No Ordinary Billionaire (The Sinclairs) (R) (32 page)

“Almost. We were delayed, but I was already planning on coming back.”

“Why?” Sarah asked, her eyes roaming covetously over the handsome, beloved face that she hadn’t expected to see again for quite some time. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah,” he answered gruffly. “You.”

Sarah’s heart fell. “Dante, I can’t leave right now—”

“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here with me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“I mean I’m not leaving, Sarah. You belong here, and I belong with you. I want us to stay here. I want you to marry me.” Dante continued to watch her expression anxiously.

Sarah tried to clamp down on the elation she felt coursing through her veins. Dante couldn’t stay here. She could practice anywhere, but he had a career to worry about in Los Angeles. “Your job—”

“I can take a job here. God knows Joe Landon reminds me about the detective vacancy he has every time I see him. My job won’t be the same anymore without Patrick. I think it’s a good time to move on with everything, including us. I need you, Sarah. We’re happy here. If you’d marry me, I’d be even happier,” Dante rumbled, his expression pensive.

“We’ve never talked about marriage,” she replied, dazed and overwhelmed. There was nothing she wanted more than to be with Dante forever, but he’d never mentioned marriage. He hadn’t even told her what he’d thought about her declaration of love.

“I don’t want you to resent me later, once the thrill of a new relationship wears off and you realize that you gave up a career you worked very hard for.” Would he hate her later if he gave up his job in Los Angeles?

“I’m not going to resent you. In fact, you saved me. I don’t want to go back,” he told her roughly. “Jesus, you’re stubborn. Aren’t you listening to what I’m saying?”

She was definitely hearing him, but part of her was afraid this was all just a very good dream. He wanted to stay here, marry her, and build a life together? “I am listening. I’m just afraid that this is all too good to be true,” she told him quietly. “I never planned on you, Dante.”

“I never planned on you, either, sweetheart, but you’re the best damn gift I’ve ever gotten,” Dante rasped, holding his arms out to her.

Sarah didn’t think, she just leaped, catapulting herself into Dante’s strong, capable arms with a squeak of elation. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes, breathing in his masculine, musky smell that always made her feel like she was home, no matter where she was. She felt his arms tighten around her, holding her like he’d never let go.

“Thank fuck,” Dante said in a harsh whisper against her ear. “Now tell me,” Dante demanded, his voice vibrating against her temple. “I want to hear it in person.”

Sarah didn’t hesitate. “I love you,” she said obligingly. “I don’t know why it happened or when. I just do. I can’t help it.”

“I don’t want you to help it,” Dante replied in a low roar, moving her forward until her back was against the wall. “I love you, too. I love you so much that I can’t think straight. Maybe if I would have actually had a brain cell left in my head, I would have realized that I really didn’t want to go anywhere.”

Sarah smiled against his shoulder, her heart thundering like a jackhammer. He loved her back.

He pushed slightly away from her and lifted his forest-green shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. Then he pulled her T-shirt over her head and released the front clasp on her bra, pulling it down her arms until it dropped into the growing pile of clothing at their feet.

“What are you doing?” she asked, bemused.

He unsnapped her jeans and then his own, jerking the denim down her legs and taking her scanty panties with it. “I need to hear you say it while I’m inside you,” he said, his breath coming heavily between his lips.

“What if I don’t want to say it right at that moment?” she asked him teasingly.

“You will,” he grunted, pinning her against the wall with her hands over her head. “Tell me,” he demanded arrogantly.

Sarah’s body flooded with heat and her channel clenched hard. Looking into Dante’s fierce gaze, she knew she wouldn’t last long. She would say it. More than likely, she’d be screaming it. “Tell me first,” she requested.

“I love you,” he said readily, his head lowering so that his warm breath wafted over her temple. “Now say you’re going to marry me.”

She was. Oh yes, she was. She wanted this delirious pleasure for the rest of her life, and she wanted this demanding but sweet man to be the father of her children someday. But mostly, she wanted him to be hers.

