He took both of her hands in his. “I love you. I want you with me. The only question is, do you love me?”
Her entire body shook. She thought she might be going into some kind of shock. “I can take pictures of the Caribbean and Mexico.”
He smiled. “Do you love me, Charlene Ballantine?”
Fresh tears streamed down her face. “I do love you, Kyle Macintyre. I love you so much it hurts.”
He looked as if he’d spent his entire life waiting to hear her say those words. His face lit up with a smile that made her heart pound harder.
A moment later, he was kneeling in front of her. “I know this is sudden. I know you’re going to freak out and probably say no, but don’t.”
“What are you doing?” Her eyes must have been huge looking down at him. He was almost a blur. Breathing became difficult. What was she supposed to do? Kyle was on his knees in front of her in her condo in Florida. Was she dreaming? Had she fallen into a coma and all of this was some strange illusion?
“Breathe,” he commanded.
She gasped for a breath. “What are you doing?”
“My ship, if I take it, leaves in three weeks. In order to take you with me, we have to be married. I love you so much, Charley. I can’t stand the idea of being apart from you for six months. Marry me.”
“Marry you?” It came out a bit more screechy than she’d intended.
He stood up and put his fingers over her mouth. She was one breath away from telling him all the reasons it was a terrible idea for them to get married. She had a list of reasons why she would never marry again.
He kept his fingers on her lips and stared down into her eyes. He spoke slowly and his voice was earnest. “Okay. I know you. You’re about to say, no. Don’t. Think about it. You love me. You can work as a photographer and come back here for shows. If the cruise line wants to send you on a special trip, we can handle being apart for a week or two and then you can rejoin me on our ship. It’s the perfect scenario for a photographer. It’s the perfect solution to our problem, if you truly love me.”
She took hold of his hand and moved it away from her mouth. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.” His deep-blue eyes showed all the desperation of his plea.
“Yes.”
He didn’t move. “Yes?”
She couldn’t help it, she started laughing. All the emotion that had been poured into her tears for the past three months changed direction. Joy welled up in her and she became hysterical with laughter. “I’ll marry you.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her off the floor and spun around. “You’re not going to change your mind in five minutes are you?”
“No. In five minutes, I’m going to have every stitch of clothing off of that hot body of yours and we are going to be in my bedroom making love.” Her entire body hummed with joy and desire. She pointed in the general direction of her bedroom.
He burst out laughing. She could feel his cock stiffen between them, and he immediately started moving toward the bedroom. “Are you ever going to say what I expect, Charley?”
“I certainly hope not.”
About A.S. Fenichel
A.S. Fenichel adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story. Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey. She now lives in the southwest with her real-life hero, her wonderful husband. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, travel, history and puttering in her garden.
A.S. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by A.S. Fenichel
Christmas Bliss
Kane’s Bounty
Mayan Destiny 1: Mayan Afterglow
Mayan Destiny 2: Mayan Craving
Mayan Destiny 3: Mayan Inferno
Print books by A.S. Fenichel
Mayan Destiny 1 & 2: Mayan Saviors
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Alaskan Exposure
ISBN 9781419947742
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Alaskan Exposure Copyright © 2013 A.S. Fenichel
Edited by Whitney Mae
Cover design by Caitlyn Fry
Cover photography by MJTH, Volodymyr Goinyk, Wuttichok Painichiwarapun, L. Watcharapol/shutterstock.cm
Electronic book publication November 2013
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Title page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About A.S. Fenichel
Alaskan Exposure Page 19