A gasp escaped her before she said, “Is this your way of asking me to move in?”
“Yes.”
There was no denying the pleasure riding her body. “And this is the moment you picked to ask that question?”
“Seemed fitting. Our sex tends to have life-altering consequences.”
She laughed into his shoulder even as she rocked against him. Thinking clearly was a challenge, but there was no denying the joy spreading through her.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, his fingers digging into her thighs. “Are you moving in with me?”
Caught up in their embrace, she had only one answer.
“Yes.”
“You’re going to say that a lot,” he warned.
“Am I?” Her nails bit into his shoulders. Her climax was so close she could barely think.
“When I ask you to fall into bed with me,” he whispered in her ear. “When I ask you to help me with a troublesome hotel in Dubai. When I ask you to introduce me to your parents.”
She smiled, already agreeing to all of it. She could barely believe the offer had left his lips. This wasn’t their end. It was merely their new beginning.
And this time she was all in.
“You’ll say yes so many times to me,” he said against her mouth. “Especially when I ask you to marry me.”
Her eyes flew open as she lost her rhythm. “What?” she gasped.
“Want to know my secret?” he whispered against her lips. “I am completely and irrevocably in love with you, Avery Clarke.”
She broke apart in his arms, the words pushing her over the edge. Her climax thundered through her body as black spots played on the edge of her vision. Heat surged through her as Hayden found his own release, his hips pumping against hers one last time.
Endorphins flooded her system as she dropped her leg back to the ground. She leaned against him, wondering if she’d imagined the words she’d swear she’d heard him say.
“So what do you think of my plan?” he asked against her hair.
She tilted her head up to him. “Tell me again.”
“I love you,” he said, leaning down to kiss her oh so gently. “I think it’s why I chased you after the gala. Even then I knew there’d be no getting over that night. I’ve been waiting years for you. Don’t leave me now, when I’ve finally found you.”
Tears filled her eyes, but this time, they weren’t ones of sadness. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
“Will you come home with me? Not that this place isn’t charming, but I have a bigger bed.”
She cupped his face. “Are you sure? We are from very different worlds.”
“If I get to pick, I want to live in yours,” he replied, kissing the tip of her nose. “You helped me banish the past. You put me back together. You’re already better than I deserve, but I promise to spend a lifetime trying to be worthy of you.”
“Those are all my lines,” she said.
“How about we work at it together?” he offered as a compromise. “We’ve had enough pain in our lives. Let’s spend the rest of our years making each other happy.”
“You’ve made an empire out of thinking strategically, but this might be your best plan yet.”
“You know what else I want?” he asked.
“Tell me.”
“An island wedding. With a very long beach honeymoon.”
She laughed, wrapping her arms around him. “That’s an idea I can get behind.”
“I love you,” he whispered to her.
Closing her eyes, she hugged him close. “And I you.”
A contented smile curved her lips. Sometimes broken things could be repaired, and in Hayden, she’d finally found her missing piece.
Epilogue
The crashing waves filled Avery’s ears as she tried to focus on her email. A mai tai sat on the table before her as tourists bustled around the bar before heading out to the pool.
“So, where are we going next?” Hayden asked, dropping into the chair beside her and resting his arm on the back of hers.
“There’s a hotel in shambles in Northern China,” she replied. “Or I have a new email from a former client in Argentina requesting a tune-up. How are your salsa moves?”
“After our stay in Spain you should know the answer to that.”
“Right. China it is.”
He pressed a hand to his heart. “How can you be so cruel to someone who loves you so much?”
Closing her laptop, she leaned into him, dropping a soft kiss to his lips. “Okay. You pick.”
“What if I want something more than choosing our next consulting destination?”
She arched a brow. “I’m open to suggestions.”