“Right. I’ll just wait outside.” He closed the door behind him.
Jed dropped his hands to his sides. He was tempted, too tempted, to just pull her close and kiss her. He wanted to lose himself in her. If he did, they might never settle this.
“Dammit.” He took a step back. “I’ve never had a problem dealing with a woman before. But with you I’m clueless.” Panic gripped his gut and he ruthlessly fought it. “So I’ll just say it. I know that we had an agreement when all this started, but that’s changed for me. I need to know if it’s changed for you.”
He watched the little line appear on her forehead.
“Changed how?”
He fisted his hands at his sides. He was aching now with the need to touch her. “Changed completely. That’s how. Dammit, I love you, Zoë. I want to be a part of your life. I want you to be a part of mine. I need you to tell me what you want, what you feel.” He grabbed her and gave her another little shake. “There. Is that clear enough?”
“I think I need to sit down,” she said.
“Fine.” He half dragged her to a nearby chair. No sooner had she settled herself than he dug into his pocket and brought out the box. “I got this.”
When he opened the box, she stared at the ring and blinked. “You’re going to have to shut that. I can’t think.”
He snapped the box shut. “Fine.” Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her out of the chair. “I’m not taking that as a no. I am not taking a no from you. I know I’m probably rushing things. We can wait with the ring. We’ll date. We’ll take things slowly. We’ll go fishing together—do you like fishing?”
“Okay.”
He stared at her. “Okay? You like fishing?”
“I’ve never fished in my life.” She smiled at him then, and it took barely a second for her smile to bubble into a laugh. “You should see your face.”
His eyes narrowed instantly. “This is not funny.”
She was laughing in earnest now, deep belly laughs that had his anger and panic melting away. He’d forgotten how much he loved the sound of her laugh. He pulled her closer. “Kiss me, Zoë. I’ve been waiting three days.”
“In a minute,” she said when she managed to get a breath. “First, I want to tell you how I feel. I mean, it’s only fair that I get my turn.”
“Okay…right.”
“I’m…I’m not even sure who you are. Are you Lucifer, or Jed, or Ethan?”
He tightened his grip on her shoulders. “I’m all three.”
“Well, when I was writing those reports for Hadley Richards, you should know that I developed a terrible crush on Lucifer. He’s pretty potent fantasy material. Being a man who’s into fantasies, you ought to appreciate that.”
The green in his eyes intensified. “What kind of fantasies?”
She smiled at him. “I’ll have to show you.”
But when he drew her closer, she placed a hand on his chest. “I’m not done. You see, then I met Jed. At first, I thought the attraction was purely physical, but then at some point I fell in love with him.”
Relief and joy streamed through him. “When did you know?”
“I think just before I punched you in Ryder’s apartment.”
He tried to kiss her again, but she avoided him at the last minute.
“Then there’s Ethan.”
“Forget about him,” Jed said.
“I don’t think I can. But I’m pretty sure that what I felt for him was pure lust.”
“Really?” His eyes narrowed.
“He was an incredible lover, and I can’t seem to get him out of my mind.”
“Well, maybe I’ll bring old Ethan back to life someday.”
She laughed again and this time she didn’t avoid his kiss. In fact, she cooperated fully.
His head was spinning when she finally released him.
She looked a little dazed, too. “Maybe I don’t need Ethan after all.”
It was Jed’s turn to laugh. Holding her close, he rested his forehead against hers.
“One more thing,” Zoë said. “I was never going to let you walk away. I was going to follow you and get in your way until you just gave up.”
“Is that a fact?”
She smiled at him. “Yes. And I want to look at that ring again.”
“That’s two things,” Jed said. “But who’s counting?” Then he kissed her again.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR, Rad took the glass he was holding against the door away from his ear and beamed a smile at the waiting couples. “I think you’ll all have time for another drink in the bar before we join them for the celebration.”