Perfect for the Beach (9 page)

She would have thought that her lustful fantasy turned mind-blowing reality would have set a sensual, seductive tone for the rest of the weekend, yet as soon as they’d arrived at the Ritz-Carlton and checked into their suite, she’d noticed a subtle change in Alex. As they’d perused the resort’s numerous amenities, booked a massage for the next day, and spent a few hours soaking up the last of the sun’s relaxing rays, her normally easygoing, laid-back boyfriend had grown increasingly quiet and contemplative.

The gradual shift in his mood both worried and unnerved her, because she’d seen this reflective side of him before, and it didn’t bode well for her, or them, she knew. The last time had been a few months ago when he’d told her he loved her and she’d done the unthinkable and bolted, as well as avoided the topic every time Alex tried to broach the subject again.

Though she knew deep in her heart that she cared for Alex and loved him to the best of
her
ability, it had taken her weeks to gather the courage to return the sentiment, to speak the words that had the power to make her weak and too susceptible, and could strip her of everything she held dear if she allowed herself to succumb to such a vulnerable emotion. And because following in her mother’s footsteps was her greatest fear, it was so much easier to keep her feelings under wraps, as well as maintain an assertive, I’m-in-control edge in any of her relationships.

That motto had worked well with previous men, but Alex had proved time and again that he wasn’t at all threatened by her strong-willed nature, and that left her with little protection against just how persuasive Alex could be.

The frantic beating of her heart seemed to roar in her ears, and she drew a deep breath to calm her racing pulse and jittery nerves. She stared at her reflection, silently berating herself for jumping to any conclusions about tonight or what Alex intended. Most likely, his introspective mood was all a figment of her imagination. Or so she hoped.

She smoothed a hand down the front of her dress, and before Alex came looking for her, she headed out to the living room. She found him standing out on the suite’s private balcony, his strong, lean body silhouetted by the lights surrounding the resort and the beach beyond, and the summer breeze ruffling his thick black hair. As if sensing that she was behind him, he turned around, his disarming blue eyes taking in her dress in a slow, lazy perusal before returning to her face again.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his voice a deep, sexy rumble that felt as intimate as a caress on her bare skin.

She came up to him, slid her arms around his neck, and tipped her face up to his. “You don’t look too shabby yourself, Mr. Wilde.” Indeed, he looked absolutely gorgeous in a charcoal knit shirt that made his eyes a brighter shade of blue, and black trousers that fit his hips, butt, and thighs to perfection.

She raised up on her toes and touched her lips to his. He returned the kiss, but kept it much tamer than she would have liked. God, she wanted to forget about dinner and whatever had him so preoccupied and spend the evening here in the suite. In their bed. Lost in one another without the outside world or emotional confrontations intruding in any way.

But her wish wasn’t to be. Gently, he ended the embrace, took her hand in his, and entwined their fingers. He reached up and brushed long wavy strands of her hair over her shoulder, his sensual touch lingering warmly on her bare skin. “Are you ready to go?”

There was no mistaking the glimmer of hope she saw in his eyes, or the adoring look in his expression, and damn if both didn’t make her nervous as hell.

Swallowing hard, she shored up her fortitude and flashed him a dazzling smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Alex was obviously a man on a mission, and he wasn’t about to let anything distract him from tonight’s purpose. And Dana had no choice but to wait and see what was on his mind.

Chapter Three

After eating a sumptuous dinner by candlelight, and with a baked apple tart dish set between them to share, Alex raised his glass of wine to Dana’s in a toast. “Here’s to our one-year anniversary, marking our first date.”

Smiling, she touched the rim of her crystal wineglass to Alex’s. “I’ll drink to that,” she agreed, and took a sip of the Riesling that Alex had ordered to compliment their dessert.

They’d spent the past hour and a half lingering over a delicious meal of lamb, fresh steamed vegetables, and the kind of easy, companionable conversation that came so naturally between herself and Alex. They’d discussed a big-name client she’d taken on at work that could prove to be a coup for her resumé, as well as a leg up to yet another promotion within her imaging firm. They talked about his cousin’s new babies, and had a good laugh over his sister Mia’s latest run-in with her nemesis, Cameron, as well as tossed out their own predictions on how long the couple would be able to resist the attraction sizzling between them.

All in all, dinner had been enjoyable and relaxing, without anything to spoil their lively exchange or their time together in such a romantic atmosphere.

But now that serious look was back in Alex’s gaze, and as Dana took a bite of the apple tart on the table between them, she suspected that their idyllic dinner was about to come to an end.

Since there was no sense in putting off the inevitable discussion to come, she decided to get it out in the open and be done with it. “What’s on your mind, Alex?” she asked softly.

He swallowed the bite of dessert he’d taken and wiped his mouth with his linen napkin, looking more than a little bit sheepish at her accurate assumption. “Am I that obvious?”

She shrugged and set her fork aside. “You don’t spend a year with a person without learning to gauge their moods.”

“True, and you’ve become pretty adept at reading mine, it seems.” He grinned and took a drink of his wine.

The thing was, unlike herself, Alex was an open book. He never tried to hide his feelings, had never been anything but sincere and truthful with her, about anything and everything. His past. His emotions. His faults and even his strengths. There was little about him she didn’t know, or couldn’t find out if she wanted to.

