The Christmas Wish by Katy Regnery Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katy Regnery
mouth to hold it in his own as he poured out his heart to her. “I love you, Tess Branson. I love what’s in your heart. I love what’s in your head. At some point soon, I’m going to love your body, too. But it’ll be because I love you. I love you . I’m not going anywhere unless you’re going with me, because you’re my destination. Wherever you are, I’m home.”
One trembling hand still covered her mouth as she flicked her eyes from the ring back to his face. To the ring and back again. Her eyes were wide and shocked, and he swallowed uncomfortably. Maybe he hadn’t been clear?
“Tess, I’m asking you to marry me. I…I know that we haven’t known each other all that long, but I bet lots of folks’ve started out with less’n you and me have got. And I want to do this right.”
Tess kept staring at him, unmoving except for the slight shaking of the hand over her lips and the tears rolling ceaselessly down her cheeks. It was making him nervous that she hadn’t responded. He bit his bottom lip then drew her hand away from her mouth, clasping it gently, captivated by the way it looked, so right, surrounded by his.
“Way I see it, I even think—you and me?—we’re ahead of the pack. You see the good in me and I see the good in you. And I think that’s enough for a start because we’ll trip over ourselves to take care of each other. We’ve got the good and the loving in spades, Tess.”
He searched her eyes, knowing in his heart that she was his best chance at happiness. A lot of goodness. A lot of loving. A little hard work.
“We’ll build something good. We won’t end up like your folks or mine, because we’ll work at it. I’ll work at it every day of my life.” He stopped talking and swallowed, wishing she would answer. His voice was hushed and wishful as he asked one last time, “What do you say? Take a chance on me?”
He heard a small sound, like a sob, come from the back of her throat. Oh, my God, could I have possibly misjudged her feelings? Could she possibly say—?
“Yes!” She threw her arms around him, sliding off the couch cushion and falling to her knees beside him. Then she pressed her lips to his.
***
In bed, Lucas’s arms held Tess tucked back snugly against his chest and his bare legs were tangled with hers. He snored softly in her ear. He hadn’t looked away—not for a moment—when he’d made love to her. And when he’d climaxed, he declared his love for her again in a gut-wrenching, visceral growl that had made her tighten around him, arching against him as her world exploded into intense pleasure such that she’d never known. Nothing had existed for her except Lucas and the love they bore for one another. Nothing existed but that now.
She trembled, remembering, and in his sleep Lucas pulled her closer while grateful tears filled her eyes. She had had sex many times before tonight, but tonight was the first time anyone had ever made love to her. Tess felt like a new creation, reborn through the love of Lucas Flynn.
She held out her hand and sighed with amazement as her engagement ring caught the moonlight, its crystal twinkling like a white Christmas light. Out her window she could make out the full moon, and surrounding it, a host of stars. One of them was so bright that it could almost be the Star of Bethlehem—or the star she’d wished on last Friday night, which felt so long ago.
Tess stared at it hard, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Not even a second later she reopened them, smiling with wonder as she snuggled up against her fiancé. There’d been nothing to say. Now that Tess Branson was the sort of girl who wished on stars, she had nothing left to wish for. All of the wishes of her heart had already come true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KATY REGNERY, winner of the 2013 NECRWA First Kiss and 2013 Maine RWA Everything But the Kitchen Sink contests, has always loved telling a good story and credits her mother with making funny, heartwarming
One trembling hand still covered her mouth as she flicked her eyes from the ring back to his face. To the ring and back again. Her eyes were wide and shocked, and he swallowed uncomfortably. Maybe he hadn’t been clear?
“Tess, I’m asking you to marry me. I…I know that we haven’t known each other all that long, but I bet lots of folks’ve started out with less’n you and me have got. And I want to do this right.”
Tess kept staring at him, unmoving except for the slight shaking of the hand over her lips and the tears rolling ceaselessly down her cheeks. It was making him nervous that she hadn’t responded. He bit his bottom lip then drew her hand away from her mouth, clasping it gently, captivated by the way it looked, so right, surrounded by his.
“Way I see it, I even think—you and me?—we’re ahead of the pack. You see the good in me and I see the good in you. And I think that’s enough for a start because we’ll trip over ourselves to take care of each other. We’ve got the good and the loving in spades, Tess.”
He searched her eyes, knowing in his heart that she was his best chance at happiness. A lot of goodness. A lot of loving. A little hard work.
“We’ll build something good. We won’t end up like your folks or mine, because we’ll work at it. I’ll work at it every day of my life.” He stopped talking and swallowed, wishing she would answer. His voice was hushed and wishful as he asked one last time, “What do you say? Take a chance on me?”
He heard a small sound, like a sob, come from the back of her throat. Oh, my God, could I have possibly misjudged her feelings? Could she possibly say—?
“Yes!” She threw her arms around him, sliding off the couch cushion and falling to her knees beside him. Then she pressed her lips to his.
***
In bed, Lucas’s arms held Tess tucked back snugly against his chest and his bare legs were tangled with hers. He snored softly in her ear. He hadn’t looked away—not for a moment—when he’d made love to her. And when he’d climaxed, he declared his love for her again in a gut-wrenching, visceral growl that had made her tighten around him, arching against him as her world exploded into intense pleasure such that she’d never known. Nothing had existed for her except Lucas and the love they bore for one another. Nothing existed but that now.
She trembled, remembering, and in his sleep Lucas pulled her closer while grateful tears filled her eyes. She had had sex many times before tonight, but tonight was the first time anyone had ever made love to her. Tess felt like a new creation, reborn through the love of Lucas Flynn.
She held out her hand and sighed with amazement as her engagement ring caught the moonlight, its crystal twinkling like a white Christmas light. Out her window she could make out the full moon, and surrounding it, a host of stars. One of them was so bright that it could almost be the Star of Bethlehem—or the star she’d wished on last Friday night, which felt so long ago.
Tess stared at it hard, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Not even a second later she reopened them, smiling with wonder as she snuggled up against her fiancé. There’d been nothing to say. Now that Tess Branson was the sort of girl who wished on stars, she had nothing left to wish for. All of the wishes of her heart had already come true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KATY REGNERY, winner of the 2013 NECRWA First Kiss and 2013 Maine RWA Everything But the Kitchen Sink contests, has always loved telling a good story and credits her mother with making funny, heartwarming
Similar Books
Constable Evans 02: Evan Help Us
Rhys Bowen
Hunt the Jackal
Don Mann, Ralph Pezzullo
Six Flavours of Sin
Poppet
Elements of the Undead: Fire (Book One)
William Esmont
Entrepreneur Myths
Damir Perge
Garden of Dreams
Melissa Siebert
Blood Release
Eric Roberts
The Dry
Jane Harper
Strange Light Afar
Rui Umezawa
