Page 85 of Keep Me

Standing in the line for the taxi rank, Matty couldn’t stop touching me. If his lips weren’t on me, his hands were tickling a part of my body he’d never explored.

When we got closer to the front, Matty stepped behind me so he could wrap his arms around my waist. Once I was firmly in his hold, he rested his chin on the top of my head. I wasn’t a short girl but having Matty hold me like this made me feel safe and protected.

Smiling, I leaned my cheek against his bicep and closed my eyes.

Tonight was perfect. Had I said that already? Because it still didn’t feel like I’d acknowledged it enough. I was finally with the guy I’d always dreamed about, and I wasn’t ready to act like it was normal.

Matty nuzzled his nose against my hair and said something, but it was too muffled to make out. I twisted my neck so I could look at him.

“What was that?”

He gave me a lazy smile. “Nothing.” He dropped a kiss on my lips and looked up at the line attendant. “Sky’s Vineyard please.”

Matty helped me into the taxi before rounding the car and joining me on the other side. His hand gripped my thigh, and I placed mine over his, not wanting to lose our connection.

“It’s going to be about forty minutes,” the taxi driver said.

My pulse spiked. Forty minutes of sitting in the back seat with Matty and not being able to touch him like I wanted. How the hell was I supposed to do that? Matty’s face was as strained as mine.

The lights of the Las Vegas strip flashed across his features, and I stopped myself from suggesting we find an all-you-can-eat diner to try to make this night last longer. Leaning across the middle seat, Matty cupped my cheek and kissed me long and slow. We’d done a heck of a lot more in the club, but this was just between us… and the cabbie, if we were being pedantic.

“You’re everything,” he whispered against my lips, sending my heart soaring into the clouds. His calloused thumb stroked my cheek as he gazed into my eyes. “And I can’t believe that I can finally touch you like this.”

“I can’t either.” I flicked my gaze to his lips, enjoying the fact I now knew what they tasted like. “I don’t want this night to end.”

“I love you, Britt.” That drew my attention back to his eyes. “I know it might sound crazy, or you might not believe me, but I love you with everything that’s inside me.”

“I love you too.” I winced, embarrassed I blurted that out before I could really think about it. We’d only spent a few hours kissing, and we were already declaring our love for each other? Were we moving too fast?

Matty grinned, pulling me in for another kiss, and I melted into it. This was it. I knew it. We weren’t moving too fast. We were meant to be. I could feel it deep in my bones.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. “Excuse me,” he said to the taxi driver. “We’ve changed our minds. Can you stop here?”

“Are you sure? We’re not even off the strip yet.”

“That’s the point.”

When the taxi came to a halt, Matty threw a bunch of bills in the driver’s direction and got out of the car. He was by my side before I could open the door, and as my feet hit the sidewalk, I took in a sharp breath.

Right in front of us was the replica of the Eiffel Tower, and admittedly, in the daylight I might have thought it was a little tacky, but it was still dark and the lights gave it this nice glow.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.”

Matty hadn’t bothered to look at the tower. His eyes were focused on me, and it felt like there was something on the tip of his tongue.

He stepped toward me, kissing me again before saying, “It’s only you, Britt. It’s always only been you, and I was stupid to ever think that being with someone else would make me feel a morsel of how it feels to kiss you.”

He brought my hand to his chest so it was resting over his heart. “This feeling. I’ve only ever had it for you. You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted in this entire world.”

I gulped, not sure what to say, not that he gave me any time to respond.

Still holding my hand, he dropped to one knee and looked up at me with a haphazard smile. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his bow tie was flapping in the wind. The gelthat slicked back his hair earlier on had worn off, but everything about him was perfect to me. He was all I’d ever wanted too.

“I don’t want to live another day without you being completely mine.” My heart fluttered, and I was so lost in how beautiful he looked that I was taken by surprise when he said, “Britt. Will you marry me?”

I burst out laughing and did my best to pull my friend up.

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