My face burned with embarrassment as he caught me gawking at his perfect body. I couldn’t help it. He was magnificent, as if God had chiseled him himself. A flawless masterpiece… and he was mine.
His hair was towel dried and disheveled; his body was glistening and damp.
“I thought—”
“I promised I’d never leave you.”
“I know, but I still can’t believe it. I almost had a mini heart attack wondering if it was all just a dream.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, coming closer. As he did, I could feel my insides twisting.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
I stretched. “Much better.”
“Rested?”
“Mostly. I still feel a little tired.”
“Give it another day, and you’ll be showing off your new self.”
I smiled. “I wonder what new gift I’ll have? How will I know?”
“You’ll figure it out, and whatever it is, it will be amazing. I’m sure of it.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked, raising my brow.
“Even without any gift, you’re already amazing. The gift is just a bonus.”
I shook my head. “You are the one who is amazing.”
He smiled and held out his hand to me. “You should get ready. The others will be waking soon, and coming by to check up on you.”
“You’re right,” I said. “They were really worried about me last night.”
As soon as I grabbed his hand, an electrical current shot through me, sending me falling forward into his strong arms.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that,” I said nearly breathless.
“You will once you’ve healed,” he said with a sexy crooked grin.
I looked up into his mesmerizing eyes and became lost.
“Emma?” he said softly.
I shook my head. “How did I get so lucky?” Emotions began to bubble. “God must love me… enough to have given me my heart’s desire.”
“Yes, he does.” He leaned over and kissed me.
“One day I will thank him,” I said, hugging him. “And thank you for helping me through it all last night.”
“It was my pleasure.”
I inhaled deeply as a thought crossed my mind.
“Do your parents know about you? Do they know you’re alive?”
His smile widened. “Yes, they do… and they told me they met you.”
“And?” I questioned, wondering what they thought of me.
“They absolutely loved you,” he answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I also told them I was going to ask you to marry me.”
“What did they say?”
“That they were proud you were going to be part of our family, and they can’t wait for us to visit them in Grandia.”
“I’d love that.” I smiled and took his hand. “Did they tell you I met my grandfather?”
His eyes softened. “Yes, they did. And?” he asked, his lips rising into a half smile.
“He was even greater than I expected, but I bet you already knew that,” I answered.
“Your grandfather and my father have been very close friends and allies for centuries. They’ve worked very closely together.”
“Which is the reason why I met you,” I said.
“Yes. But I didn’t know he was the one who had given the order to appoint me as your Guardian. Ephraim is the one who gave me the orders while I was at Midway. I swear… I didn’t even know Michael was your grandfather until recently.”
A door slammed shut outside, reminding me about the others.
“I better get ready,” I said, grabbing my clothes and running for the bathroom. “Hey, where are your clothes?” I noticed the bathroom was clean.
He grasped the edge of the towel, and ripped it away.
I gasped and then realized he was wearing shorts, so I quickly snapped my mouth shut.
“Tease.”
He laughed. “You should have seen the look on your face.”
“Well, I was expecting a different outcome,” I said, as heat rushed to my face.
“Maybe next time,” he winked.
“Maybe,” I giggled, and shut the bathroom door. I pressed my back against it and took in a deep breath, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Kade was back. He was back and so was the bond… stronger than ever.
I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, then dressed in jeans, and a long-sleeved, plain white T-shirt. I wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at myself. I didn’t see anything different. I looked like the same girl.
As soon as I exited, Kade was sitting on the bed, staring at me.
“What?” I asked; a smile was glued to my face.