wanted him so badly and, though she’d never been this intimate with a man before, she had absolutely no reservations. She wanted to pounce on him like an animal in heat—she yearned that much to have him close to her.
“You are perfect. I’m just relishing this special moment in time. For many years I never thought I’d meet a witch like you. You are unlike any other woman or witch that I’ve ever met, Dallas, and sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve such a blessing from above.”
Her heart melted at that confession. He wanted to know what he’d done to deserve her and she couldn’t figure out for the life of her why he wanted her.
“I think the same thing, Oliver. You must have had scads of girlfriends back on Vanguard. Why I’m quite certain that if I knew about all of them, I’d be green with jealousy.”
He shrugged. “Not as many as what you’d like to imagine, sweetheart. I was all about my profession. I never had the time to woo and win any ladies of substance, and those I did date were not wife material, let me tell you that. They also liked to dabble in the dark arts a bit too much for my taste so those relationships inevitably ended badly.”
She boldly started to unbutton her blouse. His mouth shut and his gaze dropped hungrily to the cleavage she’d just exposed for him. At least it didn’t take long to get his mind back on track. His hands went to still hers before she could unbutton the second to last button.
“Let me,” he murmured huskily, his eyes blazing with his ardor.
She shivered again beneath the heat of his gaze, and with trembling hands she gripped his wrists and thrummed at the delightful sparks of energy that shot between them. Dropping her hands to her sides, she allowed him to finish what she’d started. Her breath was ragged and her heart was racing. She was going to die and go straight to heaven and she felt high as if she’d been drugged by something wonderful.
With deliberate intent, he unbuttoned the last button and his eyes feasted greedily on her bare skin. Her very unsexy bra stood before him. Had she known today was going to be the day she would have worn a prettier brassiere for him. Instead she had on one of her practical-but-not-pretty numbers.
Her mind whirled once more as she realized she had on undies made for riding a bike, not looking sensual for her lover. What would he think when he saw the granny underpants? That just might turn him off from going any further.
He slipped the blouse off her and brushed his fingers against the skin on her arms. Goose bumps pebbled along her flesh, making her inhale sharply and close her eyes as she waited impatiently for more. All he had to do was look at her and he made her feel all warm and gushy inside. Now that he was touching her bare skin, she felt quite out of this world. He was being so tender with her she still marveled at how he could deal so wickedly with those who would do her harm and yet, his manner toward her was so chivalrous. He was like a knight from the Medieval period.
“Before we go any further,” he said, his voice husky. “I have to tell you that I’ve loved you since we first met, Dallas. My heart will always be yours, and I want to build a life with you here on Earth.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, and she knew if she tried to speak her voice would shatter with emotional turmoil. She could never have dreamt that someone like Oliver would sweep into her life and turn her world upside down in a good way. Never before had she believed a man such as him would actually lose his heart to her. If she started to get all teary-eyed on him, he might get uncomfortable and leave. Most men didn’t like crying women.
“I return your love, Oliver. I love you with every single fiber of my being.” She finally managed to get out the words with her voice shaking tremulously. “I never dreamt that the Gods would grace me with such a fine gift as you, Oliver, and to have my love for you returned in kind is almost too good to be true. I keep hoping I won’t wake up one day to find out it was