Desert Ice Daddy (16 page)

Her full acceptance of him humbled him.

“Taylor McKade, will you marry me? I would like a chance to earn your trust.” He waited, leaving his heart and hopes in her hands.

The air conditioner stopped temporarily, and they could hear the bugs in the trees outside, serenading them, frogs croaking the chorus. The moon bathed the room in soft light.

Taylor lay naked on the bed, still flushed with the heat of their lovemaking; eyes wide and glistening, the most beautiful sight there had ever been on this earth, he was sure. “You already have,” she said.

She stayed as she was, frozen in time for a second, then lunged at him, knocking him over and sending them sprawling on the floor. “Yes!”

Then they were kissing and making love all over again. He could never get enough of her. He couldn’t imagine that ever changing as long as there was life in his limbs. Some time passed before he could go about finding the ring among their clothes and slipping it on her slim finger. Then felt reluctant to let go of her hand.

But she wanted to get a close-up look. “This is huge. Way too much,” she protested, but she was grinning from ear to ear.

Seeing her happy and carefree in this moment was incredibly nice. He wanted to keep her like this forever, would do anything to make that happen.

“If you don’t like this, then you’re definitely going to hate when I drape you in desert ice,” he said dryly, teasing.

“Desert ice?”

“My grandfather’s diamonds. Have I ever mentioned he was in the diamond trade back in the day? His father more so. My great-grandfather was a hired protector for the diamond caravans that took the gems from Africa to the Far East, traveling through Beharrain on the way. He tended to get paid in gems.”

“A diamond collection?” She stared at him.

“If this is going to be a problem…” He shrugged. “I might as well tell you. The collection is fairly sizable.”

“I thought you didn’t claim your inheritance.”

“I didn’t. I gave up the land and the palaces. But when the executors of his estate looked me up, they had the diamonds with them. There was a giant blue diamond in the bunch that reminded me of the eyes of a certain woman. I couldn’t let it go.”

And, really, he was being modest when he used the word
giant.
The piece required a separate insurance policy and was kept at the supersonic safe at his company headquarters at the auction house. It would be his wedding present to her.

“So you kept them?”

“With a certain woman in mind.” He wanted her in the sprawling bed of his penthouse, covered in nothing but diamonds. He had commissioned some stunning pieces of jewelry over the years, sometimes not even knowing why he was doing it. She had been married and the chances of her ever loving him had seemed hopeless.

But now that she agreed to spend the rest of their lives together, he would have plenty of time to make all his fantasies real.

“I love you,” he said, and was gratified when she said, I love you, right back.”

“I can get used to the sound of that.” He kissed her. Might have gotten carried away a smidgen.

But she was all smiles when they broke apart for air.

“Is this part of your grandfather’s collection?” She held up her hand a few minutes later as they lay in each other’s arms. Moonlight glinted off the sparkling yellow diamond that graced her finger.

“No. I picked that locally. I want a Texas diamond for my Texas rose.”

He wanted everything that was good in the world for her and her son. He wanted to spoil them rotten, not that he believed for a moment that she was actually going to let him.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed. “Between the police, the paramedics, Flint and Lucinda and this whole mad ness, when on earth did you have time to pick a diamond for me?”

“First day I ever saw you. Nine years, two months and eleven days ago,” he said.

She stared at him in amazement and then broke into a smile. After that, they celebrated long into the night.