Blueprint for Love (20 page)

Ronnie saved her file and shut her computer
down. “I’m leaving now.”

“
Good. What are you going
to wear? Something sexy?”

She looked down at the designer jeans and
silk blouse she’d worn to work. She’d instituted casual Fridays,
much to the delight of Olivia, who used the opportunity to wear
tight jeans and low-cut shirts. Ronnie still couldn’t bring herself
to be too casual, so she dressed hers up with stilettos and a
blazer. Unfortunately, she didn’t think about her date with Vic
when she left the house this morning.

“
I don’t have time to
change,” she told Candace, “So, I guess I’ll have to wear what I
have on.”

“
Tsk, tsk, tsk,” she heard
her sister chastise. “You forgot about dinner. You didn’t dress up
for your man. What do you have to say for yourself?”

She grabbed her purse and headed out the
door. “You’re right. I do suck as a girlfriend.”

# # #

Ronnie pressed harder on the accelerator.
There was no way she was going to make it across town to Henri’s
restaurant in twenty minutes. She prayed Vic wouldn’t be mad at
her. She knew he’d put a lot into planning this evening. It was bad
enough she’d be looking all homely in these jeans, and he’d
probably be dressed for the occasion. Even though she thought he
was sexy as hell when he wore his dusty jeans and tight t-shirts
that accentuated his well-defined muscles, she also loved those
rare occasions when he dressed up.

Despite his background, Vic was comfortable
in any setting. No, make that confident. When she’d first met him,
she’d mistaken that trait for cockiness. Now, she knew that was
simply Vic being his usual confident self. And his self-assuredness
was what turned her on. Ronnie liked that he knew just how to
handle her—with firm, loving care. He was everything she wanted in
a man. Warm, compassionate, phenomenal in bed, and super smart. He
wasn’t a yes man, not even to her. He moved to the rhythm of his
own beat, and he wasn’t shy about standing up for what he believed
in.

He was a man’s man. She loved that powerful,
virile side of him. The way he picked her up and carried her to the
bed, or the couch, or her desk, or wherever the hell it pleased
him. He was unselfish in his lovemaking. He always made sure she
came first. Sometimes, she would watch him as he slept, hardly
believing she’d almost missed out on this blessing.

She adored his sister. Both Andrea and Vic
had taught her sign language, so they could all communicate
together. It was like viewing the whole world from another
perspective. Ronnie felt like they were all in on some secret that
the rest of the world didn’t know about. And when those two were
together, fighting like a typical brother and sister, they cracked
Ronnie up.

His mother, Maria, would take a little
longer to get used to. But the world wasn’t perfect. And Ronnie
didn’t expect it to be. What she had with Vic was perfect enough.
Even her sisters noticed the difference in her. It was amazing how
well Vic and Jovan got along too. They went to the Miami Marlins
games together all the time. She realized she and her son had both
been missing the same thing: A man in their lives. Ronnie couldn’t
imagine it being anyone other than Vic.

She sped along, weaving in and out of lanes
trying to make it on time. A man blew his car horn at her as she
almost cut him off. Her heart jumped. For a minute, the guy looked
like Allen. But she knew it couldn’t be. That fool was in jail. A
month after he tried to jump her bones at her house, she saw him on
the news. He’d been involved in one of the biggest Real Estate
fraud rings in the state. She’d never even known Allen owned a host
of subcontractors. Apparently, he and some of his company officers
were bribing city officials to win bids, and then performing
sub-standard work.

Ronnie was even more shocked to learn that
his brother, Kent had been posing as her foreman before Vic came
along. The two brothers were both implicated. And her missing stash
of copper was found in the basement of one of his companies.

Her stomach turned when she thought about
how Allen tried to infiltrate her inner circle. And he’d had the
nerve to talk about Vic’s criminal past. Allen was a bold ass
snake. She breathed a lot easier knowing he was in jail.

