sight, and Elliot had become almost demonic in his determination to track down the perpetrator, all to no avail—so far. Ryker went about his search in a calmer, more structured way than my passionate, hot-headed brother, but that made him no less intent on rooting out my captor—wherever he was holed up. Fifty million dollars sure made it easier to hide, but sooner or later, he’d be found.
I spent more time looking over my shoulder than I had before I’d been taken, but gradually, with the love and support of my family and Ryker, I’d managed to put it behind me, for the most part.
“There’s something I want to show you,” Ryker said, leading me down a side street in the eleventh arrondissement.
“I’ve seen it. Many, many times.” I giggled.
Ryker arched an eyebrow. “You have a one-track mind.”
“And I blame you fully. You’ve turned me into a sex fiend.”
He chuckled. “I’m more than happy to shoulder the blame.”
We weaved in and out of a few narrow streets, eventually stopping outside a small church. Based on the architecture and the stonework, I’d hazard a guess it was at least six hundred years old, maybe even older than that. I turned to Ryker.
“This is what you wanted to show me?”
He nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, stunning.” I tilted back my head and peered up at the spire sitting proudly on the roof. “Can we go inside?”
“Of course.”
He opened the door and pressed his hand to the small of my back. I entered, blinking a few times until my eyes adjusted to the dim light. Larger than it appeared on first impressions, the most striking feature was the charming and elegant altar set beneath a stained-glass window. Shards of light illuminated the ancient oak flooring—a variety of colors after being filtered through the painted window.
“I love it.”
Ryker curved an arm around my waist, and we moved farther inside. He stopped in front of the altar.
“Do you love it enough to marry me here, in two weeks’ time?”
“Two weeks?” I squealed, the sound of my voice echoing all around.
He gently lifted my chin until our eyes locked. “If I had my way, I’d marry you right here, right now. But as my mother would never forgive me for such a transgression, and Judy promised to castrate me if I dared marry you without her being here to witness the occasion, I capitulated. Besides, my cock and balls have plans for you. Hence waiting two weeks.”
“Shhh. You can’t say,” I dropped my voice, “cock and balls in a house of worship.”
“I don’t play by the rules, darling, as you well know.”
He lowered his head, capturing my mouth in a blistering kiss that curled my toes and sent shivers of pleasure inching down my spine.
“Let’s go,” he murmured against my lips.
He didn’t need to ask twice.
We jumped into a cab and, thirty minutes later, arrived at Ryker’s Paris apartment. We’d been staying here for the past week, and I’d fallen in love with the place, especially the roof terrace which offered an unrivaled view of Paris’s spectacular landmarks.
We made out in the elevator ride up to the top floor, arriving breathless and ruffled. I expected Ryker to take me straight to bed but, instead, he lifted a bottle of red wine from the rack in the kitchen, clasped two glasses in one hand, and led me up to the roof. He poured us both a glass.
“To us,” he said, clinking his cut-crystal glass against mine.
We both took a sip. Ryker put down the glasses on a nearby table and pulled me into his arms, my back to his front, the entire landscape of, arguably, the most romantic city in the world laid out before us.
“I love you so much,” he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “My only regret is that it took me seven years to admit the truth to myself. Time I could have spent with you.”
I twisted in his arms and locked my eyes on his. “Then wasn’t our time, Ryker. Now is our time. We are right where we’re meant to be, at precisely the right moment. Who knows, if we’d gotten together back then, when we both had so much growing still to do, we mightn’t have made it work. I’ve changed so much these past few months. At seventeen, I was entranced by you, blinded by the force of my childish obsession, but I wasn’t your equal. Not then.”
I clasped his erection through his pants, drawing a gasp of pleasure from him.
“Now we’re equals.”
Ryker grazed his fingertips up my sides. “Partners,” he said. “In the boardroom, and the bedroom.”
I grinned. “I dare you to say that in church.”
***