“Apparently never. You’re not laughing.”
She looked out the window. “How much farther to your home?”
In answer, he tapped on the glass partition. It lowered and the driver met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Yes, Mr. Anton?”
“Take the long way to my house.”
“But, sir. We’re already—”
“Up and down the mountain, then. We have a few things to settle before we arrive.”
“Of course sir. Just let me know when you’re ready to get there.”
The glass went back up, sealing them in privacy again. He moved from his seat to settle beside her, then took her right hand in his left. “I’m assuming this is a hypothetical question. Or is there something else you want to add, so that it’s more specific?”
Her face grew warm. “Forget I asked. It was a ridiculous question and completely inappropriate.”
“It’s a serious question, a deep question, and it deserves a serious, respectful and honest answer. As to being inappropriate, I can’t imagine how it could be, unless maybe it’s not hypothetical after all and you’re talking about you and me—and you’re worried about how I would take it?”
It didn’t seem possible for her face to get hotter, but it did. “Like I said, forget I asked. It was inappropriate, because it assumes all kinds of things, like that whatever this is between us could ever grow into something to where the answer to that question would matter.”
“You’re talking marriage, between you and me.”
She crossed her arms. “You don’t have to sound so stunned. It’s a logical progression in relationships. Not that I’m saying we’re in a relationship, exactly, or that it would become a logical step for us. I mean, if we ever even, you know, dated. Which we haven’t, really—”
He covered her mouth with his and gave her a slow, lazy and incredibly thorough kiss. When he pulled back, all she could do was sigh, and melt against the buttery leather seats.
“Wow,” she finally managed to say. “If I could bottle you up and sell you, I’d make a fortune.”
He laughed, then grew serious. “I’m not going to pretend that I can see into the future and tell where you and I might end up. We’ve had a rocky couple of weeks, and that’s the biggest understatement ever. But I can say with absolute certainty that we are definitely in a relationship.”
She swallowed, and managed a shaky smile. “Good to know.”
“As to your other questions, the first one is easy. In case you haven’t figured it out, I think you’re one of the smartest, funniest and hottest women I’ve ever met.”
She blinked up at him. “You think I’m hot?”
“Oh. Yeah. And that’s notin spiteof your brown skin or any other feature that makes you different from me. It’sbecauseofthose features, because of all the things that make you uniquely you. You’re an amazing, sexy, wonderful woman, Teagan Ray. Whoever you end up marrying, if you decide to marry, that man would be incredibly lucky and should feel honored that you chose him. And if he doesn’t feel that way, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
She settled against him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder as he put his arm around her. “You’re an amazing man, Bryson Anton.”
“You’re not so bad yourself. And, Teagan?”
“Yes, Bryson?”
He kissed her neck just below her ear, making her shiver. “I couldn’t begin to understand the ugliness the world may have shown you, the prejudice you’ve likely faced in your life, or the fears you live with every day about things I would never encounter, simply because we were born looking different from each other. But I can tell you this. Hypothetically, if you and I, for example, were to marry and were fortunate enough to have children, I would do everything in my power to protect them in every way. Above all, I would love them, and make sure they knew they were loved, always, unconditionally. And that I’ve got their backs, no matter what.” He kissed the top of her head. “Does that answer all your questions?”
She shook her head. “Not even close. I have dozens more.”
“Dozens?”
“Scores, actually.”
He laughed. “Then I guess we’ll be riding around this mountain for a good long time.” He settled back more comfortably, pulling her with him. “Go ahead. Ask your questions. But be prepared. I might have a few of my own.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Teagan had learned so much about Bryson during that conversation in the limo two days ago. It had been fun learning about his family, his ratherlargefamily of three younger brothers and two older sisters who were both married and had six kids between them.
