Page 43 of Mating of Convenience
My mouth stood open. “Did you mean that?”
“Mean what?”
“That you love me.”
Nathan’s expression turned serious again. “I always…” he started and stopped again, exhaled. “Why do you think I kept that ring you’re wearing?”
“You… what?” I stared at the ring on my finger.
What was that supposed to mean?
“I was going to propose to you before you broke up with me.”
“Seriously?”
“I started saving up for that ring back in college.”
“Wow…” I stared at the piece of jewelry on my finger some more. No wonder it fit me so perfectly. “I never knew.”
“You can be really oblivious sometimes.”
He was probably right about that, but before I could respond, Nathan leaned in and touched his lips to mine. For a split second, my heart stopped--and then it started beating again twice as fast as before.
Maybe I hadn’t blown all my chances with Nathan.
“You have no idea how much I missed you,” I said, the words slipping from my lips as soon as Nathan parted from me again.
“I think I have a pretty good idea,” he said, reminding me that I’d caused him pain too--and I wanted nothing more than to make it better.
“Wanna head back to our hotel room?” I suggested.
Nathan only grinned.
I took that as a yes.
* * *
The metro rideback to the hotel seemed to take forever. Part of me worried that Nathan might change his mind between the Eiffel Tower and the hotel, but as it turned out, I had no reason to worry. The moment the door closed behind us and we were in our room by ourselves, my silly alpha kissed me with a passion that left no doubt in my mind that he had been serious about what he’d told me in front of the tower.
He still cared about me, even though I wasn’t sure that I deserved it after all the mistakes I’d made. Not that there was room in my head to analyze the situation objectively, not while Nathan had me pressed with my back against the door, kissing me as if he’d been waiting for exactly this moment forever--as if he’d missed me as much as I’d missed him.
I’d spent nearly a year working in the city, pursuing my dreams, or what I thought my dreams were, but I hadn’t spent a single day during all that time feeling as alive as I did just then, reconnecting with Nathan in a hotel room thousands of miles from home.
“God, I missed you,” I said on an exhale as my alpha’s lips parted from mine and stretched into a slow smile. I loved the way Nathan smiled when he was truly happy about something and all the joy he just couldn’t contain made his eyes sparkle. When he looked at me like that, I only wanted to hold on to him forever.
“I’m glad you came back.” Taking my hand, he led me toward the heart-shaped bed he’d been so displeased with before. “For the record,” he said, “I’d never want to share a ridiculously romantic honeymoon suite with anyone but you.”
His words made me laugh even as he helped me take my shirt off. “The bed’s not so bad now, is it?”
“I’d take you onanybed,” Nathan said, looking me straight in the eyes before his gaze traveled down to my exposed chest to study the part of my tattoo that had been hidden to him before. “Why is it biting you?” He traced the outline of the dragon’s head with the tip of his finger, raising goosebumps on my skin.
“It’s not bitingme. It’s biting anyone who gets too close to my heart.”
Nathan stopped, his eyes seeking mine again. “Is it gonna bite me, then?”
“Nope.” I took his hand and placed it firmly on my chest. “You’ve already gone way past where that dragon can reach.” That said, I let go of Nathan’s hand so I could free him of his shirt as well. After all, it was only fair if he was as naked as I was, wasn’t it? And I wasn’t nearly naked enough yet. Fortunately that particular problem could be easily solved, though, and my alpha seemed onlytoowilling to help.
“No other tattoos?” he asked once I was standing before him naked.
