He didn't like this at all. “No way. I’m not doing this, or playing this game.”
Ethan shrugged. “Cyra is at the end of this path.”
Okay, maybe he was going to do it and play the game.
“Is she okay? Is she hurt?” God! He had so many questions and was frustrated that no one would answer. “Please, Ethan,” he practically begged, placing his hand on the man’s arm. “Tell me I didn't screw up, and she’s not dumping my ass when I get to her.”
Ethan grinned. “Would Elizabeth ever let you get hurt?”
It was all that he had to say and offered him enough reassurance that nothing bad was going to happen.
“Chris, just head down the path and be patient. It’s maybe a two minute walk, and you’ll be there. When you can hear and see the lake, you’re close.”
With that, Ethan handed him the flashlight and headed back to the house. When he was far enough away from Chris, he began chuckling.
Yeah, the man was in for a huge surprise.
And his friend deserved it.
Chris hesitantly headed down the trail, unsure what to expect. His heart thudded in his chest. At almost the two minute mark, the trees began clearing out, and he could see some glowing light. It looked like a fire.
In fact, it smelled like one too.
As he broke through the trees, he found her standing there, and he had to blink to make sure that he was seeing things right. Before him stood Cyra, and she was waiting for him. Her back was to a roaring fire, and it was giving her an ethereal glow. Along the entire area, there was more flickering lights, as she had set up candles to illuminate the area. Some sat on the ground, and others hung in lanterns from the trees. In the water, she had floated some and it made the space look enchanted.
“This is incredible,” he muttered. Okay, he had set up the perfect engagement, but this was pretty spectacular. From the stars in the sky, to the flickering ambiance, he didn't know what to think. “What is all this?” he asked, staring at her.
“You always do really incredible things for me, so I wanted to show you how much I love you and appreciate them for Valentine’s Day.”
“Cyra, I know you do.”
“I wanted to take some time to just be alone with you and have dinner.”
Stepping to the side, he then saw the picnic basket and food waiting for him.
“A moonlight date with a beautiful woman is a pretty spectacular way to end the night and kick off the holiday.”
When she held out her hand, he immediately went to her. Chris allowed himself to be led to the quaint checkered blanket that was all set up. When she sat, he stayed beside her. Chris didn't want to be away from her for even a second.
Cyra began pulling food out of the picnic basket. She handed him a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. “Will you open this for me?” she asked, as her fingers lingered on his.
“Absolutely, sweetheart,” he answered, still enthralled with how beautiful she looked by the firelight. They had laid on their couch in front of the fireplace many times, but now, this was different.
Moving back to the picnic basket, she pulled out some french bread and a few different kinds of cheeses. As she arranged them all meticulously, he poured the wine.
Next, out came a cold antipasto salad with two forks sticking out of it.
“This looks really delicious, sweetheart,” he said, leaning forward to have a kiss. When he pulled away, he stared into her eyes. “That was pretty tasty too.”
Cyra coyly smiled as she ran her fingers down his cheek. “I missed you today, Christopher,” she said, slicing of some cheese and handing it to him on a piece of bread.
He took it and popped it in his mouth. After chewing, he spoke, “I’m sorry about today. I lost my cool and shouldn’t have snapped at you. You didn't deserve to be the target of my frustration.”
Cyra sipped her wine, and then offered him a bite of food, as she contemplated her response. At first, she had been upset, but then she understood why he was all stressed out. Cyra couldn’t blame him. If the shoe was on the other foot, certainly she would have had a similar response.
“It’s okay, Christopher. I understand why you were upset. I just really hope that you don’t believe that I wasn’t planning on telling you. I would have, but at a more appropriate time. I didn't think just dropping it on you, like my partner did, was the right way. I hate hurting you, and this needed a bit more gentleness.”
He understood what she was saying.
“I don’t keep secrets from you, especially something like that, and I never will.”
He believed her. In all his life, he was never able to trust a woman, like he did her. There was always that underlying fear that he was only wanted because of his money. With Cyra, she would rather he give it all away.
She loved him for him.
“I planned on telling you when we had a moment alone. Then, we could have discussed it more like adults and not heated from the incident.”
One of the things that Chris appreciated about Cyra was that she was generally calm and collected. The woman rarely freaked out, running in circles as she had a meltdown.
He finished his wine, and already he was far more relaxed. Maybe it was the ambiance, the alcohol, or simply Cyra. As she refilled his glass, he couldn’t help but just fall head over heels in love with her all over again.
It was a pretty spectacular night.
“We need to talk, Chris.”
Uh oh.
That didn't sound promising at all. In fact, conversations that started with that, generally ended poorly.
“I want to tell you something, but I don’t know how you’re going to feel. I hope you take it calmly and rationally.”
Yep, this was going to be bad.
“Okay, Cyra,” he said, chugging his wine.
When he drained the glass, she stared at him like he was a little bit nutty.
If she was going to break his heart, or tell him that she had changed her mind about getting married, he was now prepared for it. Maybe two glasses of wine would ease his heart and dull a little of the pain.