She exhaled a breath and swirled the liquid in her wineglass. “So, what’s up, Alex?” she prompted once again.

He shifted in his seat, seemingly more anxious than she was feeling at the moment. “There’s something I need to know, and I’d like an honest answer.” He paused for a moment, met her gaze, and continued. “Have you been happy this past year, being with me?”

“Of course I have,” she replied without hesitation, more than a little startled that he’d even have to ask such a question. “I enjoy being with you, and I wouldn’t have stayed with you this long if I wasn’t happy.”

Truth be told, this past year with Alex was the longest she’d ever allowed herself to remain in a relationship with a man. Since she’d started dating in high school, then college, and into the early years of building her career, all her relationships had been short-lived, a few months at the most—by her choice. As soon as things turned serious with a guy, or demanding, or interfered with her career goals, she’d break things off, afraid of becoming too emotionally involved. Afraid of letting her heart overrule her head for fear of finding herself depending on a man like her mother had done for years.

But even though things had gotten serious with Alex, more so than with any man that had come before him, there was something unique about him that drew her in and made her feel safe and secure within their relationship. He accepted that she needed her space at times, seemed to understand her independent personality, and didn’t mind her penchant for being in charge during certain situations.

Until lately.

Until now.

She watched as Alex reached into his pocket and withdrew a small black velvet jeweler’s box. She tensed, her stomach knotting with a bout of uncertainty as he pushed it toward her.

“What’s this?” she asked with an air of nonchalance, more a stall tactic than anything else.

“It’s a gift I hope you’ll accept. Along with all that it signifies.” He nudged the box closer. “Open it and see for yourself.”

His expression was so expectant that a fresh wave of anxiety washed over her. With trembling fingers and her heart slamming hard against her ribs, she did as he requested, revealing a stunning, sparkling, solitaire diamond ring.

She gasped, overwhelmed by the size of the stone, along with the unmistakable connotation attached to this particular gift. “Alex …” She lifted her gaze back to his, shaking her head in denial and panic. “This is too much.”

Too much for her to deal with.

Too much for her to live up to.

Too much emotion, and too many promises she wasn’t prepared to commit to.

“It’s an engagement ring,” he explained, as if she had any doubts about that, which she didn’t. “I love you, Dana, and I know you feel the same way about me, too. I want to marry you.”

She snapped the box shut, as if making the ring disappear from sight could also make his proposal vanish, as well. But the life-altering words still hung between them, shaking her up like nothing ever had. “I don’t know what to say.”

He reached across the table and grasped her hand gently in his, his fingers strong and warm against her cool, damp palm. “How about yes?” he suggested with a boyish grin.

She swallowed hard, and needing to regain a semblance of her self-contained composure, she eased her hand from his. “Don’t you think all this is too soon?”

Taking her cue that she needed distance and space, he leaned back in his chair, though his compelling gaze never wavered from hers. “We’ve been dating exclusively for a year now. I don’t need any more time to know that you’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I guess the real question here is, am I the guy for you?”

“You know how much I care for you.” And yes, loved him, too, more than she believed possible. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to get married.”

“Will you ever be?” he asked gently.

His question was a direct and brutal one for her, and because she didn’t have a cut and dried answer for him, she resorted to her biggest defense. “You know how important my career is to me.”

“Yes, I do,” he acknowledged with a nod of his dark head. “But you’re thirty-five, Dana. Is that all you want out of life?”

He was hitting too close to deep emotional issues, and she bristled in response. “I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”

“And I admire your success and how driven and dedicated you are. I’ve never made you feel otherwise, and I’m not trying to take that away from you now.” His fingers absently strummed along the stem of his wineglass. “But at some point don’t you want to get married and have babies and a family of your own? Because that’s exactly what I want with you.”

She bit her bottom lip, horrified to feel her throat close up with tears. Refusing to let them surface, she resolutely gulped them back. “I don’t know that I can give you what you’re asking for,” she whispered, trying to be as truthful as she could be with him.

Disappointment flickered in his gaze, but was quickly masked by a tougher resolve. “I strongly believe you can give us both that future together, but it has to be what you truly want,” he went on determinedly, despite her own doubts. “It’s also a matter of you letting me past those emotional barriers of yours, without fearing that I’m going to try and change anything about who or what you are. You need to let go and trust me with your heart and what’s inside, and believe that I’ll never, ever intentionally hurt you in any way.”

That easily, he’d exposed her greatest secrets and fears, proving that he knew her better and deeper than she ever would have believed. God, she felt stripped completely bare, and too damn vulnerable, and it was all she could do to remain seated across from him instead of bolting for the nearest exit.

She’d never seen this assertive side to Alex when it came to her, or them—so firm and uncompromising in what he wanted, and his unwavering attitude sent a shiver down her spine.

She thought once again of their rendezvous in the plane’s rest room earlier, and how persistent he’d been with her then. She now realized that the turning point in their relationship, and their weekend together, had started at that moment, with Alex taking charge sexually with her.

Now he was doing the same to her emotions, coaxing her to open up and let him into that soul-deep place that had shaped the woman she’d become.