Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken (40 page)

But that was just a wish, and this was reality.

They would have to go home tomorrow. Back to work, back to family, back to angry exes, demanding better explanations, and back to dear friends you stabbed in the back by stealing their boyfriends. Reanna cringed just thinking about it.

So I won’t
, she decided with a nod.

She wasn’t going to think about what tomorrow would bring; she would only focus on today.

Today, she was happy. Today, she was in the mountains. And today, she would be spending the entire day continuing her incredible mini vacation with the man she loved.

Deciding to embrace she and Kyle’s time away, Reanna scrambled out of bed, stopping by her bag to grab her birth-control pills before heading to the bathroom.

She hadn’t taken one yesterday, and yes, she felt irresponsible for that, but in her defense it had never been easy for her to remember to take the things when she was just using them to regulate her periods, and not to prevent a pregnancy that she and Kyle’s relationship wasn’t ready for. She had to stop being so forgetful. It seemed Kyle wasn’t a fan of condoms, so she had no choice.

Being super responsible, and grabbing her pill bottle, she headed in the bathroom, setting them on the counter, not caring when it accidently slipped into the sink, while she scurried over to the toilet.

It will be fine, I’ll remember it,
she thought.

After relieving herself, she rushed to the mirror, grinning wide as she quickly went about making herself look ‘I woke up like this’ sexy for Kyle. He deserved a little eye candy this morning. After all, he was making them breakfast, she could at least show him how blessed he was, having a girlfriend who woke up looking like a model … well, not like
model-model
, but definitely close.

Running her hand over her curves, Reanna smiled.

She felt so … different. Even her body looked different this morning. Her hips seemed curvier, her breasts full, round, and damn hot if she said so herself. Yep, she could definitely see why Kyle couldn’t get enough of her. Even her hair was on point and she hadn’t even wrapped it in her bonnet the night before. Her curls were wild, but in a sexy, unkempt way.
Maybe I’ll leave them like this
, she thought as she tousled them around, bringing a few of the long strands forward to fall over her eyes. She knew Ronaldo would be upset about how frizzy her hair was now, but Kyle loved her curls like this, and she knew that seeing how messy he’d made them the night before during their passionate love making would please—

Reanna’s thoughts vanished abruptly as every bit of air just seemed to …
whoosh
right out of her body.

“What the …”

She hadn’t known how she’d said the two words because she was breathless … stunned to silence, and eyes widening as she slipped into a state of shock … No, not shock. It couldn’t have been that. Reanna knew what shock was, and it had never felt like this. This was not it; this was something totally different … something she couldn’t describe. She was speechless.

Bringing her hands down from her messy hair, she stopped looking at the reflection of it, and cast her gaze upon the cold, hard, shiny, stunning reality adorning the ring finger on her left hand.

Pretty …

So
f-word
pretty she couldn’t even stand to look at it. She didn’t feel
worthy
to gaze upon something so masterful.

Was this hers?

Did she sleepwalk to a jewelry store and steal something that cost, most likely, two times more than her net worth?

What the hell is going on here?

Reanna wasn’t a thief, and she wasn’t a sleepwalker. She couldn’t have stolen a huge ass diamond ring and put it on her finger—

“Oh my Gosh …”

Reanna’s right hand shot to her chest, just as her heart began pounding rapidly.

“What the fuck?”

She didn’t use the word ‘fuck’ often, but this situation definitely warranted it.

“Omigosh, omigosh, oh God …”

This was not real. This couldn’t be real!

Shaking her head in disbelief as she backed away from the mirror, Reanna looked up at her reflection, staring herself in her now tear-glossed eyes.

“Kyle,” she whispered breathlessly, right before she darted out of the bathroom.

She wasn’t usually one for running—she didn’t have the chest for it—but today, she made an exception. Reanna ran out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, and down the long, wide hallway until she reached the kitchen where she knew Kyle was cooking.

“Kyle!”

She’d shouted his name, surely startling him as he turned around from the stove to face her, his expression alarmed … well, alarmed for Kyle, which was relaxed features, and brows lifted. But that was his ‘what the hell’ face, Reanna knew it. Mostly because he gave it to her often because she was a silly person. And he was a silly person, and together they were a silly couple.

Oh my God.

That was so freaking adorable to her. They were silly together.

Yes, she started crying after that thought. Silently. But crying nonetheless.

Reanna stood at the kitchen entrance, staring at him, her eyes still wide as tears rapidly streamed down her cheeks.

“
Colomba
,” Kyle said softly, seemingly pulling himself together as he tossed a small towel over his shoulder. “I thought you’d sleep longer.”

Reanna said nothing; she just continued to stare as she fought to catch her breath. It wasn’t an easy task, either. Her heart was pounding too hard. Everything was just … What was happening right now?

“Kyle,” she said again, lifting her hand and pointing to the giant rock on her finger. “What the fuck?”

He visibly swallowed, his features tightening as he turned to her fully, bringing up a hand in subtle surrender. “Don’t be upset,
colomba
… please,” he spoke low, taking a step toward her. “Just hear me out before you tell me no.”

When Reanna didn’t say a word, he nodded his head and continued.

“I promise I haven’t lost my mind, or anything, and the last thing I’m trying to do is control you, baby. I know how much you hate that; I wouldn’t do it. I just …” He sighed. “After the ring got here last night, I didn’t sleep. I stayed up all night, wracking my brain, trying to figure out how I was going to convince you to say yes, to not run away from me because I’m a fucking maniac sometimes. And yes, I admit that I am, but it’s only because I love you so much, baby.”

