Chapter One
"Eva." He dropped to his knees at the edge of my bed and grasped my hips with both of his palms. He laid his head in my lap and I ran my fingers through his hair.
"I knew something was wrong when I left. I knew we weren't right. I tried to go home. I tried to work out, get work done, go to bed. My bed sheets feel empty when you're not there. Your heartbeat helps me sleep. Your breath soothes my soul. I know you're mad, but, please don't leave. Don't run on me Eva, I love you, more than I knew I could ever love anyone. When we're apart I think of nothing but you. You're my everything."
I took slow deep breaths and watched Carter’s beautiful head in my lap. I ran my hand down his strong neck to his upper back and circled my fingertips on top of the muscles. For so long I had thought he consumed me; that it only went one way; that he would leave me at any moment once he realized I didn't fit into his world.
And yet here he was.
My hands moved to his face and I held his head in my palms. "Hey, look at me."
His head remained bent.
"Look at me, Carter." I forced him to lift his head and look me in the eye. "You consume me. I've got it so deep I can barely even breathe. When we're together you take my breath away and when we're apart I'm lost. I won't run again, I promise. What can I say to make you believe me?"
Carter's fiery gaze held mine with an intensity that only he could muster. "Marry me. Go to bed with me every night, and wake up with me every morning for the rest of my life."
The air left my lungs.
The seconds stretched like minutes. I knew for every moment I didn't answer him, he thought my answer would be no. Could I do it? Could I live with him in his big house? Would we get sick of seeing each other every morning? Would he get bored with me? I still wasn't convinced that he was a monogamous kind of guy.
Then I checked myself; that had been my problem all along hadn't it? Second-guessing my place in this relationship; my worthiness of such a beautiful and lovable man. I had to take him at his word, if I had learned anything over the past few days, it was that. I had to believe him when he told me he wanted me here, in his life, every morning and every night.
"Yes."
"Really?" His eyes looked up at me in childish wonderment. Tears sprang to my eyes as I entwined my fingers in his messy hair. "Yes, Carter." I nodded and pulled his lips to mine tenderly. He wrapped his hands into my hair and held me tightly, kissing me with a new kind of intensity. He pulled away and his lips dusted against mine.
"I love you so much." He kissed my lips lightly. And then he pulled away and shook his head, laughing. My heart jumped into my throat for a moment. Had he gone mad? Why was he laughing? Uncontrollably now. My heart beat faster—maybe this was wrong, maybe it was a joke. He didn't want to marry me; I’d been so foolish.
I pushed myself further up the bed and turned my head as angry tears sprang to my eyes. How foolish could I be? Carter turned me into a blubbering idiot. When I was with him I didn't know up from down and the logical part of my brain ceased to work.
"Eva." His voice pulled me from my fog. "You've made me so happy. I don't deserve you. I know I’m hard, Eva, I know I’m so fucking hard to be with. But I’ll be better." He crawled up my bed and wrapped his hands in my hair again, pulling me to him. His lips pressing to mine made my brain buzz and my nerve endings prickle with heat.
"Carter…" I pulled his head back from mine gently. He grinned a slow, lazy grin and nipped at my lips. I smiled softly; he looked so young and beautiful and carefree in that moment. Not the CEO who ran a billion dollar company, but a man that looked his age. Playful and sweet. "You really want to get married?"
"Yes. I want to marry you, Eva. I want to be tied to you forever." I frowned at his statement.
"Carter, we don’t have to get married for me not to leave. I wasn't going to run tonight. I just needed time. So much happened tonight…" My thoughts trailed off softly.
"I’m not marrying you because I’m afraid you'll run, Eva. I was afraid, but that's not why I want to marry you. I love you. Every day I want to show you how much I love you. Will you let me?" He placed one finger under my chin and lifted my head to look in his eyes.
"I love you, Carter, so much." I jumped to my knees and threw my arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly.
"Let's go tonight. Let's leave, we'll go to Aspen and get married this weekend," he whispered.
"What?" I pulled back in shock.
"Let's do it, Eva. I don't want to wait a moment longer than I have to." His thumbs danced along my jaw line and around the sensitive skin of my neck.