Noelle peered at him over her flute and cleared her own throat. “I think we should get married.”
A racing speedboat passed recklessly close to the yacht, almost drowning out her words. Wondering if he’d heard her properly, Christian searched Noelle’s expression.
“Did you say we should get married?” The noise of the speedboat was receding, but Christian continued to hear buzzing.
“Why do you sound so surprised? I thought that’s what you wanted.” Anxiety flitted across her delicate features. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” Explaining to her that he’d planned out the romantic evening with the sole intent of proposing seemed a little anticlimactic. “You’ve just caught me by surprise.”
“I said I needed some time to think about it.” Her gaze was fixed on the passing shore. “After watching you with Marc this week, I realized just how much he’s missed not having his father in his life.”
“So, this is about Marc and me.” He’d been thinking in terms of finding the sort of marital bliss and perfect little family that Gabriel and Olivia enjoyed with the twins.
“Well, yes. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along? To become Marc’s father and to legitimize him as your heir?” Her obvious confusion proved she had no clue how his feelings for her had grown over the past couple of weeks.
And now he had no reason to tell her. She was happy with her decision to marry him. They would have a good partnership, and the sex between them was fantastic. Why muddy things with sentimental declarations of romantic love?
“It’s exactly what I want,” he told her, pulling the small jewelry box out of his pocket and opening the lid so she could see the ring. “And I’ve had this waiting for the moment you agreed.”
Christian was happy to let her think he hadn’t planned for anything out of the ordinary tonight. He lifted her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. As eager as he’d been all day to present this token of his commitment, the way the moment had played out left him with a hollow feeling in his gut.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, sounding more emotional than she had while suggesting they get married. She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him.
For once desire didn’t consume him at the slightest brush of her lips. He tasted the champagne she’d sipped and inwardly grimaced at the bitterness of his disappointment. Calling himself every sort of fool, Christian plunged his tongue into her mouth and feasted on her surrender. She was his. That was all that mattered.
“We should tell my family tomorrow,” he said, sweeping kisses across her forehead. He drew back and gave her his best smile.
“Marc first,” she replied. “I don’t want him hearing it from someone at school. Can you come by in the morning?”
“Of course.”
They carried their champagne outside and sat at the beautifully set table. Around them white lights had been strung to provide a romantic atmosphere. Servers brought the first course and, by mutual agreement, Christian and Noelle spoke no more about their plans for the future until they could be safely alone again.
“The timing on this is quite good,” Christian said. “Ariana returned from Paris yesterday, and Nic and Brooke aren’t set to leave for Los Angeles until the end of the week. We can tell my whole family at once.”
“That’s wonderful news. Have you thought when you’d like the wedding to take place?”
“We could elope to Ithaca the way Gabriel and Olivia did.”
Noelle shook her head. “I don’t think your mother would approve. Perhaps we could have a Christmas wedding?”
He didn’t like the idea of waiting three months to make her his wife, but having been on the sidelines for his brothers’ weddings, he understood a great deal went into organizing a royal affair.
“Whatever you desire.”
She gave him a funny little smile. “Just don’t bother you with any of the details?”
“I’m sure between you, Olivia and my mother, any opinion I might have would be shot down in an instant.”
The large diamond on her left hand winked at him as she lifted the champagne flute to her lips. “I promise you can have a voice in the arrangements if you tell me the one thing you always pictured having at your wedding.”
“I never imagined getting married.” Christian saw no reason to avoid the truth.
“No, I suppose you didn’t.”
Her smile wasn’t as bright as some he’d seen, and he felt compelled to change that.
“It took the right woman to change my mind.”
“The right circumstances.”
Christian wanted to argue. To convince her that he had other reasons for marrying her besides legitimizing Marc and securing the throne for his family. Five years ago, knowing she’d never choose success over love, he’d manipulated the circumstances that swept her out of his life. She’d never believe he did it for her own good. Or that his actions had been noble even if on the surface they appeared selfish.
So, instead of creating conflict on the heels of a great victory, he did what any sane man would. He said to hell with dinner, took her in his arms and carried her to the master cabin.
* * *
Noelle rolled onto her side in the yacht’s roomy master bedroom to watch the play of muscles in Christian’s back and the delectable curve of his bare butt as he crossed the cabin to open a window and let in some cool evening air.
“The crew is going to wonder what happened to us,” Noelle commented, her breath catching as Christian turned in her direction and shot her a wicked grin.
From his lustrous mahogany hair to his absurdly long toes and every magnificent line, dip and rise in between, he was hers. The jubilant thought lightened her heart and weighed on her mind.
“You don’t think they heard us and know exactly what we’re up to?”
Fresh air spilled across her overheated flesh and she broke out in goose bumps. She should feel embarrassed that her impassioned cries and his climactic shouts had penetrated the stateroom’s thin walls. Instead, she found herself grinning.
“Too bad we didn’t open the window beforehand. We could have given the entire riverbank something to talk about tomorrow.”
