“You’re a Daryk One. It’s natural you want to fight for Dragonia and the direction it will take in the future.” He heaved a deep sigh. “If you decide to fight, I’ll understand. I will worry about you more than you can imagine. I’ll fear for you every day and night. If you decide to stay here with me and protect this land and the people, I will be overjoyed. But you must do whatever you think is right. Whatever is true in your heart.”
Tears touched her eyes. Was any man ever as wonderful as Marc? Or had the god Draconus made only one of him? “I am not a whole woman. Not yet.”
“Take all the time you need to feel whole. With me. Here.”
“You don’t want a beautiful, small, calm woman to bear your children? To take care of your home?”
He chuckled. “No. I never wanted that. All I ever wanted my whole life is you.”
Her heart opened as far as it could, sweeping her into a joy more profound than a hundred new nights and days, more amazing than she could have hoped. A yawning decision opened in her mind, and for the moment she knew what she had to say. Marc had gone through a lot for her, and his lovemaking, his concern, his sincerity showed the truth. A woman would have to be a fool not to stay with Marc Gampia.
“You have always been there, Marc. No matter what I did or said, you always accepted me for what I am. Because of that, and because I love you, I accept your proposal,” she said.
He was quiet for so long, she wondered if he’d changed his mind. She shifted out of his arms and sat up to look at him. He too sat up, his eyes wide with amazement. “Which proposal?”
“Both actually. You asked me to marry you and to stay here with you. I accept both.”
He grinned and scooped her back into his arms until they tangled together in a wild kiss. When they returned to the surface, she was breathless.
“There is so much to do here, Aknada. We have hard work ahead of us. If Drakus’ war escalates, we may be in more danger than ever. We have to look after Xandra and her child if anything happens to Rayder.”
She touched his lips. “Do not think it. Rayder will be fine. So will Eryk and Dane. They have to be.”
“Even if they are, I do not see a way to avoid a war, do you?”
She bit her lip. “No. People are not sensible these days. They go to such extremes. They do so much to hurt others because of their ridiculous beliefs.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “People have never been sensible. But perhaps one day they will be. In the meantime, we will keep our counsel and keep what is ours safe.”
Ours. That sounded beyond wonderful to Aknada. Her heart warmed with happiness and hope. Yes, she had hope. She had everything she could ever want in life. “To think I almost lost you.”
“I did lose you.” His eyes filled with sorrowful memories. “But I won’t again.” He gazed down at her, eyes warm with love. “I love you more than I could have imagined. Hearing you say you love me—I can’t describe how that makes me feel.”
She cupped his butt cheek and squeezed. She allowed her hands to roam, touching him in ways that made him groan. “Then show me how it makes you feel. Show me now and forever.”
About the Author
Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous. All these words are used to describe award-winning, bestselling novelist Denise A. Agnew’s novels. Romantic Times Magazine called her romantic suspense novels Dangerous Intentions and Treacherous Wishes “top-notch romantic suspense”. With paranormal, time travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotica and romantic suspense novels under her belt, she proves her gift for writing about a diverse range of subjects. (Writing tales that scare the reader is her ultimate thrill.)
Denise’s inspiration for her novels comes from innumerable sources, but the fact that she has lived in Colorado, Hawaii and the United Kingdom has given her a lifetime of ideas. Her experiences with archaeology have crept into her work, as well as numerous travels throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Denise currently lives in Arizona with her real life hero, her husband.
Denise welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Denise A. Agnew
Bridge Through the Mist
Dangerous Intentions
Daryk World 1: Daryk Hunter
Daryk World 2: Daryk Rogue
Deep is the Night 1: Dark Fire
Deep is the Night 2: Night Watch
Deep is the Night 3: Haunted Souls
Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis II anthology
Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales from the Temple IV anthology
Impetuous
Instinct
Major Pleasure
Over the Line
Special Investigations Agency: Hideaway
Special Investigations Agency: Maneater
Special Investigations Agency: Shadows and Ruins
Special Investigations Agency: Special Agent Santa
The Dare
Treacherous Wishes
Print books by Denise A. Agnew
Bridge Through the Mist
By Honor Bound anthology
Deep is the Night 1: Dark Fire
Deep is the Night 2: Night Watch
Deep is the Night 3: Haunted Souls
Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis II anthology
Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales from the Temple IV anthology
Meant to Be
Special Investigations Agency: Clandestine
Special Investigations Agency: Hideaway
Special Investigations Agency: Impetuous
Special Investigations Agency: Primordial
Special Investigations Agency: Shadows and Ruins
Special Investigations Agency: Sins and Secrets
The Dare
White Hot Holidays Volume 2 anthology
Winter Warriors anthology
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
www.ellorascave.com
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