His Eternal Flame

by Layla Valentine

  Halfway through the meal, Dante stood.

  “Good season, boys!”

  They answered him with a cheer.

  “You trained good; you played good; you did great. To my brothers, my lover, and Joel…”

  The table broke into laughter at that, and Joel narrowed his eyes in a playful glare.

  “You did damn good.”

  The guys cheered and I blew Dante a kiss.

  “There’s one more thing I need to do before I can call this season a win, though,” Dante said somberly.

  Silence fell over the table, and all of a sudden, all eyes were on me. My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard, extremely self-conscious with very little idea why. I looked up at Dante for reassurance, but he was smoldering down at me with a layered intensity that I had never seen before.

  I regretted indulging in the delicious Thai food as my stomach twisted into a hard, anxious knot.

  His eyes leveled with mine, never breaking the connection, as he knelt down on one knee. Panic and excited anticipation crashed through my brain, short-circuiting every thought in a confused cluster. His hand slipped into his pocket and reappeared, holding my future in a small velvet box.

  I sucked in a breath, frantically searching my mind for my answer before he had even asked the question. I was going to miss it. I forced myself to focus.

  “Livia Ramos,” he began in that low, honeyed tone which made my body quake. “Without you, I would still be a kid denying reality. I would have missed out on a best friend, a fulfilling future, and a resolved relationship with the past. You’ve turned my whole life around; will you walk the new road with me? Not just until you get tired of me, not until I start to annoy you, but forever?”

  With the last word, he flipped the box open.

  “I need to hear the words,” I whispered, my brain still running circles of disbelief.

  “Livia Ramos, my wordsmith, my brilliant, beautiful love…will you marry me?”

  My mouth was dry. I swallowed once and then again, nodding furiously as tears pricked at my eyes.

  “I need to hear the words,” he said gently, a cocky smile on his face.

  “Yes, Dante Drake, I’ll marry you,” I choked out.

  A happy sob refused to be contained as I flung my arms around his neck, knees hitting the floor, mouth pressed frantically to his. I felt like I was flying and drowning all at once, lost in a whirlwind of emotion.

  He trembled in my arms, and after a moment, I couldn’t tell if the tears on my cheeks were mine or his. The boys cheered for us, a camera flashed beside us, but all I cared about was Dante.

  I could have held onto him forever, but the boys weren’t having it. They pulled us apart eventually, all of them talking at once. Congratulations, back slapping, cheek kissing, and then dessert, brought out by Jack himself.

  “Congratulations!” he said with a big grin. “Stay for one hour, ice cream and wine on the house.”

  He nearly skipped away, and I raised a curious brow at Dante.

  “Why are we staying for an hour?” I asked him.

  “For the free ice cream and wine, of course!” he dodged with a wink.

  All I could do was roll my eyes, and I did so with gusto. Dante laughed at me, and Joel bounced in his seat like an excited child. Conversation turned to summer fitness and next season’s strategies.

  I listened intently, soaking it all in. It fascinated me to learn how people in other professions thought about them; it seemed to me that anyone who was passionate about their work was never really “off”. I certainly never was, I realized. I was constantly collecting information, storing it on mental note cards for potential future use.

  Suddenly, Jack was at my elbow with a large envelope and a felt-tipped silver pen.

  “Will you sign first, future Mrs. Drake?” he asked with a huge grin.

  “Um…what am I signing?” I asked.

  “Your engagement photo!” he said triumphantly, pulling the picture out.

  My hands flew up to my face as a rush of emotion rose in my throat. The photo was absolutely gorgeous with Dante and me locked in a classy but obviously passionate kiss. The ring glittered from its box, nestled in his massive palm. Behind us were the cheering faces of the Harriers. It had been printed in black and white, which only made it better.

  “Oh, I can’t write on this,” I gasped. “It’s too perfect!”

  “That’s why I brought two,” Jack said with a chuckle as he pulled a second envelope out from behind his back. “This one is for you to keep. Hang it on your wall and tell everybody that it happened at Thai Palace.”

  “Thank you,” I blubbered as tears spilled down my cheeks.

  I handed the second photo to Dante for safekeeping as I signed Jack’s picture. I tried not to cry onto it, but I was pretty sure I ruined the bottom left corner. A quick glance at the picture frame on the wall suggested that it wouldn’t matter, which was a relief.

  Jack passed the picture and the pen around the group until everyone had signed it. He bowed at us quickly, then disappeared with the picture and frame.

  He reappeared a moment later and hung the photo on the wall.

  “Now, you’re immortal,” he told me with a big smile. “Just like your future husband.”

  A giddy laugh broke from my throat, easing the tension in my chest with a rolling wave of delight. I moved my chair closer to Dante’s so I could cling to him, and ended up sitting in his lap as he cradled me in his strong, warm arms.

  My future husband, I thought, trying it out. Yeah. Yeah, I like that.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  The inside of the hotel was just as glorious as the outside implied. It hadn’t been difficult for me to choose this hotel as the venue, especially once I saw where it was—exactly centered between the rink and Thai Palace one way, between my apartment and the Revival the other way. Dante and I had been rotating around this building for our entire relationship, and we’d never even realized it.