Ronnie’s cell phone buzzed, pulling her from
her reverie. Vic was texting her. She didn’t normally drive and
text, but tonight, she would make an exception. She glanced at the
text.

Hope you’re not stuck in that traffic on
I-10.

Shit!

She had ten minutes to get to Henri’s. She
wasn’t going to make it in time. She’d have to take the short cut.
She hadn’t traveled that road in damn near seven months, after the
night Vic came to her aid. She would still be about five minutes
late getting to dinner, but at that was better than getting bogged
down in traffic.

She exited and slowed down to match the
speed limit on the road. Unlike last time when it was almost pitch
black, the full moon had peaked in the night sky, casting a soft
yellow glow over everything. She felt more confident tonight. She
had plenty of gas and a spare tire. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get a
flat this time.

No sooner than she’d formed the thought, did
she notice an SUV parked on the side of the road in the distance
with its hazard lights flashing. Some poor soul must have had a
break down out here. Her heart went out to whoever it was. She
hoped it wasn’t a woman. Ronnie knew how helpless it felt to be
stranded on this road.

She slowed as she passed the vehicle. She
would offer her help, but only if it was a woman. It wasn’t safe to
stop for a man.

Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive as she
spotted a lone figure leaning against the side of the SUV with a
tire jack propped against the wheel. The man’s mischievous glance
darted to her.

“
Didn’t I tell you not to
take this road again?” he said.

Ronnie’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
“Vic!”

He wagged a finger at her. “I knew you would
take the shortcut.”

She had to laugh despite getting caught. She
silently appraised Vic. He looked damn good in his black jeans and
leather jacket. His shoulder-length hair was unbound from its
customary ponytail, making him look like a quintessential bad boy.
Her fingers itched to play in the dark locks.

“
What are you doing out
here?” she asked.

“
Waiting for you.”

“
What? I thought we were having
dinner at Henri’s.”

He threw her a devastating smile. “Get in.”

“
What about my car?”

“
Park it in front of
mine.”

“
Vic, what’s going on?”

He shook his head. “Woman, when will you learn to
listen?”

Ronnie pulled in front of Vic’s Explorer and got
out. The chilly night air made her suck in her breath. Vic held the
passenger-side back door to his car open for her.

“
Why am I getting in the
back?”

He grinned. “So many questions.”

The moon roof was open, giving her a perfect
view of the full moon. She recalled Candace’s crack about the Man
in the Moon being asleep, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Vic hopped in from the driver’s side back
door and covered her legs with a downy blanket. Then, he opened a
cooler at her feet. She hadn’t even noticed it; she was so busy
staring up at the moon. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but
then snapped it shut. Vic had accused her of asking too many
questions, so she’d let him take the lead on this one. She had to
admit, this was kind of romantic.

“
Tonight, is a celebration
of us,” he announced.

Ronnie smiled as he popped the cork on a
bottle of champagne and filled two elegant flutes with the bubbly
liquid. He handed one to her. She’d always loved champagne, and Vic
knew it.

They clinked their glasses together and
drank. The effervescent liquid felt so good sliding down her
throat. It was chilled perfectly.

“
This is so sweet,” she
said.

“
I’m glad you think so.”
He flashed her a dazzling smile that almost made her heart stop.
How she adored this man!

“
And I can’t tell you how
nervous I was waiting on you,” he said. “Two good Samaritans came
along and tried to help me. And a cop almost arrested me for
loitering.”

She playfully elbowed him. “You need to stop
lying.”

His deep chuckle resonated in the air,
sending erotic vibrations through her. How did he manage to be so
sexy without even trying?

“
Okay,” he admitted. “I
was lying about the cop, but not about the two people who stopped
to help. I had to clue them in on what I was doing before they
finally left me alone.”

“
And just what were you
doing?”

“
I was trying to recreate
the night we first met,” he told her.

“
But we met in my office,”
she reminded him.