The words still gave her butterflies every time she heard him say them.

“And the thought of ever being without you has become far to unbearable to ever risk it.” Releasing a long breath, his eyes lowered before lifting back to hers. “I’m not … good at shit like this, you know that. And I couldn’t figure out a way to ask you that wouldn’t make me sound like a fucking idiot, so I just,” he motioned toward her hand, “put the ring on your finger in hopes that you’d like it so much, you wouldn’t want to take it off. And, of course, I don’t want you to take it off, but, you know, you have to marry me. If you don’t want to marry me, then you’d have to take it off.”

He chuckled nervously when Reanna laughed softly, even as the tears continued to fall down her face.

“So …” He bit down on his bottom lip as he slowly closed the distance between them.

Reanna followed his movement, looking up at him as he made his way forward.

Oh dear lord Jesus don’t faint. Don’t faint, don’t faint; Reanna, please don’t faint.

When he stood in front of her, she stopped breathing. She didn’t know why, she just stopped. She watched him as he pulled his bottom lip from between his teeth, and a sweet determination entered his eyes. Bringing his hands up, he placed them at her sides, and then slowly got down on both knees in front of her, sliding his hands down to her hips as he did.

He looked up at her. “Reanna Pierce.”

Her response was a whimper as she fought against the sob threatening to burst free from her lips.

He took her left hand in his, and brought it to his lips for the gentlest kiss. “I love you more than I will ever have the ability to accurately express …”

Her smile widened
. Holy shit, he’s asking!

“… will you marry me, woman?”

It was as if the words and the genuine sincerity on his face breathed life into her. She became so overwhelmed with emotion that she could barely speak. Reanna cried, even as she nodded her head, confirming that she would do as he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Yes, to everything. Yes, to moving in with him and Sofia, yes to being the best mother she could be to that precious little girl, and yes, she would be his wife. She would love him, honor him, and sometimes obey him—
depending upon what he told her to do—
for the rest of her life. Yes, she would redecorate that plain apartment with family photos, flowers, and multicolored throw pillows, and yes,
yes
she would accept the beautiful house that he would be buying her and Sofia once they were ready to add more babies to their family. Yes. Yes, to it all. Yes, to him …

“Are you serious?” he asked, relief flashing through his gorgeous eyes. “You’ll marry me?”

Reanna nodded her head. “Of course I will, Kyle,” she laughed softly. “Yes.”

“And you’ll live with us, too?” he shamelessly added. “Move in as soon as possible?”

Reanna laughed again, this time bringing her hands up to cup his face as she bent forward and kissed his lips. “Yes,” she kissed the tip of his nose, “I’ll move in.”

Agreeing to move in as he wanted her to, seemed to push Kyle’s happiness to an entirely new height as he stood to his feet, immediately lifting her into a tight embrace, and kissed her until her head started spinning.

She
loved
it when he did that.

No man had ever kissed her so … thoroughly before, and now she would be able to kiss him like this forever.
Forever
. Because,
yes
, Reanna was getting married.

Kyle Valente, the proclaimed player, the dangerously sexy forever bachelor, and New York’s most hated womanizer fell in love with her. Not only did he fall in love with her, he proposed … to her. It was
unreal
.

“Promise me …” she breathed. “Promise me we won’t wait too long to have the wedding.” She sighed breathlessly, barely pulling her lips from his as she brought her hands up and slipped her fingers into his hair. “I want to be your wife.”

Kyle grunted, his embrace tightening around her almost painfully as he kissed her deeper.

Yes
… It felt so good.
So freaking good.

Reanna didn’t even need to hear the words, that
kiss
was a host of promises in and of itself. He wanted this as badly as she did, and that fact made her want to scream her joy from the roof top of this stunning luxury cabin.

They were both just as lost in this love; they were united, together. Not one of them more devoted to it than the other, but instead … both of them madly, deeply, and hopelessly in love. And that love didn’t even frighten her any more. It didn’t cause her pain, it didn’t make her worry, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was run; this was all she’d ever wanted.
Everything
she wanted, more than she dreamed, and so much more than she deserved.

Sighing as she continued to kiss him, Reanna shut off her brain and allowed her self to drift back into she and Kyle’s personal little world.

This was their last night of their escape, and she didn’t want to miss a second of it thinking about anything other than their future—the life they would share, the home, the family. Reanna kept her eyes shut tightly as she allowed herself to dream of these things, to keep her mind in a state of peace rather than allow it to drift to what tomorrow would bring.

Was it true that she and Kyle had just made things more complicated by getting engaged? Maybe, but Reanna didn’t care. This was for them. It was their lives, and whatever came tomorrow as a result of their decision she believed with her whole heart she and Kyle could conquer it, that their love was strong enough to outlast any obstacle. She believed this.

She just hoped that Kyle believed it, too. Because the only way that she’d be able to hold on to what they’d built over their last few days of isolation, was if he was right beside her, being just as strong, and holding on with her..

It was a fucking Tuesday morning, and Kyle was late for work.

Shit, shit, shit! I’m late.

It was so much easier to throw caution to the wind when he was with Reanna. Only two hours ago he hadn’t given a fuck about being on time for work. Two hours ago he’d been in bed, making love to his fiancée. Then he’d taken her perfect ass to the shower with him, where he’d fucked her again; then in the closet before they’d dressed, the bathroom counter after she’d gone in there to do her hair … then last, but not least, against the front door, before he and her had finally made it out of the cabin and into the car—both of them hoping to God they didn’t have to deal with any shit once they returned to work.