“Have you had lunch yet?”
“No.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up in a few minutes. There’s something I want you to see.”
He sounded rather mysterious but she went along with him. “Okay.”
She hung up her phone, wondering what Tyson wanted her to see.
* * *
“Where are we going?”
Tyson smiled over at Hunter. He figured she would be curious since he hadn’t given her much information. They had left the Phoenix city limits and were now headed toward the outskirts of town. “I think I’ve mentioned my cousin Morgan Steele to you before.”
“He’s the one who’s the mayor of Charlotte, right?”
“Yes. His wife, Lena, owns a real estate company that has expanded into several states, including this one. I hired her to find some property in the country for me.”
Hunter raised a brow. “Why?”
“To build that house you designed for me.”
She frowned. “Tyson, we both know why you had me draw up those plans.”
“Do we?” He knew Hunter thought she had things figured out.
“Of course. That was just a part of your plan to seduce me.”
“Was it?”
Her frown deepened. “Okay, Tyson. What kind of game are you playing?”
A smile touched his lips. “No game. What if I told you I was dead serious about those house plans?”
“That would be news to me. Until today you haven’t mentioned those plans since I gave them to you over a month ago.”
Tyson brought his car to a stop in front of a wooded piece of property. He looked over at her. “I guess you can say I was waiting for a good time to do so.”
The male in him appreciated her outfit. Today she was wearing another dress and although it wasn’t as short as he’d like, it still showed off her gorgeous legs.
He glanced out the car window. “This is the property Lena found for me. What do you think?”
* * *
Hunter glanced around. She thought the land was pretty nice and told him so. Even from the car she could see a view of the mountains. The drive hadn’t been too far from town, which wouldn’t make his commute to the hospital too much of a hassle. Once he got on the interstate it would be a straight shot and he could get to work probably within twenty minutes.
“It’s twenty-five acres on a private road,” he said, intruding into her thoughts. “Not another house around for at least ten miles, and I think I’ll like the seclusion. There’s a huge lake on the property and plenty of trees.”
“I think you’ll like the seclusion, too,” she said, not missing the excitement in his voice.
He pushed the button to extend his seat back to stretch out his legs. “Any ideas how the house will fit on it?”
Hunter shrugged as she glanced out the window again. “It shouldn’t be a problem if you face the front of your house to the east. That way your bedrooms can take advantage of the view of the lake and mountains from any window.”
He nodded. “I’m thinking of increasing the square footage to add a few more bedrooms. When I marry and have children I want to make sure they have plenty of space.”
Personally, Hunter thought the house she’d designed had more than enough space already. However, if he thought he needed more than that, it was his business. She tried dismissing from her mind that this was the first time he’d ever mentioned a wife and children. He’d claimed he had no interest in ever getting married. Even when he’d given her specifics for what he wanted in a home, the subject of a wife and children had never entered the equation. “You’re the client,” she said. “I can modify the plans any way you want.”
“I hope I’m more than just a client to you, Hunter.”
Hunter nibbled on her bottom lip, not sure how to address that comment. She couldn’t help but remember the roses sitting on her desk and what they probably meant.
“Thanks for the roses, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you liked them.”
She drew in a deep breath. Even now while sitting in a parked car in a secluded area she could feel the chemistry between them. It seemed over the past few weeks, instead of diminishing, their physical attraction had gotten stronger. That would probably account for why their lovemaking was even more intense every night.
Tyson claimed he wasn’t playing games, but for some reason she felt that he was. She was about to tell him so when he said, “You didn’t respond to what I said about me being more than a client to you.”
She studied him and then decided to turn the tables on him. “My response depends on whether I’m more than an architect to you.”
* * *
Tyson knew he could put her mind to rest about that and intended to do so. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him, but he figured any woman who’d given him as much of herself as she had during the time they’d spent together had to feel something for him.
He reached out and took her hand. “Hunter, there’s something I need to say.”
She pulled her hand away from him. “You don’t have to say anything. I got the message with the roses.”
He raised a brow. “And just what message did you get?”
“That you want us to end things.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute, and then he asked, “And you got that message from me sending you roses?”
“I had an employee back in Boston years ago. When her boyfriend broke up with her, instead of sending her a ‘Dear Jane’ letter, he sent her a dozen ‘Dear Jane’ roses.”
“And you figured that’s what I did?”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. You’re right about me wanting us to end things...at least, wanting to end this phase of our relationship. But only for a new beginning.”
She nodded. “I get it. You want another week.”
He chuckled. “No, Hunter. I want forever.” Tyson watched her face and wasn’t surprised when shock spread across her features. He was tempted to lean over and kiss it right off her face.
“Forever?”
He nodded, watching her closely. “Yes, forever.”
She evidently wasn’t sure they were on the same page, because she asked, “You mean forever as in till death do us part?”
He chuckled. “Yes, that pretty much sums it up.”