He shook his head. “Nope, that wasn’t a real
meeting. That was the day you practically threw me out on my
ass.”

She laughed. “I did not throw you out.”

“
I said
practically
threw me
out.”

“
But then fate brought us
back together again.”

“
Amen.”

“
I can’t believe you did
this, Vic. It’s beautiful. And much better than dinner at some old
stuffy restaurant.”

“
I was hoping you’d feel
that way.”

They were on the same page when it came to
attending fussy events. Both of them were down-to-earth individuals
who preferred to chill out on the beach, or in Vic’s case, the
baseball stadium. He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her.
“For a brief moment, I was afraid you wouldn’t come this way,” he
admitted.

“
I almost didn’t,” she
said. “But I was running late.”

He grinned. “I counted on that. I know what
a workaholic you are. I figured you would wait until the last
minute and then hightail it out of the office. You are pretty
predictable.”

“
Hey, no using my faults
against me.”

He gazed into her eyes. “Baby, I love you
and all of your faults, every single one of them.”

She swallowed, catching the hungry look of
desire in his green eyes. Her voice was a whisper when it came out.
“You love me?”

He nodded. “Isn’t it obvious? I try to say I
love you with everything I do for you.”

She was held hostage by his gaze. Yes, he
did do so much for her. She was lucky to have him in her life, and
even luckier to be the object of his affection. A tidal wave of
emotion washed over her, soaking her with happiness, apprehension,
and fear all at the same time. Vic loved her! And the feeling was
mutual. She’d known since the day they’d made love for the first
time that she loved him. That’s what had been so scary about being
with him. She’d tried hard to fight the feeling, but Vic wore her
down. And she was so glad he had.

“
I love you, too,” she
confessed. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Vic. You mean
everything to me.”

His eyes roamed her face. “Baby, you’re
stealing my lines now.” She smiled as he stroked her face with his
free hand. “I need you, Ronnie. I need you in my life. I wake up
every morning thinking about you. I go to sleep at night wishing I
was by your side. I claim you now and forever as my woman.”

The kiss he gave her, took her breath away.
It was a kiss like no other, filled with equal amounts
possessiveness, passion, and love. She moaned as his skillful
tongue wrapped around hers. Greedy for everything he had to give,
she suckled, reveling in the taste of his champagne-flavored mouth.
A rush of heat flowed through her. She could do this every day and
every night.

Vic ended the kiss. He took her glass from
her and sat it on the cooler’s top, along with his.

He turned to face her. “By the way, those
good Samaritans want me to call them and give them your
answer.”

Maybe it was the combination of champagne
and Vic’s kiss, but she was confused. “My answer? To what?”

Ronnie’s breath caught as Vic pulled a white
box from his jacket pocket. “Ronnie, these past five months have
meant the world to me. You’ve changed my life in so many ways. I
can’t imagine it without you. I want you by my side always.”

When he flicked the lid open to reveal a
stunning diamond solitaire, tears pricked the backs of her
eyes.

“
Oh, Vic.”

“
I hope you like it,” he
said.

She wiped at an errant tear that trickled
down her cheek, despite her attempts to keep it at bay.

“
I love it,” she quickly
clarified. “It’s beautiful.”

He let out a deep breath. “Good. ‘Cause I
saved up four month’s salary for this.”

Her mouth dropped. “You knew you wanted to
marry me four months ago?”

“
I knew I wanted to marry
you the day we made love in your office. I’m crazy about you,
Ronnie. I’ve already talked to Jovan, and he’s given me his
blessing.”

She covered her mouth with her right hand
while Vic slipped the engagement ring onto her left ring
finger.

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed
it. “I don’t have much, but what I do have, I want to share with
you. Ronnie Jones, will you be my lover, my wife, my partner for
life?”

She stared at the brilliant diamond on her
finger. She didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Yes. This is the most
romantic proposal, Vic.”

“
All I want to do is make
you happy, Ronnie.”