Page 62 of Falling for the Beast

Thaddeus wrapped his arm aroundAribelle’s shoulders as they walked to the car. He marveled at the silence of the night. He could no longer hear for blocks. He inhaled, enjoying the cold night air without all the overpowering scents. Except he could still smell the faint coppery scent of blood. He looked down at Aribelle. “You have blood on your clothes.”

“And it’s all over my hands. I’d better not speed. I’d hate to get pulled over by the police looking like this.”

Thaddeus chuckled, marveling at how good it felt to be with her. How unencumbered he was without the curse. They got to her car and he pulled her to him. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I think we were interrupted earlier. You were making a proposal.”

She swallowed, and her gaze flickered to the side. “Yes. I thought maybe you could hire me back.”

He stroked the side of her face, the feel of her skin sending small zaps of electricity through him. “You said something about helping me heal people?”

“That may be an outdated suggestion.”

“Not too outdated.” He picked up her hand. She had a tiny pinprick on her finger. He placed his hand on top, letting the warmth flow into her. The pinprick closed over and disappeared.

“You can still heal?”

He pulled her to him and nodded. “Elizabeth said she took back only part of my curse. She left me with the power to heal. To heal, and not have to take the injuries upon myself.”

“So, you’re still going to go out at night and heal people?” She stared up at him, and he wondered if that would bother her. She slowly smiled, showing her approval. “Does that mean you want to hire me back?”

Hire her? Heavens, no. But he could think of some other things he’d like. “No.”

“No?” Hurt flashed through her eyes.

He smiled and leaned down to brush his lips across hers. “I don’t want to hire you. I want to marry you.”

She smiled again and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips firmly to his. He wasn’t sure if that was a yes, but he returned the kiss with everything he’d been holding back. He didn’t care about anything else. All he wanted was her.

She broke the kiss and grinned up at him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, Thaddeus Walker.”

He picked her up and swung her around, making her laugh. He set her back down. “I love you, too.”

After they broke apart from another kiss, she brushed her fingers along his stubble. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“What were you going to say to me, after I practically begged you to let me come back? Would you have let me come out at night with you? Or were you going to turn me away?”

He gazed into her eyes. “I was never any good at saying no to you.” He cupped her face and put his forehead to hers. “I was going to protest, and then give in.”

Aribelle smiled. “I hope you never get good at saying no to me.”

Epilogue

One Year Later

Aribelle hung the last ofthe ornaments on the gigantic tree Thaddeus had chopped down and set up by the fireplace in the living room. She stood back to survey her work. Thaddeus walked up behind her and put his arms around her, splaying his hands over her baby bump. “Looks good.”

A shiver of pleasure from his touch went down her spine. “Did you get the lights hung up outside?”

“All done.” He turned her around and planted a kiss on her lips. Then he chuckled. “Not that anyone will see them driving by.”

She placed a hand on his cheek. “I don’t care. I’ll see them. And they make me happy.”

“Then standing on a ladder in the cold for an hour was worth it.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

The baby kicked, and his mouth popped open as he backed away from her and looked down at her middle. “Was that the baby I just felt?”

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