She sat quietly for a moment and then, in a voice raw with pain he could he actually feel, she said, “Yet you wanted to end things. You walked out that door without wanting ever to see me again.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Yes. Before drifting off to sleep, you whispered that you loved me...”
The lifting of her brow confirmed she hadn’t known those words had slipped from her lips.
“I couldn’t handle hearing that. I felt like I needed to get away from here. I was running, Randi. Running away from my fears and disappointments. And from you. I didn’t think I was ready to give my heart to another woman. Not sure I could accept any more pain. But before I could get to downtown LA, I knew I had no choice. I admitted to myself that I had fallen in love with you, too, and asked the driver to turn around. What I had left behind was you. The one woman whom I knew deep in my heart I could trust. The one woman I knew was deserving of the love I tried holding back for so long. The decision to come back, grovel if I had to...beg for your forgiveness, was made before I sensed you were in any kind of danger.”
Randi sat there, unable to move. She couldn’t even speak. All she could do was fight the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She drew in a deep breath and watched as Quasar put his wineglass aside, stood and crossed to stand directly in front of where she sat. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze.
“There are a million other words I can say, Randi. But I hope none are more profound than me saying I love you. I believe with all my heart that you and I were meant to be together. This thing between us might have started with all that strong sexual chemistry, but I know it ended with love. A lot of love. And I feel it here,” he said, placing a hand over his heart.
He then reached his hand out to her. “Let me warn you, Randi. If you take my hand, you’re also accepting my heart, and accepting my heart comes with a lot of obligations.”
She lifted a brow. “What obligations?”
“To love me as much as I love you. To be there for each other, no matter what. Always to trust each other. If we do those things then I believe we will handle everything else, any obstacles and challenges that come our way. Together.”
Randi set her wineglass aside and placed her hand in his. She believed they would be able to handle those obstacles and challenges, as well. He gently pulled her up, and she couldn’t help the smile of happiness that touched her lips. Those same lips he was staring hard at right now.
“I love you, Randi Fuller, so damn much.” He kept her hand entwined in his as he leaned down and opened his mouth over hers in a kiss that curled her toes. By the time he released her, all she could do was moan.
“So,” he asked, licking around her moist lips, “do you love me back?”
Her smile stretched from one side of her mouth to the other. “Yes, I love you back, Quasar. I wasn’t aware I’d spoken those words last night, but I’m glad I did. I meant them, and they were spoken from my heart. I do love you.”
“And I love you.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of him, the man she loved so much. The feel of him. She loved every single thing about him.
He leaned back and looked at her. “So are we back on for Striker’s wedding? Will you attend with me?”
She chuckled. “Yes. And what about Trey’s birthday celebration? Will you be attending with me, or do I have to find a date?”
He brushed his knuckles against her cheek and whispered with meaning, “Bebé, tus días de citas se han acabado. De ahora en adelante voy a ser el único hombre que estará cerca de tí.”
At that moment she felt wrapped in a silken cocoon of euphoria. He’d said the words in Spanish, but she clearly understood them.
“My dating days are over, huh?” she asked, wrapping an arm around his neck.
“Most definitely. But just in case I need to prove my point...” He swept her into his arms and headed straight for the bedroom.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“SO YOU THINK you have a job to come back to after being gone for over a week? Playing in the sands of Malibu with a beautiful woman?” Stonewall Courson asked the man walking through the door of Summers Security Firm.
Quasar ignored his friend’s comments. Instead he glanced over at Striker, who was sitting at a small table, eating what had to be the biggest cookie he’d ever seen. “I take it Stonewall still hasn’t had a date with his detective, which is the reason for his foul mood.”
Striker nodded. “Yeah, and I’m getting a little damn sick of his attitude. I think we need to take him somewhere and work him over.”
“I’d like to see the two of you try,” Stonewall said with an edge to his voice.
Quasar grinned as he eased into the chair across from Stonewall. “Where’s Roland?”
“Meeting with a new client,” Stonewall said, tossing on the desk the pencil he’d been rolling between his fingers in agitation. “So, Dr. Fuller has made a name for herself once again.”
“Yes, she did,” Quasar said proudly, knowing Stonewall was referring to all the national attention Randi had gotten in the media. Before leaving Los Angeles, Agent Riviera had called to thank Randi for supplying those numbers and letters to him. It seemed they were the password to get inside Shaw’s state-of-the-art secret vault. The Feds had gotten enough incriminating evidence to put away ten politicians and several well-known businessmen for years. Agents were already making arrests.
He glanced back over at Striker. “Do you plan to share any of that cookie?”
“No. My woman had this delivered just for me.”
“Greedy ass,” Quasar muttered. He turned his attention to Stonewall, who was staring at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You seem different since I last saw you,” Stonewall said.
Stonewall’s observation got Striker’s attention, as well. Quasar rolled his eyes. “You’re imagining things.”
