Tate gasped until she felt his smile against her skin.
"Kidding. We'll see. It'll probably take lots of practice." He grinned. "Tons of practice. Two, three times a day. For fifty or sixty years at least."
"Sounds like a plan." As Nathan captured her mouth in a lusty kiss, she felt their bonds strengthen with every touch, every breath.
He framed her face in his big, callused hands. "You are so beautiful, so sweet, inside and out. I never believed I'd find someone like you. I never thought I could be this happy."
"Me either.".
"You really want me just as I am, jungle girl? Red skin, long hair and all? Not gonna be an easy road for either of us."
Tate knew happily-ever-after wasn't just for fairy tales. Nathan's parents had forged their own path for almost forty years. "Of course I want you just the way you are."
"You sure it doesn't bother you that I'm dirty most of my working hours?"
"The only permanently dirty thing about you is your mind, Nathan LeBeau," she said haughtily. "And I happen to really love that about you."
"I'll show you dirty." In one quick movement he'd moved them off the bench and down to the ground.
Sprawled across his chest, Tate felt their hearts beating as one. This went deeper than simple lust. It was love. Pure, strong and true. They stared at each other without speaking for the longest time.
The happiness shining in Nathan's eyes mirrored her own. They'd found their own nirvana.
A slow, sexy smile lit up his face. "So you want to get down and dirty? Right now?"
Tate grinned back at him. "I thought you'd never ask."