“I love you, Olivia.”This time the words come easier, fuller.“I’ve loved you for years.And I’m done pretending otherwise.”
Her smile is slow and devastating, bright enough to rival every Christmas light in Silverbell Hollow.She kisses me soft and deep, tasting like champagne and promise.When I try to deepen the kiss, she pulls away, laughing against my mouth.Her breath is warm against the cold air, and before I can process what’s happening, she flicks me on the forehead.
“Ow.”I rub the spot, more out of surprise than actual pain.“What was that for?”
“Your family is inside,” she says, her hazel eyes dancing with amusement.“And mine.”
I blink at her innocently, though we both know exactly what I was trying to do.“It’s just a kiss.”
“It’s never just a kiss with you,” she counters, and the way she says it, knowing and teasing, makes me
My hand slides to the back of her neck, fingers threading through her hair as I pull her back to me.“I can’t even kiss my fiancée now?”The word feels good on my tongue.Fiancée.Mine.
I capture her mouth again before she can answer, and this time I don’t hold back.My lips move against hers with deliberate intent, coaxing her mouth open.When she gasps, I take advantage, my tongue sliding against hers in a slow, thorough sweep that makes her melt against me.
I tilt her face up, deepening the kiss until she’s gripping my sweater for balance.My other hand finds her waist, pulling her flush against me, and when she makes that small sound in the back of her throat, pure want shoots through my veins.I kiss her like I’ve been starving for it, like years of restraint are burning away with every stroke of my tongue against hers.Her fingers curl into the fabric at my chest, and I feel her body arch into mine despite the cold.
“Alexander,” she breathes against my mouth, but it doesn’t sound like a protest.
I trail my lips along her jaw, down to that spot just below her ear that makes her shiver.“You’re right,” I murmur against her skin.“It’s never just a kiss.”
She laughs, but it’s breathless, shaky.Her hands push weakly at my chest.“Stop.”
“Let me try again,” I say, working my way back up to her mouth, pressing kisses to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her lips.
“No,” she says, but she’s laughing harder now, her body shaking with it.“I’m not letting you do anything to me out in this cold.”
I kiss her nose, then that sweet spot just below her ear again, and she squeals, batting at me with both hands.“Alexander, I’m serious!Our families are inside.”
We’re grappling now, her trying to hold me off while I pull her closer, both of us laughing like idiots in the snow.Christmas lights blink around us, and I haven’t felt this light, this happy, in years.
Maybe ever.
Finally, I relent, pulling her into my arms properly.She fits there perfectly, her head tucked under my chin, her body warm against mine.We both settle, the playfulness fading into something quieter, deeper.
“How did you like my proposal?”I ask after a moment, genuinely curious.I planned it for weeks, second-guessed every detail.
“It was very pretty,” she says softly.
“And the ring?”My thumb finds it on her finger, the precious stones cold against my skin.“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you like...”
“Alexander.”She pulls back to look at me, and her eyes are bright with unshed tears.Happy tears, I realize.“I loved it.Every single part of it.But more than any of that, I love you.”
The world stops.
Everything, the cold, the lights, the music from inside, fades to nothing.All I can hear is my own heartbeat thundering in my ears, all I can see is her face looking up at mine with such open, devastating honesty.
My mouth opens.Closes.Opens again.Nothing comes out.
I’ve negotiated billion-dollar deals.I’ve stood in boardrooms full of sharks and come out on top.I’ve built an empire with nothing but determination and strategy.And I have absolutely no idea what to say.
Her smile turns wicked.“Did I leave you speechless?”Then she kisses me, sweet and soft, and the tightness in my chest loosens, replaced by something warmer.Something that feels dangerously close to hope.
When she pulls back, her voice is rough with emotion.“I wasn’t going to say it.I don’t want to be the girl who falls after a couple of weeks.But I’ve known you for so long, and the more time we spend together makes me realize that you’ve been looking after me in so many small ways I never paid attention to.How could I not fall in love with you?”