Shivering as his fingers moved down to stroke the wet, sensitive flesh between her thighs, she squeaked, “I want to marry you.”

“And you love me,” he declared hoarsely. “Tell me.” His fingers found and caressed her clit.

Sarah’s head fell back against the wall, giving Dante better access to her neck, and his tongue stroked over her skin, leaving a path down her neck that had her squirming. “I love you,” she moaned, pulling his head down by his hair to kiss him.

He stopped teasing her and lifted her by the ass until she could feel his stiff cock probing between her legs. Immediately, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he released her wrists, positioning himself and plunging into her channel at the same time his tongue was invading her mouth. He wasn’t gentle as he matched his pummeling thrusts to the thrusts of his tongue, but the last thing she wanted right now was tenderness. Sarah wanted affirmation, proof that this was happening, that he’d really come back because he loved her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she speared her fingers through his hair, her body clamoring for everything he had to give.

He pulled his mouth from hers, his chest heaving. “Say it,” he urged forcefully, pounding his cock into her tight sheath again.

Sarah was on the precipice, ready to tip. “I love you, Dante. I love you so much,” she choked out as her channel starting to clench around him. Wrapping her arms around him, she held on tight as her body started to tremble with the force of her climax.

“There’ll never be another woman for me but you,” Dante groaned, burying himself deep inside her, his hot release flowing out of his body and into hers.

Sarah panted as she went limp in Dante’s arms. He walked with her to the couch in the living room and collapsed with a masculine sigh, bringing her down with him. Sarah rolled to his side, her body trapped between his unyielding, muscular body and the back of the couch.

Luxuriating in her warm haven and the feel of Dante against her, she traced the muscles on his sculpted chest, her face glowing with exertion and joy. “I just want you to be happy,” she said solemnly, still worried that Dante was giving up a job he loved. “You love your job.”

He wrapped a muscular arm around her and rolled to face her. “I
am
happy. Happier than I ever thought I’d be. And I did like what I did in Los Angeles, but I wasn’t happy. I think I was obsessed with it because it was all I had. Patrick used to tell me if I didn’t slow down, I was going to burn out by the age of thirty. I’d spend some nights in the office when I didn’t need to, going over evidence that I’d already been over a hundred times before. Now I wonder if it wasn’t because I had nothing at home to look forward to. I had friends, but I was only ever really close to Patrick.”

Sarah’s heart ached for this man who had been in a big city, surrounded by close to four million people, and had still felt alone. She could empathize very well. She’d probably been the loneliest woman in Chicago. “I felt empty, too. I guess I was just waiting for you.”

“You found me. Now what are you going to do with me?” he asked.

“Love you,” she sighed happily.

“Show me?” he requested in a rare, vulnerable voice.

Sarah pulled his mouth to hers and proceeded to do exactly that for the rest of the day.

EPILOGUE

“She’s coming to the wedding,” Sarah said as she hung up the phone, astonished.

She and Dante had finally come up for air on Sunday, and Sarah had listened to her messages, knowing she had to return her mother’s call. Elaine Baxter had called five times. Sarah had finally picked up the phone to call her back, dreading the conversation.

She couldn’t say that her mother had actually been ecstatic about the fact that Sarah wasn’t marrying a Mensa candidate, but she’d actually agreed to attend her wedding to Dante.

After Sarah had firmly told her mother that she loved Dante, and that she was marrying him, Elaine Baxter had broken down and told Sarah how much she had loved her husband, Sarah’s father, and how badly it had hurt to lose him so young. The conversation had still been stilted, but it was the first time her mother had really told Sarah that she’d loved her father.

“Is her coming to the wedding a good or bad thing?” Dante asked carefully, seated on the couch with Coco on his lap.

