Floodlights momentarily blinded her. When Emma stepped out of the car, she fought to keep her mouth dropping to the ground in disbelief. She glanced at Aidan and shook her head. “What?” he asked.

“You said your buddy was letting us have his cabin. That,” she motioned to the giant mansion, “is not a cabin. It’s a lodge at least. I bet it has eight or ten bedrooms.”

“And we can christen every one of them while we’re here,” Aidan remarked.

She laughed. “Yeah, we’ll just have to see about that one.”

“Come on. If you think this is amazing, wait until you see inside.” Taking her hand, Aidan pulled her up the front walk-way and up the porch steps. Once Aidan unlocked the door, he glanced back at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Whatever you’re thinking, I can without a doubt say the answer is no!”

Aidan chuckled. “Come on. I just wanted to carry my bride over the threshold.”

She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Your bride is seven months pregnant. Besides, you’re supposed to do that at your home, not your honeymoon destination.”

Ignoring her, Aidan swept his arm underneath her knees while the other went around her back. She shrieked when he swept her off her feet before kicking open the front door. “Oomph,” he muttered as he staggered across the threshold.

Emma burst into laugher at both his determined expression and his purple coloring. “Don’t go incapacitating yourself before we can get the honeymoon started, babe,” she teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied as he gently set her on her feet in the foyer.

“Aw, my hero,” she said, leaning up to kiss him.

He grinned at her. “Go on and explore the ca—”

“Lodge,” Emma corrected.

“Whatever. I’m going to go get our luggage.”

“Be careful. I wouldn’t want a city boy like you taken off by a bear or a coyote.”

He shook his head. “Always that mouth of yours.”

Once Aidan headed out the door, Emma turned her attention to the living room. It was outfitted with large, overstuffed couches and chairs. A floor to ceiling stone fireplace sat in the middle of the room, and after picking up the remote on one of the tables, a press of a button sent it roaring to life. Tilting her head, Emma took in the high ceilings with their crisscrossing wooden beams. As she walked around the room, she saw the large circular staircase leading to the next floor.

Aidan came huffing inside with three of their bags. “Need some help?” she asked.

“No, I got it,” came his muffled reply from behind the luggage.

When he started down the hallway, she followed him. At the end of the hall was the master bedroom. Her eyes widened when Aidan flipped on the light switch. Not only did it boast a huge four poster bed, a sitting area with a couch, loveseat and chair, but its own fireplace with a furry rug in front of it.

“Is that…?” she asked, pointing down at the floor.

Aidan grinned. “No, it’s fake bearskin or some other politically correct fake fur.”

“Good to know.”

“I bet it feels soft against your skin though,” he murmured, his breath hovering over her cheek.

“I bet it does.” She leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss. When she pulled away, her gaze fell to the bags at their feet. “Wait, that’s not everything.”

Aidan scowled. “Isn’t it enough to get us started?”

She shook her head. “You didn’t bring in my treat case.”

His brows shot up. “You’re what?”

A sly grin stretched on her lips. “You heard me. It has all the treats that I got at my lingerie shower. Handcuffs, massage oil, some edible underwear—”

Aidan held up his hand. “No need to explain anymore. You had me at handcuffs,” he replied before hurrying out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Shaking her head, Emma then turned her attention to the far wall of the bedroom. It had floor to ceiling windows with glass doors that opened onto a balcony. Emma gasped as she stared out of the window at the magnificent view. Even with just the glow of the porch light, she could see the mountains for miles and miles. She couldn’t imagine how breathtaking it would be when the sun came up.

The sound of more luggage dropping to the floor alerted her of Aidan’s presence again. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back against him, while another hand slid up to caress her breast. “Isn’t the view amazing?”