Totally, Sweetly, Irrevocably(61)

And promptly froze as a hundred pair of eyes zeroed in on him. Wow. He could really pick his moments. The entire room had been focused on the man on the dais giving the speech. And now they were all focused on Rick. But there was only one pair of eyes he wanted to see.

“Rick?”

She walked toward him, and he was pretty sure his heart stopped. Her black gown looked painted on, the little cutout bits on the side giving him tastefully tantalizing views of the body he loved to worship. Her hair shifted every now and then as she moved, revealing the crazy colors beneath, so in sync with the woman herself it wasn’t funny. Seemingly one thing on top, but underneath all her layers, an entire rainbow of passionate personality that he couldn’t live another day without.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a hushed whisper that still echoed throughout the silence of the room.

“I came for you.”





Chapter Twenty

The butterflies in Gina’s stomach went into overdrive, and she pressed a shaking hand against her middle in a vain effort to calm herself.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Look, I know that we don’t make a whole lot of sense. You’re rash and stubborn and borderline criminal some days…”

“Hey,” she said, frowning at him, though since his laundry list of characteristics was said with that sexy half smile of his, it was hard to get too riled up. Plus, he wasn’t wrong.

“And I’m sure I’ve got a few issues of my own I could work on.”

She laughed at that. “A few?”

“But,” he said, coming closer so he could take her hands, “I still think we should give it a shot.”

Her heart pounded against her chest hard enough to bruise. Did he just say what she thought he said?

“You do?”

He nodded and pulled her closer. “Yes. I do. And I know it’s not fair that I’m bringing this up now that you’re leaving, but…”

“I’m leaving?”

He frowned, his forehead creased in confusion. “Aren’t you?”

“Not that I’m aware of. Where am I going?”

“Earlier…when you accidentally called me, I heard you talking to someone. You were talking about Paris and pastry school and how excited you were to get started and something about right after the party. It sounded like you were going to be leaving right afterward.”

“And you came down here…”

Before she could finish, guards came storming toward him, Jenny hot on their heels.

“Officer Boyd, police officer or not, you can’t go barging into private functions,” one of the guards said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”

“That’s all right, gentleman,” Eric said, coming up to join their group. “He’s welcome to stay.”

“Yes, sir.” He handed Rick back his badge. “Next time, maybe call ahead, Officer. Give us a heads-up or something. I almost Tasered you.”

“Sorry about that.”

Gina couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What have you been up to this evening, Officer Boyd?”

Jenny leaned in. “You mean other than speeding, running a red light, nearly taking out half the pedestrians in town, and illegally parking? The car almost got towed, by the way, until they realized it was yours,” she said to Rick. “They moved it, though.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Oops.”

Gina started laughing. She couldn’t help it. He looked like he’d gotten caught doing something very naughty. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he’d even enjoyed it a little bit.

“You did all that to get here?”

All sense of playfulness fell away from him. “I’d do more than that to keep from losing you.”

That was it. Right there. That cinched the deal. The small part of her that had still been reluctant and unsure gave in. Surrendered. She was his. Totally. Irrevocably.

She stepped close enough that she could cup his cheek in her hand. “You broke all those laws for me. And then crashed a private function. I don’t think anyone has ever done anything so sweet for me in my whole life.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Say you’ll stay.”

She frowned slightly again. “I’m not leaving.”

Now it was his turn to frown. “But it sounded like…”

“I’m not sure what you heard, but it couldn’t have been the whole conversation. I was speaking with one of Eric’s old friends who is located in Paris. I had applied for that pastry school a few years ago. And didn’t get in. He told me about a similar program in New York City. And then one of our customers at the bakery walked by and said she was excited about the wedding cake we were doing for her. I said I was excited, too, and right after the party planned on getting started on some designs I could send over to her.”