“Um, and where’s the psychic?” Striker asked, taking another bite of his cookie.
“Asleep, I guess.”
Striker raised a brow. “Sleeping where?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I left her sleeping in my bed. Do you have a problem with it?”
A smooth smile touched Striker’s lips. “No. None whatsoever. So when’s the wedding?”
Stonewall sat up straight in his chair. “Wedding? You’re getting married, Quasar?”
“Eventually. I just haven’t asked her yet. Waiting for the right time.”
“But you will?” Stonewall asked, watching him closely.
Quasar met his friend’s stare. “Yes, Stonewall, I will. She means too much to me not to put a ring on her finger.” His friends didn’t know just how much he meant by that. He hadn’t been looking for love, but he’d discovered it anyway with a woman who meant the world to him. The woman he loved.
“Striker’s getting married. You’re thinking about getting married. And I can’t get a date with the woman I want.”
“Sounds like you need to step up your game,” Quasar said, grinning.
Stonewall nodded. “I think I will. It’s about time, don’t you think?”
Striker chuckled. “It’s past time.”
A week later
“MOM. DAD. I’D LIKE you to meet Quasar Patterson. Quasar, these are my parents. Jenna and Randolph Fuller.”
Randi had told Quasar her father was tall, but Quasar hadn’t known he was just as tall as he was. He extended his hand to the older man. “Mr. and Mrs. Fuller. It’s nice meeting you.”
A huge smile touched Randolph Fuller’s features as he took Quasar’s hand in a strong handshake. “My wife and I are the ones honored to meet you. We know how diligent you were in keeping our daughter safe.”
After shaking
Jenna Fuller’s hand, Quasar wrapped his arm around Randi’s waist to bring her closer to his side as he smiled down at her. “I will always be there to keep her safe.”
Randi beamed in pleasure. Quasar had all but told her parents that he intended to be a part of her life for a long time.
“Well, I for one am glad to hear that,” Randolph said, grinning. “I don’t want to think what would have happened to her if you hadn’t been there, protecting her.”
After conversing with her parents a little while, Randi introduced Quasar to those he hadn’t met, like her great-grandparents, Robert and Julia Fuller, and her godparents, retired Senator Noah Wainwright and his wife, Leigh. She also introduced him to her godsister Noelle Wainwright.
Everyone was ecstatic about meeting Quasar, especially after hearing of all the times he’d saved Randi’s life. The story about him diving into the ocean to save her from drowning was the one everyone wanted all the details about. Personally, Randi preferred putting the memories behind her.
“Miss me?”
She glanced up from the snack table when Quasar reappeared. After dinner he had been talking to her father, and the next thing she knew, the two had disappeared. Knowing her father, he’d probably taken Quasar into Trey’s study to talk about his favorite football team, the Washington Redskins, which happened to be Quasar’s favorite football team, as well. Her parents were season ticket holders.
“Of course I missed you. I thought maybe you’d forgotten about me.”
“Never. What time do you want to head out in the morning?”
He would be spending a week with her at Glendale Shores. “Let’s do it early,” she suggested.
A sexy smile touched his lips. He leaned down and whispered close to her ear, “Baby, we can do it anytime.”
She chuckled. “You know what I was talking about. I can’t wait to get to the island to show you around and everything.”
“And I can’t wait to see it.” He took a sip of his punch. “Everyone I met here tonight is really nice. You have a wonderful family, Randi. Your father reminds me a lot of Sheppard. The way he carries himself and talks to people. Like he doesn’t have a pretentious bone in his body.”
That was a huge compliment coming from Quasar—she knew how much Sheppard Granger meant to him. “Dad’s super. I wouldn’t trade him for the world. Mom is super, as well. One day I’ll tell you how they met and everything it took for them finally to be together.”
“I can’t wait to hear it.”
Haywood got everyone’s attention to announce that it was time to cut Trey’s birthday cake. Randi had noticed that even Trey had taken off his big brother gloves around Quasar. That meant he really liked him. She glanced across the room and saw her parents smiling. Those smiles meant they were pleased about something. She would have to ask them about it later.
“Yes, Quasar, you’re right. I have a wonderful family. I think I’ll keep them.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “And, sweetheart, I intend to keep you.”
She smiled back at him. “I’m counting on it, Mr. Patterson.”
* * *
“READY FOR OUR SWIM?”
Randi smiled over at Quasar. “Yes, I’m ready.” He had been supportive, giving encouragement and helping combat her fear of water since her near-drowning incident. And it was working. Since arriving on Glendale Shores, they had gone swimming every day. Sometimes twice in the same day.