She stared at him like he had suddenly developed some kind of mental problem. “Why?”
“That’s easy to answer. Because I’ve fallen in love with you.”
She continued to stare at him for a long moment and then she shook her head. “That’s impossible.”
“And why is it impossible?”
“B-because you’re Tyson Steele.”
“I know who I am.”
She glared at him. “Need I remind you that you’re a man who goes through women quicker than you change your socks?”
“Last time I looked you’re the only woman I’ve been with in well over a month now. I told you that I hadn’t desired another woman since that night I ran into you at Notorious.”
“But our relationship has been only physical.”
“I beg to differ. Think about what we’ve been doing for the past few weeks. What we’ve shared. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you and doing things that had nothing to do with the bedroom.”
When she didn’t say anything he added, “I appreciate the time that we’ve gotten to know each other. Now more than ever I know you’re the woman I want in my life.”
When she didn’t say anything but continued to stare at him, he pressed on. “I know I’ve laid a lot on the table and you need time to take it all in. I also know you probably don’t reciprocate my feelings but I feel strongly that one day you will.”
* * *
Hunter could not believe the words Tyson had spoken. He loved her? Really loved her as much as she loved him? She tried hard to fight back tears. “But I already do,” she said, swiping the tears that were determined to fall anyway.
“You do
what?”
“Reciprocate your feelings. I love you, too, Tyson. I think I fell in love with you the first time we made love. You made me feel so special. Like a woman who was truly appreciated. But not in a million years did I think you would, or could, love me back. You have...shall we say, a history with women.”
“Yes, I do. But you effectively destroyed that history. You’re the only woman I want. The only woman I could and will ever love.”
More than anything she wanted to believe him, but hadn’t Carter told her that same thing? But then, hadn’t she discovered that Tyson wasn’t anything like Carter?
“Hunter, will you marry me?”
She blinked. “Marry you?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“But how can you be sure that I’m the woman you want to spend your life with?”
He smiled. “I’m sure. Trust me, I fought it. Marrying anyone was the last thing on my mind, but my dad was right.”
“About what?”
“Jonas said Dad once told him that a smart man knows there’s nothing wrong with falling in love if it’s a woman you can’t live your life without. And I can’t live my life without you, Hunter.”
She wanted so much to believe him. “But what about those other women?”
“They don’t matter. Not one of them had me possessed by passion. But you do, Hunter. I believe a man knows he’s run his course with other women when they no longer interest him and none of them is more important to him than the one he wants to wake up with every morning and make memories with forever. And that’s you.”
He paused a moment to clear his throat. “So, I’m asking again. Hunter McKay, will you marry me? Will you be the only woman in my life? The one to share this house I’m building for us here on this property? The only one I want to be the mother of my children? The only one I want to wear the name of Mrs. Tyson Steele?”
At that moment, numerous emotions ran through Hunter and she knew what her answer to him would be. He was the only man she wanted in her life as well. “Yes, Tyson. I will marry you.”
A huge smile curved Tyson’s lips and he leaned over and captured her mouth with his. Shivers raced all through her body from the way his mouth was devouring hers. He was building passion neither of them could contain. And when he slid his arms around her waist to pull her over the console and into his lap, she followed his lead and returned the kiss with the same sexual hunger. Their tongues mated hotly, greedily. The degree of her desire for Tyson always astounded her, made her appreciate that she was a woman who wanted this man. And just to know he loved her as much as she loved him sent her soaring to the moon.
Moments later when the need to breathe overrode everything else, she pulled back from the kiss. He reached up and traced his finger across her moist lips. “I can sit here and kiss you all day,” he said huskily.
“Umm, I prefer we do something else,” she said leaning in to trail feathery kisses along the corners of his lips and chin.
“Something like what?”
“This,” she said, climbing over his seat into the back and grabbing his hand to entice him to follow. He did. And then she shoved him on his back and straddled him. “We can start here. We never got around to doing it in the backseat of your car eighteen years ago.”
He chuckled softly as his hands grabbed hold of her thighs, easing her dress up nearly to her waist. “Back then you were a good girl.”
“Now I’m bad,” she said, pulling his zipper down. “Tyson’s naughty girl.”
“Soon to be his naughty wife,” he said and then sucked in a deep breath when she reached inside his pants and took the solid thickness of his erection in her hand. When she began stroking him he released a guttural moan.
“You did say this is a private road, right?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s very private.”
“Good.”
She opened her legs to cradle him and then remembered something. “Condom.”
“Here,” he said after working a packet out of his back pocket.
She took her time to sheathe him the way she’d seen him do many times. When he eased her panties aside she slid down, releasing a deep moan when the head of his erection touched her center just seconds before he tightened his hold on her hips and slowly entered her.
It was as if he was savoring the moment, though for her it was pure torture. She needed all of him now. She leaned in and bit him gently on the lips. In retaliation he thrust hard into her, melding their bodies.
