I tore my eyes from him. Of course I was attracted to him. Lusted for him. That was never in question. But I needed more. I needed him to be playing for keeps.
"Thank you for having me today." His voice was cool water washing over me, steam rising from my heated flesh. "I've been going through a bit of a PR nightmare."
I bit the inside of my jaw, wringing my hands in my lap. So this was a business meeting then. I was going to have to excuse myself because there was no way I could sit here and be professional when I'd been longing for this moment.
And then my father put a hand on my shoulder. I tugged my chin from my chest, and he gave me the strength to turn my attention back to the front.
Back to Logan.
He was looking right at me. No one else existed in the room.
"I believe my issue was that I avoided the press. While silence is generally the best avenue to de-escalate the situation, I know now that I should have held press conferences and interviews of my own. I should have shouted from the rooftops that I found something more rare and precious than anything in this world."
Excited whispers echoed around the room as people streamed in, all holding bouquets of red roses. Dozens of them. I stopped counting when I hit the fifteenth person and whirled back to face Logan.
"A bouquet for every day that we were apart, Melissa,” he explained tenderly. “I said 'no comment', but I should have said that I found the love of my life. That she's the best part of living because she loves me despite my faults. She challenges me, sees the better man that I never knew existed. And without her, I am utterly lost."
I shook relentlessly, trying to keep the cork on the bottle. Trying to not become a sobbing mess right here and now. "D-Delilah-"
"Is no longer my concern," he finished. He glanced at the doorway, a final person entering the room with a single rose. He thanked her and took the rose, moving toward me. I knew I was in trouble. This display? He was forgiven for every sin he committed now and ever would.
Probably.
I wiped the tears from my cheek as he held the rose out to me. "This rose is for our future, along with a promise that my love for you is everlasting."
I sniffled along with everyone else, feeling so overwhelmed by love and hope that I could barely keep my feet on the ground. I leapt into his arms, the rest of the room melting away as our lips met. That kiss was the start of something magical. Even when we were apart, he never left me, and I never left him.
When we caught our breath, nose to nose, searching each other's soul as my coworkers whooped and whistled, I realized that we had something greater than forever. I was his, and he was mine.
Always.
*
Epilogue
Logan
I plated the asparagus just so, the bright green stalks contrasting beautifully with the rich darkness of the filet mignon and purée. The candle flickered as I rushed to make sure everything was perfect.
She was waiting in the car, blindfolded, and from the way she squirmed when I stroked her thigh, dripping wet.
Tonight, I wanted all of her.
Tonight, everything had to be perfect.
I remembered the first time we came to this beach. She'd practically run away from me when she found out that I was the billionaire that broke Delilah James' heart. Things were already so intense with Melissa and I, even though we had only known each other for a number of days. I had loved her then, watching her look out at the ocean, struggling with her demons. I struggled with my own, and in that moment I let her in. It hadn't been easy, but we made it work.
I moved through the sand toward the car where she waited for me. Months had passed since I went to Kaleidoscope and we started over again. The headlines grew more brutal, the board grew more restless.
And then the truth broke out.
Mackenzie went on the very show where Delilah had first shared her version of warped truth. She revealed that I wasn't the father of Delilah's baby. As quickly as they tried to ruin me, the photographers abandoned me in search for a juicier story.
Then who is the baby's father?
Mackenzie spoke of a Sacramento local, but I could care less. I could breathe again, love my woman, without photographers hounding our every move.
I opened Melissa’s door, stroking her cheek when she jolted in my direction. She clutched my hand excitedly. "I can smell the beach!"
"But not just any beach," I grinned. I helped her to her feet and guided her to the sand. "Step out of your sandals."
She obeyed, then gasped as the memory hit her. "But what if someone takes them?"
I held her face in my hands. "Then I'll buy you another pair." I pressed my lips against hers, tasting her. Breathing her in. I reached around and untied the blindfold.
Her cheeks were rosy in the amber glow of the lanterns that lined the street. "Candlelit dinner on the beach, eh?"
"Among other things," I said, licking my lips. Still tasting her there. I felt the weight of the thing in my pocket. I had a whole plan. We were going to have dinner and a glass of wine. I was going to spread her out and have her for dessert, then I was going to pull her into my arms and ask her the most important question I'd ever ask. But I couldn't wait one more minute.
"I have something to ask you."
Melissa paused in the sand, whipping back to me with stars in her eyes. She followed my hand to my pocket and when I pulled out the square box, her eyes were as big as the moon.
I kneeled in the sand before her, opening the box. "Will you mar-"
"YES!" she squealed, dropping to her knees in front of me. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed all the air from my lungs.
She slipped the ring on her finger and collapsed on the sand, laughing with tears streaming down her face. I slid next to her, propping my head on my hand.
"You barely let me get it out,” I joked, happier than I ever thought was possible. “Maybe I was asking if you wanted to mark this occasion with a kiss."
She shoved me playfully. "Who says we still can't? A kiss for your lips-" Her eyes danced to my crotch. "And a kiss somewhere lower."
I kissed her a second time. This one hinted at all the things I wanted to do to her tonight, and all of the days and nights for the rest of our lives.
I grazed her lips with my own. "You're sure you want to put up with me, ‘til death do us part?’"
"And beyond,” she grinned, her face aglow.
Lying with her beneath the stars, I knew forever wouldn't begin to be long enough—but it was a good start.