Page 44 of Together at Ruby's

“Yes,” Liza answered. “You seemed very preoccupied with something. Is this over Nikki, or the news about finding someone to talk to about Aurora Price?”

Giving her a small smile, Tate covered her hand with her own. “All of that and more.”

“I get it,” Liza said. “What with the gun and that crazy business about Lucy Madison being an angel? It’s all almost surreal.”

After taking a sip of her wine, Tate nodded. “I never thought I’d hear the word marriage come out of Nikki’s mouth. Our new friend Lucy doesn’t know what she’s got herself into.”

“Or Nikki for that matter,” Liza said, thinking about how confident the young woman seemed. It was clear she had dealt with many types of patients before and was not at all daunted by one more.What she doesn’t understandisNikki will be difficult in a different way, she thought.When Lucy runs into Nikki’s full charm, she might not know what hit her.

Suddenly, Tate set her wine glass on the coffee table and turned to Liza. Her face was very serious. “I want to talk about us,” Tate said abruptly. “When I was in the waiting room thinking about Nikki almost dying, I realized how short life can be.” Surprised by the outburst, Liza didn’t know what to say and Tate continued. “I can’t lose you, Liza. I love you too much.”

The words warmed Liza’s heart. “I love you too,” she said, thinking of how she felt in the waiting area too. “And I never want to lose you.”

Tate stood. “I’ll be right back.” As Liza watched, the woman strode toward the bedroom. Surprised by her sudden exit, Liza hoped that Tate wasn’t going to be sick. The distracted behavior was so unlike her. Before Liza could decide if she needed to go check on Tate, she returned, walking slowly toward her. “Liza. This is not how I envisioned everything going.”

“What are you talking about?”

In answer, Tate took Liza’s glass of wine and set it on the coffee table. “I expected to take you somewhere special and romantic,” Tate continued. “But I listened to my heart, and this feels like the right time. And I don’t want to wait to show you how much I love you.”

For a second Liza was confused. She loved Tate’s words, but she wasn’t sure why the woman was giving them in what felt like a speech. Opening her mouth to ask what Tate was doing, she gasped when Tate dropped to one knee. Suddenly everything clicked. A fresh set of tears formed in her eyes, but these were for happiness.

“Liza,” Tate held out a small, red velvet box. “I want you to be my wife.” She opened the box and Liza saw the ring. The sparkle of the diamond offset by the rich red of the rubies was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked from the ring to Tate’s face. Her girlfriend swallowed hard before continuing. “Will you marry me?”

When Liza didn’t sayanything at first, Tate thought the worst. Somehow, she had read all the signals wrong. She had waited too long to ask, and because of it, Liza was about to say no to her proposal. Unwilling to let that happen without at least trying to change the woman’s mind, Tate opened her mouth to speak when Liza held up a finger. Slowly, she put it to Tate’s lips.

“Don’t say anything yet,” she whispered. “I’m the one who gets to talk now.” All Tate did was take a breath. “I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. Sometimes it was all I could think about, and I resented you for not asking me.” Tate watched as a tear ran down Liza’s cheek. “And at last, you are on one knee asking me that magical question. But Tate…” Liza blinked back more tears. “I need to know. Are you sure this is what you really want?”

Surprised by the turn of events, Tate let her eyes drop from Liza’s face. She stared at the ring, one she worked so hard to find. A ring that was as beautiful and unique as Liza.Is this what I really want?she wondered.To be married and permanently responsible for someone else? Forever?In an instant, she knew the answer and looked into Liza’s waiting eyes again. “I’m sure,” she said. “I want to be your wife as well as have you as mine.”

“Oh Tate,” Liza said somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Then your answer is yes?”

“Yes, definitely yes.”

Taking the ring from the box, Tate held it for Liza. “Then I think you should put this on,” she said, and Liza put out her hand so Tate could slide the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, just as Tate knew it would.

After holding the ring closer, Liza shook her head. “This is so beautiful,” she said. “Where did you find it?”

“In a special shop downtown,” Tate said. “It was quite a search, and that’s where I was Friday. Finally, fate led me to just the right place and when I saw the ring, I knew.” She sat on the couch beside Liza and took her hand. “Just like when I first saw you and I knew.”

Liza’s eyes misted with tears again and she took Tate’s face in her hands. “And that’s why you weren’t at work?” she asked. “But didn’t want to tell me?”

“Yes,” Tate said. “I’m sorry it upset you so much.”

With a sigh, Liza kissed her gently on the lips. “I forgive you.”

Returning the kiss, Tate felt every ounce of Liza’s love. And her passion. Filled with a fire that started from her core, Tate took the kiss deeper and was rewarded with a moan from Liza. Tate wanted her, wanted to celebrate being alive. Nikki’s accident showed Tate all she took for granted, and she would work hard to appreciate each day going forward. Even though things at work were rough, she had an amazing life. She was happy and had the woman she loved with her. Slowly, she moved to take Liza in her arms and lift her to go to the bedroom, but Liza put a hand on her chest as she broke the kiss.

“Wait,” Liza said. “Tonight, I want to be the one who pleases you.”

Gently,Liza pushed Tate onto her back on the other end of the couch. At first Tate looked like she would resist, always the one to take control, but slowly she relented. Falling against the cushions without a word, Tate held Liza’s eyes as she unhooked her belt, then unbuttoned her pants. When Tate sucked in a breath, Liza felt herself go wet at the prospect of taking control of someone as strong and as powerful as the woman before her. Pushing up Tate’s shirt, Liza ran her lips over the woman’s hard abs, feeling them quiver under her mouth. Then, without asking, she took hold of the waistband of Tate’s slacks and underwear and pulled. Raising her hips to help, Tate growled when Liza smiled at the free access she had to Tate’s center.

Once the pants and briefs were gone, Liza slid between Tate’s legs and ran her tongue over the inside of her thigh. “Liza,” she heard Tate say, starting to shift as if wanting to get up and turn the tables.

Liza slid her arms around Tate’s toned thighs and held her in place. “Let me do this,” she whispered. “Please.” Relenting, Tate lay quiet but for the erratic sound of her breathing. “That’s better.” Continuing her teasing, Liza shifted to the other leg, tickling as she worked her way toward the middle. When she reached Tate’s swollen folds, Liza ran a flat tongue over them.

In response, Tate bucked her hips and let out a moan. “You’re killing me,” she said. “I hope you know you will pay for it.” The words made Liza even hotter. Tate was the perfect lover. Gentle when the mood called for it, more aggressive when Liza needed that instead. She looked forward to her punishment later. For the moment, it was all about Tate.

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