“The sir part or the love part?”
“Both.” His eyes darken, and his voice drops. “But leave out the ‘no’ and the ‘it.’”
I have to think about that for a moment. When I understand what he wants me to say, my cheeks heat.
But I give him what he wants. Without reservation and without regret, the way he needs it.
Gazing into his eyes, my face hot and my heart pounding, I whisper, “I love sir.”
He moistens his lips. His breathing goes erratic. Heavy and warm on top of me, he feels like the anchor that will keep me steady and the harbor that will keep me safe, no matter how strong the storm.
Rubbing his thumb slowly back and forth over the slope of my cheek, he says in a husky voice, “And I love my sweet little rabbit, who made me grateful for every day I walked through hell because that dark path eventually led to her.”
I breathe out a soft sob, but he silences it as he kisses me.
I think he’s going to push inside me, but he rolls to his back instead, taking me along so I’m lying atop him. Holding my hair back from my face, he says casually, “There’s supposed to be fireworks at midnight tonight.”
“Wow.”
“What?”
“Talk about a disappointing segue. I thought you were about to make love to me again.”
He chuckles. “I was, but then I got the genius idea of taking the boat out so there would be fireworks exploding overhead the next time I make you come.”
“Ah. Yes, that would be a memorable way to ring in the new year.”
We grin at each other. He says, “I bought chocolate and champagne. Just in case you were up for it.”
“In what universe would I not be up for you feeding me champagne and chocolate under a fireworks-filled sky after giving me a mind-blowing orgasm?”
“Oh, so I’m feeding you now, too?” He rolls his eyes in mock dismay. “I have to do all the work around here.”
I press a kiss to his lips and whisper, “Poor baby.”
He tosses me onto my back and growls, “Careful. Warthogs eat bunnies for dinner.” Then he nips at my neck and tickles me, making me scream.
Laughing, he rises. I watch, smiling, as he goes into the closet. He emerges clothed soon thereafter.
“Get that sweet behind moving,” he says, shooting me a wicked grin as he leaves the room. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
I pop up from bed and dress as quickly as I can, pulling on jeans and a thick sweater over a long-sleeved shirt. It’s not raining tonight, but with the temperature in the low fifties, it will be cold on the water. I shove my feet into a pair of boots and head downstairs, grinning.
It’s strange how light joy makes your body feel. If I concentrated, I bet I could float right off the ground.
I find Aidan in the kitchen loading the champagne, chocolates, and a pair of champagne glasses into a picnic basket. I tease, “Look at you, so domestic.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is romantic.”
I go up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. Resting my cheek against his broad back, I murmur, “Actually, the word I’m looking for is amazing. No, wonderful. No, that’s not it either. Hmm…”
“Glorious,” he supplies, turning to embrace me. “I’ll take spectacular, too.”
“Yeah, I bet you would.”
He kisses me, cradling my face in his hands. It’s a sweet kiss, but it quickly turns heated. I pull out of his arms, laughing.
“Okay, Fight Club, let’s get this show on the road or we’ll never make it out of the kitchen.”
“So bossy,” he says, shaking his head. He’s trying to frown but not quite managing it.
“I’ll get a couple blankets. Meet you at the back door.”
I leave him in the kitchen and go hunting through the linen closet in the guest bedroom for the throws kept folded in a stack. Choosing two that are thick and soft, I wrap one around my shoulders and carry the other to where Aidan stands waiting at the door with the wicker basket in hand.
When I drape the blanket across his shoulders, he makes a face. “You realize warthogs don’t get cold, right? We’re way too tough for that.”
I wave him aside. “Be quiet, macho man. You’ll thank me when we’re on the water.”
We head across the lawn and down to the rocky beach toward the Eurydice tied at the end of the dock. The air is fresh and cold. It smells strongly of pine sap, wet bark, and moss. Above us, the sky is a bowl of deep sapphire sprinkled with stars. It’s still and quiet except for the crickets serenading us with their evening song. Aidan grasps my hand and squeezes it, glancing down to smile at me.