“Always, always, Dylan. I will die loving you.” I smiled down at the man who had stolen my heart the first time I’d seen him, even though it had taken me too long to admit it. Now that I had, he was mine and I was keeping him. “I will never make you regret loving me.”
Tears pooled in his eyes, which made my own eyes water. I traced my thumb over his bottom lip. “And don’t forget, we’ve been blessed to love a lifetime and beyond.”
“I’ll never forget, my Jenny Girl.”
He blinked his eyes dry, then pulled my mouth down to his. When he slid into me, joining our bodies, it was different from any time before. We were in love, and that changed everything, even how it felt when his hands roamed lovingly over me. He loved me all through the night until I laughingly begged for mercy. I fell asleep wrapped in Dylan’s strong arms, happier than I’d ever been.
“Wake up, beautiful girl.”
I groaned as I turned away, pulling my pillow over my face. “Go away.”
An amused male sigh reached my ears. “And last night you said you loved me. Not so much in the morning, Red?”
“I’ll probably hate you all of our mornings if you’re always this cheerful.”
“Even if I bring you coffee and hot spanakopitas?”
My nose twitched when the rich aroma of the pastries and coffee drifted my way. “In that case, I might like you a little. Gimme.” I pushed up against the pillows and bit into the savory spinach, feta cheese, and egg pie. “So good,” I murmured.
Dylan grinned from his spot on the edge of the bed. “I thought that might win me some points.”
I snorted. “Like you need more. You’ve won the game.”
His smile faded as his eyes searched mine. “Have I?”
Did he even have to ask? I set down the pastry. “Yes. Don’t you know that?”
“When I said I hadn’t come to take you home, I meant it.” He wrapped his fingers around my ankle. “I understand you not only had a dream to travel long before we met, but that you made a promise to your sister. I would never ask you to give that up. Before you left, I almost told you that I loved you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
His gaze shifted to the hand he had on my ankle. “Because I knew there was the possibility you might meet someone. A sexy Italian who spoke accentedamorewords in your ear. Or possibly a brawny Scot in a kilt that you couldn’t resist peeking under. I wanted you to be free if that happened.”
Oh, Dylan. You sweet, wonderful, amazing man.“That’s something you’ll never have to worry about…well, I can’t promise I won’t peek under a kilt if the opportunity presents itself. You know, just to learn the answer to the age-old question.”
He grinned. “You can look but not touch. How’s that?”
“Deal.”
His smile faded, and he stared intently at me. “I want you to know that I’ll wait for you, however long it takes before you’re ready to come home. You’re it for me.”
Happiness filled me, warming all the places that had been cold since the day I’d lost my twin. I put my palm on his cheek. “Who do you love?”
He leaned his face into my hand. “Jenny. Just Jenny.”
There was nothing better he could have said to put to rest any lingering fear that his heart belonged to another woman. I smiled up at him. “I love you more.”
“Do not.”
“Do too.” That resulted in a round of wrestling and tickling, and when we were both laughing so hard we could barely catch our breath, he rolled on top of me and stared down at me. “Where do you go next?”
“I have a flight to London this afternoon, but—”
“Can I come with you? I have two weeks before I have to return.”
Before he interrupted me, I was about to say that I wanted to return home with him, but two weeks traveling with Dylan? That would be so awesome.
“If that’s not okay, I understand,” he said when I didn’t answer.