Cyra knew it was now or never.
“I want to sign a prenup.”
Chris stared at her. It was like the real Cyra had been abducted and replaced with an obviously crazy replica. “Why the hell would you want to do that, sweetheart?”
She took a deep breath. “I think that when I get pregnant, I’m going to stop working. It’ll be best for our family, if you don’t have to worry about me being held at gunpoint. You’re under a great deal of stress, and us being apart isn’t helping matters any. In fact, all I do is think about you when you’re gone. If I quit my job, then you have less stress, and so will I.”
He still stared at her. “Okay, but why the prenup? If you want to stay home and be a mother, I’m all for that. You don’t need to sign one.” Inside, he was thrilled that she was offering him this huge concession, but he was still a little confused.
“Yes, I do. I need to do it for me. I don’t ever want you to doubt that I’m not madly in love with you for you. I’m afraid that somewhere down the line, you’re going to wake up and think that I wanted to marry you for your money.”
He touched her cheek. “No prenup, Cyra.”
“But why, Chris?”
Gazing into her eyes, he shared every ounce of his heart and soul with her. “Because, I want you to stay out of your own free will and not a legal document. I don’t want you to be with me if you’re unhappy. If you divorce me, because you hate me, then you can have it all. I won’t be able to survive without you, so why should I care about how much money I have left?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“A prenup forces you to remain for so many years, if you want to get a buyout. If you stay with me, knowing you could have it all, it means more. It means that you choose us. That’s more powerful than any piece of paper that a lawyer can draw up. I want my wife to want to be mine forever, so, I don’t want one.”
“Don’t worry what my mother thinks of us. Worry about what I think. I know, without a doubt, that you’re with me for me. I can see it every time I look into your eyes. I can see it by what you did here tonight. I’m well aware of how you feel about me, and sacrificing your job, to be my wife and mother of our children, is just more proof.”
“I love you, Christopher.”
He was well aware. “I love you, Cyra. I promise that I always will.”
Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his in a soul searching kiss. It was full of heat and passion for the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. When she pulled away, the same emotion that she was feeling, was plastered across his face as they shared the moment.
“I want you, Cyra.”
She looked down at the food and began dumping what was left back into the picnic basket. When she was done, she stared at him and offered herself up. “Want dessert, Christopher?”
Oh, hell, yes, he did. “You better believe it, sweetheart,” he said, standing and pulling her to her feet. “Here?” he asked, looking around.
“Yes. I’m pretty sure that Elizabeth knew I was going to try and get you naked. No one’s going to wander down the trail tonight.”
She hoped.
Chris was more than game. “Let’s live on the edge,” he said, as he began unbuttoning his shirt. When Cyra stopped him, he waited expectantly.
“Let me do this,” she said, softly.
Chris could already feel his body igniting at her words. As her hands undid the buttons, his heart began racing. He couldn’t wait to make love to her under the stars and out in the woods. This was a pretty perfect night in his book.
When Cyra had his shirt done, she dropped it off his shoulders. Next, her focus was on his pants, and what she knew waited inside. Flicking the button open, she slowly slid the zipper down. The hiss and his intake of breath, as she ran her fingers over him, were the only sounds heard in the night. When the pants fell from his hips, he stood there and kicked off his shoes. When Cyra dropped to her knees and stared up at him, his heart squeezed in his chest.
There was his soul staring back at him.
“Cyra,” he murmured, as he watched her stroke him through the material of his boxers. Everything in him froze as he waited for her to make the next move.
She loved him so much that she could weep from the emotion of it all. Staring up at him, she wanted to be his wife in the worst possible way. When she regained her focus, as he said her name, she tugged his boxers down. Lovingly, she caressed him with her fingers and the palm of her hand, as she savored the moment.
When he bobbed in front of her face, she took him in her mouth to offer him some of what she was feeling for him. As soon as she licked him, he moaned in pleasure, and it shot electric-like currents straight through her body to her core.
This was her future.
Chris watched as she worshiped him lavishly. Cyra put her whole heart into it, and he was having a really hard time concentrating on anything but the intense pleasure that he was feeling. As she added her hand, he thought he was going to explode then and there.
If he didn't stop her, he absolutely would.
Moving away from the delicious heat of her mouth, he dropped down beside Cyra to begin pulling her clothes from her body. When she was topless, he ran his hands over the delicate paleness of her flesh and admired the feel of it beneath his fingers. When she shivered, he began leaving kisses across her shoulders. “Are you cold?” he asked, knowing that he was burning up. If he didn't find relief soon, Chris was going to burst into flames.
“No, I just want to feel you against me.”
Whatever his fiancée wanted, she could absolutely have. Laying her back on the blanket, he unbuttoned her pants and slid them, and her boots, off. Now, she was lying in just a pair of panties and bra.
His mouth watered. This was his personal treasure trove for the rest of his life. Chris Leonard was going to get to spend the next forty some years experiencing all Cyra had to offer, and he would never be bored.