  They set up the aisle in the garden between the glass-covered pool and the building, pooling our guests into a private canyon. Cherry blossoms floated in the air, framing the perfect picture before me—Dante, waiting for me, with Joel at his side as his best man. How quickly a decision to stop fighting had become a beautiful friendship.

  I trembled as I marched up the aisle, past the endless eyes, toward my solid oasis. My dress was worthy of the building, as much princess as the hotel was castle, and I felt absolutely beautiful as I moved in it.

  Butterflies rushed through my gut and I reached a hand up to touch my necklace, the pendant a tiny ice skate made from glittering crystals. Dante wore a tie pin shaped like an old-fashioned quill.

  Our little acknowledgments of each other, these tiny reminders of what this day meant, were everything to me. Dante had understood and supported that; the fights that everyone told me were inevitable during wedding planning never happened. Even now, three steps away from him, I waited for the other shoe to drop, for the perfect bubble to burst, but I made it into his grasp without so much as a wardrobe malfunction.

  The instant I held his hands and looked up into his eyes, that ball of impending panic melted away. There was nowhere in the world I would rather be in that moment than in his arms, forever. The music stopped and the wedding officiant began to address the ladies, gentlemen, and honored guests.

  My heart fluttered as he spoke of love and its meaning, of life-long devotion, of friendship within a marriage. The longer he talked, the more I knew I had made the right decision. Maybe a person could be certain of forever after all.

  Electricity bolted me in place when Dante kissed me, as if the magic of the ritual had created an unbreakable, unshakable bond. No eye in the audience was dry when we swept down the aisle as man and wife. Happiness flowed out of my eyes in dual streams as he took me in his arms in a little alcove, cupping my face in his hands and gazing deeply into my eyes.

  “Are those happy tears, darlin’?” he as
ked.

  “Of course they are,” I laughed, kissing his face all over. “I’m so happy. I don’t know if I can bear it.”

  “I’ll bear it with you,” he said, beaming. “You’re my world, Livia.”

  “As much as hockey?” I teased.

  “It’s real close,” he laughed, but I couldn’t argue because his lips were already on mine.

  His lips were like fire along my jaw and throat. Guests filed past us, unaware of our passionate interlude in the secluded little alcove. I heard the band tuning their instruments, and the DJ begin his final sound check. Scents of wonderful food filled my nostrils, and the gentle hubbub from the next room rose into party-level noise.

  I sighed regretfully, recognizing my responsibility.

  “We should get out there,” I told him with a pout. “It is our party, after all.”

  “Hm…I’m sort of in the mood for a party for two,” he murmured against my collarbone.

  “Come on, Dante,” I giggled. “We’ll show up, play our part, and then…” I trailed off, peeking up at him through my lashes as I bit my lip.

  “I like the sound of that,” he growled, nipping my earlobe. “All right, you win, Mrs. Drake. Lead the way.”

  We entered the reception hall with giddy, silly grins plastered all over our faces, and the explosion of applause barely penetrated my love-drunk haze. I hung on Dante’s elbow like a gentlewoman of old as we moved through the hall, greeting and thanking our guests.

  “Are you ready?” the conductor asked as we passed the bandstand.

  “What do you say, Liv? Ready to dance?”

  “Always,” I said happily.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please! Introducing, for the first time ever, for their first dance as man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Drake!”

  More applause sounded as we glided to the floor. Eighteen solid months of weekend dates at the Revival had prepared me for this, and I confidently took my place in Dante’s arms as the waltz began. That princess feeling compounded as I twirled through the gilded room, my gossamer gown sweeping across the polished floor, my prince’s strong arms guiding me with the skill of a master.

  The waltz melted into a foxtrot, the foxtrot into a tango, the tango into a mambo, the mambo into swing. Our first dance was a showcase of the skills we had developed together, a metaphor for our journey as a couple. We blew the audience away, and I laughed giddily. Whatever performance anxiety had clung to me earlier had melted away entirely.

  I had the time of my life out on the dance floor. The reception schedule shifted slightly, seamlessly accommodating us, but after a while, the musicians bowed out for a much-needed break.

  “Guess it’s time to eat.” Dante smiled, touching my face tenderly.

  “I suppose so.” My sigh was intended to sound petulant, but it came out happy. Everything was coming out happy today.

  We took our places and sat through the toasts. Some were hilarious, some were cheesy, and some brought tears to my eyes.

  After the final toast, Dante stood up.

  “Thank you all. My wife…”

  He broke off and smiled down at me, pausing for a long moment after saying the word.

  “That should sound strange, but somehow it doesn’t. My wife and I want to thank you all for coming, and for your fantastic toasts. Well, mostly fantastic.”

  He paused for the obligatory chuckle, then continued.

  “They say that every end is a new beginning. Likewise, every beginning indicates an end. Livia is my beginning. What I’m leaving behind…well, that’s hockey.”

  A collective gasp went up from the crowd; then, they fell silent. Dante nodded somberly.

