Page 72 of In this Moment

Except getting his fiancée alone.

And that’s exactly what he was going to do. He pushed the blankets off his shoulder and stood, reaching out a hand to Evie. “Let me take you to bed, sweetheart.”

She let him pull her up and follow her to their tent, the candles that lit the way almost completely burnt out by now. Not that it mattered. Declan had a lantern inside that he lit to provide just enough glow so he could see his beautiful fiancée.

Fiancée.

He would never tire of saying that word. At least until it came time to call her his wife and he was already looking forward tothat.

One thing at a time, he reminded himself. And now it was the time to show Evie just how much he lovedher.

“Tonight hasbeen…”

“Perfect,” he finished forher.

She nodded. “That, and so much more. I don’t know how to tell you just how destroyed I was thinking I would never see you again, or if I did, that you would never know how much I lovedyou.”

He put a finger to her lips. “You don’t have to worry about that. Not now, notever.”

“But I almost lostyou.”

“You didn’t.” He moved his finger and kissed her softly while his hands went to work unbuttoning her shirt. “Not even close. And you won’t ever lose me. I promise.” He slipped the cotton shirt over her shoulders until it fell to the ground. Declan pressed a kiss to her skin. “I’m never going to let you walk away from me like that again,” he said between kisses. “And I’ll never let you push me away. Because I love you, Evie Rose. More than I can even put into words.”

“I don’t know,” she teased. “You did a pretty good job.” He paused what he was doing on her neck and looked up at her. “That was a pretty amazing proposal, Declan. Even better than the first.”

“I meant every word.” He kissed her again. “And I plan on spending the rest of my life telling you every day just how much I love you.” He moved his kisses lower, until he was undoing her shorts and sliding them off to expose her slender, perfect legs. Everything about her was perfect.

Declan sat back and took a moment to admire her beauty before kissing her again, but only a moment before she was reaching up and pulling him down to her. “Get down here. You’re much too faraway.”

He did as commanded.

This time when they made love, it was different. Knowing that she was his, and he was hers—that she loved him just as much as he loved her and that everything between them was real—made every kiss, every touch, every breathless moan, mean so muchmore.

And when he felt the familiar tightening of her body beneath his, he lowered himself so his face was only inches away from hers and stared directly into her eyes when she topped over the edge into an all-consuming orgasm. Declan followed moments later with his own shattering climax.

When finally he regained his senses, he kissed her gently on the nose and lowered himself down to the air mattress next to her. He pulled her into his arms and held her close.

Declan nuzzled the back of her neck and stroked her arm softly, until his hand found hers, and the ring he’d placed there. He traced the diamond with his fingers. “Do you likeit?”

She laughed. “You know I do.” Evie twisted a little in his arms so she was looking at him. “How did you know that was the ring? What about the other one you gave me?” Confusion lined her face and Declan grinned.

“The first ring I gave you was beautiful.” He nodded. “But it wasn’t the one that made your heart sing. I saw you that day,” he said. “When we were picking out a fake ring, I saw the way you looked at this one.” He held up her hand. “It was the one you’d dreamed about, the one you wanted the love of your life to give you oneday.”

“How could you knowthat?”

He shrugged. “I just knew. And maybe even part of me knew that day that I would be the one giving it toyou.”

“Well, I’m glad you were that guy,” she said. “Because I know without a doubt that you are the love of mylife.”

Declan raised her hand to her lips and placed a kiss on the ring. “You bet I am. And I cannot wait for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Because tomorrow is the first day that I don’t have to pretend that you are my fiancée because it’s finally true. And I was never much good at acting anyway.”

“Oh baby.” Evie laughed. “I thought you were pretty damn good atit.”

“Maybe that’s because I didn’t really have to pretend,” Declan said. “Maybe my heart always knew you were meant to bemine.”

Evie nuzzled in close again and pressed her body up against his. It was the best feeling in the world to have her close. “Maybe that’s true,” she said after a minute. “But something tells me your family is going to want a proper explanation for everything.”

It was true; not one of them had asked, but they’d made it perfectly clear that they were ready for the truth, and after the way they’d all stepped up to help out, he owed it to them. His mom knew the truth, but Declan knew she wouldn’t tell. No doubt they were all being respectful of the night, but he knew his family well enough to know they’d all be bouncing up and down, waiting for their explanations in the morning.

“I’m sure they will.” He chuckled. “But I’m not thinking about that right now. Because right now, tonight, it’s all about you and me, and I can’t imagine being any happier than I am right now, in this moment.”

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