A ferry brought them over, and having a car available made it easier to move around on the island. Quasar loved the big house that Trey and Haywood inherited from her great-grandparents, Poppa Murphy and Gramma Mattie. And on the drive to her bungalow, she showed him the homes her parents and Zach and Anna owned, as well. She could tell from the minute he pulled up in front of her place that he liked it. It was no way as large as his place in Malibu, but he said he thought the two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage suited her. Inside it was open concept with a spacious living room and eat-in kitchen. He especially liked her huge screened-in patio. She told him about her family’s annual Fourth of July celebration next month on Glendale Shores and invited him to come be a part of it. He said that he would.
“Race you to the water,” Quasar said, grinning, before taking off at a fast run.
Although she knew she couldn’t outpace him, she ran after him anyway. By the time she reached the edge, he was already in the water and swimming like a fish. And he looked good doing it. His hands and shoulders were expertly slicing through the water. She was glad he’d completely overcome his phobia.
She dove into the water and tried to impress him by doing several flips. “I’m glad you’re okay with swimming again,” he said, smiling over at her while swiping excess water from his face.
“Me, too. Although I can’t brag about being captain of my swimming team while in high school and college, I always thought I did okay.”
He smiled. “Those times in Malibu when I would sit in the sand and watch you swim, I thought you were a great swimmer.”
“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, smiling back at him.
“Let’s race.”
She rolled her eyes. “Again?”
“Just to that marker over there.”
Randi lifted her hand to shelter her eyes from the brightness of the sun. “Where?”
“Over there,” he said, pointing out to her the marker near the bank.
That was his downfall, because she pushed against him, making him lose his balance, producing a huge splash. That’s when she took off, swimming toward the marker.
“Cheater,” he shouted.
She refused to look back, although she knew he was gaining speed and was not far behind her. He was an excellent swimmer, but she was determined that this was one race she would win.
Just when she thought she’d made it home free, she felt him grab her legs and pull her under the water. He went under with her, and they both came up moments later, laughing and spurting out water. “That’s not fair, Quasar,” she yelled, wiping water from both her hair and eyes.
“Oh, now you want to call foul play, huh?” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
“Whatever.”
Despite the sun that had been shining brightly all day, the water was somewhat cool, and she loved the feel of his arms around her. When he pulled her even closer, she could feel his hard erection through his swim shorts.
“Do you ever not want sex?” she asked him, recalling how many times they’d made love and predicting just how many times he would want more. His libido should have been outlawed.
“I can go for months without sex and it wouldn’t bother me,” he said, staring down at her. “But the thought of not being able to make love to you is definitely something I don’t want to think about.”
He reached down and gently traced her lips with the tip of his finger. “I love your lips.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. I think it’s time for us to get out of the water, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes, I think so, too.”
He had packed a lunch for them, and they had a picnic near the waters. She noticed after they’d eaten that Quasar had gotten quiet.
“You okay?”
He smiled. “I couldn’t be better.” He reached out and took her hand in his and said, “Spending time with you these past weeks has been simply wonderful. It’s going to be hard when I leave to return to Charlottesville and you remain in Richmond.”
She’d been thinking the same thing. “You have an open invitation to visit me whenever you want in Richmond.”
His smile widened, and he returned the invitation. “Mi casa es su casa.” He got quiet again and then added, “But I want more, Randi. I want forever with you.”
He shifted positions to get down on his
knees before her. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t care if it’s in Charlottesville or Richmond or both places or neither of those. All I know is that I want to marry you, make a home with you and one day have a family. I will always love you and protect you and be there for you. I asked your father for your hand in marriage at your brother’s birthday party, and he gave his approval. So now it’s up to you. Will you marry me, Randi?”
She fought back the tears in her eyes. “Yes! Yes! I will marry you, Quasar. I can’t believe it’s just like my great-grandmother told me it would be.”
“Your great-grandmother Julia?”
She shook her head. “No, my great-grandmother Mattie.” She told him about her vision and the prediction for their future as well as the reason she hadn’t told him before now. “You were chosen for me and I for you. But we had to earn each other’s love. I earned yours and you earned mine.”
He nodded, smiling. “Do you think that’s why I have a sixth sense where you are concerned to protect you from danger?”
“I’m thinking that’s why. You were able to know when I might be threatened when I didn’t have a clue.”
“I hope that’s the way it will always be, Randi. I want always to be your protector.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “And lover. Best friend and husband. You will be my everything man.”
“And you are definitely my everything woman,” he said, sliding an engagement ring onto her finger.
Her mouth widened. “OMG! It’s beautiful.” Randi couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared down at the two-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring.
Quasar laughed. “You can thank your sister, Haywood, for knowing your taste in jewelry.”
When Randi threw herself in his arms, he held her tight. This was the woman who’d brought him so much joy. The same woman who’d seized his heart by seducing the hell out of him. She was the one woman who would always and forever be there for him, the same way he intended always to be there for her. Like he’d told her, he believed there was a reason he was the man chosen to be a part of her life, and he intended always to make her happy.
Seized by Seduction--A Compelling Tale of Romance, Love and Intrigue Page 32