  “A man needs to be aware when a chapter of his life has reached its natural end. I have had the best of times with the Harriers. You’ll always be family to me, but as of today, I am retired. I will be spending next hockey season curled up on the couch with the love of my life, watching you jerks make me proud.”

  He turned to Joel, who was sitting on his left.

  “Joel, you’ve got it. You do. You’re going to lead this team to greatness year after year and send a whole new generation of girls into palpitations every time your face shows up on a cereal box. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

  The crowd laughed, but the laugh sounded a bit teary, too. Dante swallowed and cleared his throat.

  “Thank you all for the best twelve years of my life. Here’s to the next twelve being even better.”

  Everyone toasted, and Dante drank deeply. His eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears when he looked back at me. My heart swelled and I kissed him, tasting the bittersweet goodbye on his lips. He clung tightly to me as if he were trying not to drown, and I squeezed him back.

  My husband breathed a shuddering sigh as he released me, his cheeks wet. I dried his tears with tender hands, and he touched his forehead to mine.

  His mood lifted as we went through the rotes of tradition, both classy and trashy, from cake to garters. The party began in earnest once those things had been checked off. The crowd grew more inebriated, and louder with every passing moment. It made for a fun atmosphere, but I was tapped. I needed a moment to think, a moment in my own skin outside of the cumbersome dress.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Dante murmured in my ear, as if reading my thoughts.

  “Yes please,” I whispered back.

  We slipped away through the darkened edges of the room and made for the elevator like escaped convicts. Dante offered me his arm when we reached our floor—the top floor.

  Our honeymoon suite was roofed in blue-tinted glass, giving the illusion that we were sleeping among the stars. Every luxury was included, from a jetted tub to massaging chairs, but my favorite feature at that moment was the excessive open space and utter silence. I moved to take off my dress but couldn’t unfasten it.

  “Allow me,” Dante said, his fingers working nimbly over the endless row of pearl buttons down my spine.

  The dress slid to the floor. Tights, garter, bra, and panties were next. I took down my hair, desperate to feel like myself again as I walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  “Did you have fun?” he asked.

  “I had the time of my life,” I told him, and I meant it. “It’s nice to have a little quiet and time to ourselves, though.”

  “Care for some company?” he asked through the glass.

  I smiled and peeked out the door to take in his newly nude frame.

  “Why, Mr. Drake, I would love your company!”

  “Happy to offer it, Mrs. Drake,” he said with mock formality.

  He stepped into the shower and wrapped my giddy self in his powerful embrace, kissing me deeply. I washed him down with my delicious-smelling shower goodies, and he didn’t seem to mind a bit. Bubbles slid between our bodies as we kissed, filling our senses with fragrance, igniting a firestorm of tingles over our bodies.

  “Have you ever slept with a married man before?” he asked teasingly as he slid his soapy palms down over my rear.

  “Of course not! I’m shocked that you would suggest such a thing!” I laughed.

  “Do you want to?” he asked with a devilish grin.

  “Of course I do! I’m shocked you would think otherwise!”

  He laughed, pressing his mouth to mine in a shut-up kiss which quickly softened into a kiss of need. Then, he lifted me up against the shower wall and I squealed into his mouth.

  “It’s slippery in here! Shower sex is dangerous.”

  He gave me a look.

  “I’ve spent the last twenty years on the ice. You think I can’t handle a little soap?”

  “You don’t have your soap skates on,” I said stubbornly, biting his lip.

  He growled, thrusting into me, making me cry out in a half-laugh. He was right; he could hold his own against the soap.

  I writhed against him, pulling him deep inside, gyrating over him. He soaped my breasts and slid his hand over them, playing wi
th my nipples, sending heat coursing through my core to melt between my hips.

  I wrapped myself around him, clinging to his slippery skin, sliding against him as he moved inside of me.

  “My husband,” I murmured, kissing his mouth.

  “My beautiful wife,” he murmured back.

  I’m his wife, I realized in an electric shock of astonishment. I gazed into his kaleidoscope eyes, memorized his loving face, and ran my fingers through his tight, curly hair. How lucky I am.

  His breath quickened with his rhythm, building the pressure between my hips. His eyes darkened with love, with lust, with every bit of connection flickering between us in that luxurious hotel shower.

  Ecstasy rolled over me from my prickling scalp to my curling toes, and I pulsed savagely around him. I shuddered and screamed his name; he gasped and growled, filling me with hot, powerful throbs.

  He set me down with tender care and we rinsed off in the endlessly hot shower. Neither of us spared a thought for the party still in full swing downstairs; with terrycloth robes wrapped haphazardly around our dewy bodies, we raced each other to the bed.

  I spent the rest of the night entangled with my glorious, magnificent, downright legendary new husband. I couldn’t wait to see where life would take us next.

  The End

  Triplets For The Billionaire

  Ana Sparks & Layla Valentine

  Last but by no means least is Triplets For The Billionaire

  Settle in for one salacious offer, two lustful lovers, and three adorable babies!

  Copyright 2018 by Ana Sparks and Layla Valentine

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