“I thought that would get you going,” she said, licking the mark her teeth had made on his lips.
Instead of responding he began moving, stroking her insides, thrusting in and out, over and over again. Never had she felt so thoroughly made love to except for with Tyson. He had the ability to make her purr, yearn and become obsessed with everything he was doing to her.
“Hunter!”
When he screamed her name, she knew his world had tipped over the edge and hers would soon follow. He continued to stroke her while groaning out his pleasure. And she moaned, saying his name on a breathless groan, as the two of them were tossed into waves of pure ecstasy.
When Hunter found the energy to lift her head from his chest, she met his gaze. Their bodies were still intimately connected, and sexual chemistry, as explosive as it could get, still flowed between them the way it always did. A flirty smile touched her lips. “Let’s do it again, Tyson,” she said, leaning in close to lick the underside of his neck.
He smiled at her. “Yes, let’s do it again. And then we’ll go to the jewelry store for your engagement ring.”
Epilogue
A beautiful day in August
Hunter couldn’t stop looking down at the wedding ring Tyson had slid on her finger. It was beautiful. And then she glanced up at him. He was beautiful, as well.
“Tyson, will you repeat after me,” the pastor said, reclaiming her attention. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Tyson held her gaze as he repeated the pastor’s words loud and clear. She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Mo and Kat would kill her for messing up a perfectly made-up face, but she couldn’t help it. It was her wedding day and she could cry if she wanted to.
“By the power vested in me by this great state of Arizona, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tyson, you may kiss your bride.”
She smiled as he pulled her into his arms, sealing their vows with a kiss. When he released her he swept her off her feet as the pastor introduced them. “Dr. and Mrs. Tyson Steele.”
As he carried her out the church while holding her in his arms, somewhere in the audience Hunter heard a voice say, “Another Bad News Steele bites the dust.”
She tightened her arm around Tyson’s neck, grateful that this particular Steele was hers.
* * *
Tyson tried to keep the smile off his face as he spoke with his brothers. “We’re happy for you, man,” Gannon said. “Hunter is wonderful.”
“I think she’s wonderful, too.” He glanced over at Mercury. “Sorry, but the heat is going to be on you two guys. Maybe it won’t be so bad since Eli and Stacey announced they are having a baby. That might keep Mom occupied for a while.”
Mercury chuckled. “We can only hope. And I agree with Gannon. Hunter is great for you. She makes you happy and we can see it.”
“Yes, I’m a very happy man.” Tyson took a sip of his wine while glancing around Hunter’s parents’ beautifully decorated backyard. He and Hunter had decided on an outdoor wedding with only family and close friends. He saw his wife of one hour standing in a group talking to the wives of his cousins from Charlotte.
It was time for their first dance together as husband and wife. “Excuse me, guys.”
He headed across the patio and as if she sensed his approach, Hunter glanced up and met his gaze. She smiled, excused herself from the group and met him halfway.
“Dr. Steele.”
“Mrs. Steele. Ready for our first dance together?” he
asked, taking her hand in his.
“Yes, I am ready.”
“The sooner we can start our honeymoon the better,” he said. They would be flying to Aruba, where they would spend the next two weeks.
“You sound rather anxious.”
“I’ll show you how anxious I am once I strip you naked,” he said, leading her to the area designated for the dance floor.
* * *
Hunter lifted her head from Tyson’s chest as they shared their first dance as husband and wife. “I never wanted to marry again, Tyson, but you made me change my mind about that.”
He smiled down at her. “And I didn’t want to ever marry but I was a man possessed and I couldn’t do anything about it, sweetheart. You stole my heart before I knew what was happening.”
She couldn’t help but be filled with love for this man, who continued to show her what true love was about. He was the one who went out of his way to make her feel that she was everything a woman should be. Worthy of his love. Hunter couldn’t help but remember that day they’d made love in the backseat of his car. Afterward, he had taken her to Lola’s, one of the most exclusive jewelers in Phoenix. Together they had selected her engagement ring—a beautiful four-carat cushion diamond with a halo setting—as well as their diamond band wedding rings.
That evening he had surprised her by taking her to his parents’ home to take part in the family’s Thursday night dinner. Tyson’s parents and the rest of the family had congratulated them, and of course the women had fallen in love with her engagement ring. Dinner had been special and since that night she’d been included in the Steeles’ Thursday night dinners. She loved his parents and loved getting to know all of Tyson’s brothers, as well as their wives.
“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” Tyson asked, leaning down to whisper close to her ear.
“I was thinking just what a lucky woman I am.”
“I feel lucky as well. You are everything I could ever want, Hunter.”
He pulled her closer into his arms. He couldn’t wait to be in their new home, dancing in their own backyard. Already the property had been cleared and construction had begun. According to the builder, they should be ready to move into their dream home in about six months.
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