Josh was making being on stage seem effortless, and she was amazed. She watched in silence, her eyes prickling with heat to see her brother so happy. Perhaps Josh truly could make almost any fantasy truly happen.
“Before we go, I’ve got one more surprise for you.” He glanced in her direction and Caroline could feel the eye contact. “Caroline Parker, come on out and join us on stage.”
Caroline couldn’t get her feet to move. Why on earth would he want her out there? She worked behind the scenes. He gave her a sly grin, then walked over to her and slipped his hand in hers, walking her toward the crowd. At center stage, Carvales and her brother just behind him, he knelt on one knee.
Oh. God. She knew what this was. He was proposing again. Now. In front of everyone. She began to shake, her eyes burning. It was the sweetest thing. And for someone like Josh, with everything they had been through, it was the ultimate expression. To take the chance of being rejected in front of hundreds, possibly thousands, of people—by her, especially after showing the world his dreams.
Josh pushed aside the replica blaster at his hip and pulled a small Tiffany-blue box from his pocket, popping it open. The crowd went wild. The three diamonds sparkled in the spotlights. The blue in his eyes was luminous, intense, and it sucked her in. Caroline knew at that moment Josh would do anything for her—anything. No matter what it cost him professionally or personally. He loved her unconditionally and with all his heart.
“It’s one diamond for our past, one for our present, and one for our future,” Josh said, his hand shaking. “Will you marry me?”
For a moment Caroline wasn’t sure she could breathe. She couldn’t make her mouth work. She was shaking too hard, her trembling fingers at her lips. So she did the only thing she could and nodded.
He jumped up, flipped off his mic, and circled her in his arms, then kissed her in a way that went straight to her head and her heart.
The crowd clapped and roared their approval. Josh motioned for Carvales to take over ending the program and focused his attention on Caroline. She gazed up into his handsome face. “What about Aubrey, and Aeon and all your plans for the future?”
His lips quirked up in a sexy-as-hell smile that definitely stole her ability to breathe. He cupped her cheek in his palm, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip in a touch that shot liquid heat through her body. “There’s no point in reaching for the stars when you don’t have someone you love and trust to stare up at them with you. I still have Aeon, but I want you.”
“But it’s your dream, Josh. You can’t give that up. Not for me.”
“I’m not giving up. Just expanding. Dreams change,” he said with a shrug. “And what’s the point of being the CEO if I can’t decide to make those dreams bigger and grander?”
“Always pushing to the edge, aren’t you?”
“You would know.”
He claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss that resonated through her, making her feel alive, treasured, wanted.
“You haven’t given me an answer yet.”
“I already gave you an answer.”
“Yes, but I want to hear you say it.”
She sighed and laid her palm on his chest, feeling the strong beat of it beneath her fingers. “You’re right.”
“As always.”
She swatted him lightly. “Don’t push it.”
“So, are you going to marry me?”
“I don’t know. It might take a total image makeover on my part to become the wife of one of the richest men on the planet. Do you think I’m ready?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Then, yes, I’ll marry you.”
This time his kiss was softer, deeper, pulling at her very heart, and when they took a second to breathe, Caroline knew it was right.
“Is there any chance I could get you to wear a Princess Leia outfit for me?”
“Which one?”
“The golden bikini thing with the sheer panels.”
She smiled. “I think I actually saw a vendor with one of those out in the main concourse. If you’re lucky I can get it before this evening.”
He laughed. “You were perfect for me from the very beginning,” he said as his thumb brushed her cheek tenderly and touched his forehead to hers.
She smiled. “And you’ll be perfect for me until the very end.”
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About the Author
Raised by a bibliophile who made the dining room into a library, Theresa has always been a lover of books and stories despite dyslexia that made it difficult for her to write and read until the fourth grade. First a writer for newspapers, then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school, eventually enrolling in a Writer’s Digest course and putting the book under the bed until she joined Romance Writers of America in 1993. In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists for the American Title II contest, the American Idol of books.
She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom), who she knew was hero material when he suffered through having to let her parents drive, and her brother sit between them in the backseat of the car. They currently live in a Victorian house on a mini-farm in the Pacific Northwest with their two children, two cats, an old chestnut Arabian gelding, an energetic mini-Aussie shepherd dog, a parakeet, and an out-of-control herb garden. She collects teapots, teddy bears, and steampunk gadgetry, and when not writing can be found sewing, painting, canning, baking, or hiding out in a comfy chair reading a wonderful book. On occasion, you might find her scuba diving or riding her white quad with hot-pink flames on the sand dunes. Her favorite television shows are Supernatural (Dean Girl), The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time and Grimm (is it any wonder she writes fiction?)
You can find her online at her website www.Theresameyers.com or frequently on Twitter @Theresa_Meyers.
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Other books by Theresa Meyers...
The Switched Baby Scandal
Widower Reece Wallace believed his life was over when he lost his wife and daughter, but when he learns the hospital switched babies five years ago, he regains hope. What he never anticipated was the fiery woman on the other side of the custody battle. As the media storm surrounding the hospital’s mistake intensifies, Taylor Lawrence and Reece find there’s more to sort out than custody of Emily—they must work together to protect her while grappling with their growing attraction. Can they pick up the pieces of two broken families and meld them into something new?
Shadowlander
Four sisters, three rules to live by, one big problem. O’Connell Family Rule #1: Don’t let the Fae know you see them. O’Connell Family Rule #2: Don’t talk to the Fae. O’Connell Family Rule #3: Never, ever follow them. Most people only believe what they can see. Gifted with the ability to see the deep, dark fae of Shadowland, Catherine Rowan Mary O’Connell would prefer not to. When the fae abduct her friend Maya, Cate breaks the sacred O’Connell Family Rules and sets a trap for the handsome fae who haunts her every step. Rook, High Court Advisor to the Shadow King, has been following Cate since she was sixteen. When Cate reveals herself as one of the fabled “Seers”, Rook is stunned---she is one of the few that can permanently open the gates between their worlds. If he turns her over to the Shadow King, his court will rule the human realm. Cate knows she has precious little time to find Maya. By midnight, the glamour of Mid-Summer’s Eve will fade, leaving her trapped forever in the Shadowland, but Maya’s abductor won’t give up the woman he’s m
esmerized easily. The midnight hour is almost at hand. Cate must choose: her freedom or her destiny.
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The Geek Billionaire Makeover Page 16