Laying over her, he began with her mouth. Making love to it, slowly and torturously. When he could finally manage to pull away, he slid down lower to the beautiful breasts held captive in the bra. Flicking the front clasp open, he feasted on what lay before him. When her body responded to his touch, he nearly lost his composure. His desire for her urged him to just take her, and he fought valiantly. Yet, Chris couldn’t do that to her. She had worked too hard on tonight, and Cyra was going to get slow, meaningful romance.
When her hands found his hair and shoulders, he nearly went mad.
Cyra couldn’t stop the sensory overload, as his mouth and hands were getting busy. As he teased and tormented her breasts with teeth and tongue, his hands had already moved lower and were causing their own havoc.
She arched up into him, as he slid his fingers through her wetness, and she was pretty sure she was tighter than the string on a bow. If he plucked, she might just snap from the tension coursing through her body.
Staring up at her, he grinned. “Are you ready for me, Cyra?” he asked, softly.
“Please, yes!” she exclaimed, as his fingers continued to tease her to the edge. Cyra believed he was going to slide into her, but instead, he slid lower.
“I want more, Cyra,” he whispered, as he slid her panties from her body. “I want to taste you and hear you call my name,” he said, right before he dove into her body, like a starving man.
It didn’t take Cyra long to fall, and when Chris kept going, her entire body shook and shivered. “Christopher!” she practically shouted.
With a nip, she bowed beneath him and broke into a million pieces again. Somewhere outside her body, she could feel him hovering above her. There was the scent of his cologne and candles around them. As she opened her eyes, he was waiting for her.
“I love you,” he said, as he slid deep into the warmth of her body.
Cyra gasped and felt the entire world spin, as she found herself on top staring down at him.
“I want to watch my Goddess, and the stars that don’t even come close to your beauty, as we make love,” he said, as his hands went to her hips and he began helping her set the pace.
Cyra stared down into his face and memorized it for all eternity. Not only was there love, but she cherished the immense pleasure she found there. Nothing in life was ever going to be like this moment. Forever would she carry this with her, as the night they made love under the heavens.
“Oh God, sweetheart,” he murmured, as she picked up the pace. His hands released her hips and traced upwards to her breasts. Running his fingers over them, he drew a gasp from her. Just by the way she dropped her head back to enjoy the ride, he knew that she was close.
“More,” he urged. When she gave him what he asked for, his body shook with need. Nothing in life felt this good, ever.
“Chris, I can’t…” she began, but then her body took over, and called to his, luring him to the edge with her.
“Oh God,” he moaned, as she slid down him, burying his body deep within hers. It all felt…
Perfect.
When she dropped down one more time, her body shook and exploded apart. As hard as she tried to wait for him, it just wasn’t possible.
“Cyra,” he shouted, as her body tightened around his and took him with her. As they both tumbled, he allowed the absolute peace to fill him.
This was perfection.
She was his treasure.
As they floated down and back to reality, he reached to the side and pulled one of the unused blankets over their still joined bodies to keep them warm. It wasn’t cold out, but the night had some chill, especially when you were cooling down after some amazing sex.
“Cyra?” he whispered into the night air.
“Hmmmm?” she replied, as she nuzzled deep into the crook of his throat.
“I want to try and have kids, and soon.”
She left
little kisses there. “I came off birth control a few weeks ago.”
His heart skipped, and he was sure she could feel it, since she was lying on his body. “Really? So we could get pregnant any time now?”
She lifted her head and stared into his eyes. “Did you miss that part of medical school?”
He started laughing, and she joined him.
“I can’t wait to have a family with you, Christopher. I think I want to fill up that haunted mausoleum of ours.
“I can’t wait either, sweetheart,” and then, he paused. “I know how I can contribute to this pregnancy.”
She kissed him lightly on the lips. “How, other than the obvious?”
It took him a minute to catch that. “You’ve been hanging out with Elizabeth far too much,” he said, laughing. Then, he continued, “I’m going to deliver our children.”
She stopped moving. “What?”
The look on her face was priceless. “I am a medical doctor. I just specialized in Forensic Pathology.”
Cyra was scared shitless, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. “Absolutely, Christopher. I would love to have you deliver our kids.”
“Really?” He didn't think she was actually going to go for that.
“Yes, on one condition.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“You make sure I get drugs. I’m no one’s hero, and I want the good stuff.”
He began laughing. “I think I can arrange that.”
She snuggled under the blanket that he had pulled over them and closed her eyes.
“I have you, sweetheart,” he said, and he absolutely did.
* * *
After dinner, they were all sitting on the couch. It was peaceful to know that they were beginning to be themselves again. Elizabeth was lying against Ethan, and Callen’s head was on her lap.
It was comfortable and very cathartic.
“I think I’m going to go call Doctor Gaines. I want to tell her thank you for all she’s done. I know I haven’t made her job easy the last four months,” Ethan said.
“Are you going to continue seeing her?” Elizabeth asked.
Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) Page 29