Velario took her hands in his. “Reyn, I am so in love that I would do far more than wear something ridiculous for you. I want you by my side for the rest of my days—and nights. You bring brightness, joy, and laughter to my life.”
With his fingers curled around hers, Velario waited for her reaction.
Reyn’s lips trembled. She swallowed. “Velario, I’m in love with you, too.”
He pulled her against his chest and kissed her. He eased back after only a moment. Not because they were in the theater; they were far enough back in the box to be all but invisible. But Velario needed a response. “Well?”
Brows drawing together, Reyn looked at him for a moment. “Well, what?”
“What’s your answer?”
“You didn’t ask me a question.”
“Yes, I—” Velario closed his eyes. “Five hells. I actually forgot to ask you to marry me, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Reyn, will you—”
“Yes, Velario. My answer is yes!”
He was still convincing himself that yes meant yes, that Reyn would marry him, when she grabbed the bright silk of his waistcoat and pulled him closer for a kiss. All ability to reason left him. They kissed in the deep shadows, drinking each other in, until the orchestra began the overture.
When the music started, Reyn stepped back. She ran her hands over his waistcoat, smoothing out the wrinkles from her earlier grip. “Wearing this monstrosity is proof of your feelings for me. Is sitting next to you in public while you wear it a test of my feelings?”
Velario shook his head. “No. We can stay in the seats back here. In fact, since we are alone in the box, we can do all sorts of things back here, safe from public view.”
“Don’t ruin the moment, Velario.”
“What I’m suggesting doesn’t ruin anything.”
“We’re at the opera. It is not the place, Vel.”
“It’s not like we are paying attention, anyway.”
Reyn gasped and spun around. “You can’t take me to the opera and then distract me. Twice, that’s twice now!”
Because she seemed genuinely outraged at the thought of not giving the opera her full attention, Velario didn’t respond. He even let her lead them up to the seats closest to the edge of their box, though he grabbed his jacket and slipped it back on over his waistcoat before stepping into the area where they might be observed.
And if his fingers brushed along her thigh while they watched, well, nobody could see, and she didn’t tell him to stop.
Reyn pretended towatch the opera. One day, she’d make Velario take her, and she’d actually enjoy the whole thing without distraction, but not today. No, today, her focus was shattered.
She was engaged to Velario. He loved her. They were going to marry.
Right about when those simple, yet profound, truths sank in, Reyn discovered a new distraction. Velario had sat as close to her as possible without pulling her into his lap, and she had been aware of the heat of his body pressed against hers. But then it was more than heat. It was the tantalizing tease of his fingers stroking over the silk of her skirt. Heat pooled in her core, and it took all her willpower not to squirm and demand more.
Then the first act ended.
Reyn leapt to her feet and moved to the back of the box, Velario following more slowly. Once hidden from prying eyes, she grabbed him. Her kiss was wild, all the frustration from the last half hour erupting in a single burst. Velario matched her intensity, his hands clamping on her bottom as he pulled her even closer. His erection pressed against her, and she slipped her hand between their bodies and gripped him.
She swallowed his groan and began working at the buttons of his trousers with one hand, the other tangled in his hair.
He pushed back against her hold and lifted his lips from hers. “Here? Now?”
“You’re the one who suggested it in the first place.”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t agree.”