Sarah explained the phone call to Dante. “It’s strange, but she almost sounded . . . happy when she was talking about my father. She’s rarely mentioned him over the years. Maybe it was too painful.”

“Are you happy she’s coming?” Dante dropped Coco gently to the floor and swept Sarah into his lap.

“Yes. She might never change much, but she’s my only family. She was never actually abusive. She was just so focused on my education that nothing else ever mattered. I think she thought she was doing the right thing by focusing only on my education.” Elaine Baxter was never going to be a warm and fuzzy mother, but she
was
her mom. “At least I won’t have to worry about her trying to marry me off anymore.”

“Damn right you won’t,” Dante rasped. “You’re mine now. We’re going shopping for your ring tomorrow.”

Sarah rested her head against Dante’s shoulder with a smile. “She wanted to know when we’re getting married and what your IQ is.”

“Next week,” Dante said emphatically. “And I’ve never been tested. I think you’re smart enough for both of us, sweetheart.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Even a small wedding takes time to arrange.” In a more serious voice, she said, “And I think you’ve taught me a lot more than I’ve taught you.”

“Next month,” Dante grumbled unhappily.

Sarah laughed, delighted that Dante was so eager to get married. “I was thinking about next year. I’d have more time to arrange everything.”

He dropped her carefully on the couch and came down on top of her, most of his weight resting on his elbows. “Try again, woman. I’m not waiting a year for you to be my wife.”

Sarah looked up at his ferocious expression and smiled. “Next year. Early next year,” she compromised.

“Not. Happening,” Dante answered belligerently.

“I’ll talk to Emily and see how quickly we can get it together. But I think she’ll agree with me,” Sarah answered firmly.

“I’ll talk to my siblings and they’ll help me get everything together within a month,” Dante argued. “And I doubt Emily will agree. Grady married Emily within weeks. We Sinclairs work fast when we decide we really want something,” he mentioned arrogantly.

“Do you think all of your siblings will be able to make it?” Sarah asked, concerned. She wanted Dante and his siblings to start connecting again. Obviously, they all needed each other; they just didn’t want to admit it.

“I’ll make sure I pick a time when they can all come,” Dante replied, running a finger down her cheek softly. “I want Hope and Evan to get a chance to meet you.”

“And Jared? Do you think he’ll stay for a while?” Sarah queried curiously.

“Something’s going on with Jared. I just haven’t quite been able to figure out what he’s up to. Something tells me he’ll still be here,” Dante answered cagily.

“What? You know something,” Sarah accused.

Dante shrugged. “Not really. But I think he must have his eye on a woman who isn’t easily persuaded. He’s been here for weeks, and I haven’t once seen him with a female.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Sarah argued.

“Long enough,” Dante answered mysteriously, leaning down to kiss her into silence.

Sarah forgot everything the moment his lips met hers. She wrapped her arms around Dante’s neck and stroked his naked, muscular back. She had gotten dressed again in a pair of jeans and summer shirt, but Dante had just pulled on a pair of jeans to come downstairs.

He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, and his look was unusually vulnerable and pleading as he said huskily, “Marry me, Sarah. Don’t make me wait.”

Getting married in a month wasn’t reasonable, nor was it sensible. It would be a mad dash to get everything done on time, and she’d need to enlist the help of a lot of people in the community, including Emily, Randi, and Dante’s siblings. No . . . it wasn’t the least bit rational. But when she looked into Dante’s hopeful eyes, she saw her future, a future with the man she loved.

As insane as it might be, she didn’t want to wait, either, so she murmured, “Yes. We’ll find a way.”

His eyes lit up with a joy that warmed Sarah’s heart, making her fall even further under his spell.

“Yes,” he shouted triumphantly, spearing his fingers into her hair to give her a kiss that took her breath away.

Through a haze of passion, Sarah decided that sometimes madness was better than intellect. As Dante carried her back upstairs to the bedroom to show her exactly how happy he was, she was positive that in this situation, foolishness was absolutely divine.