He reached out one arm and flipped on the light.
“Katherine Cole isn’t here,” she told him as her gaze locked on his. “You can call me Katie.” A little shrug. “Ross always says it’s important to keep your names as close as you can to your original. That way, you can remember to answer when people call you.” The faintest smile tilted her lips.
Dark red lips. To match her new dark red hair. Dark red, and cut shorter, with soft curls.
The haircut made her look even sexier than before. Hell, who was he kidding? He always thought the woman was sexy.
“It’s the new me.” Her smile dimmed. “And I hope it’s the last me.”
Bandages covered her palms. Where she’d slapped at the fire that had burned over him.
“You didn’t really think I’d just leave town without saying good-bye, did you?” Her voice was the husky purr that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” he managed to say.
Pain flickered in her gaze, and her smile dimmed as her hands slid away from his waist. “I…ah…see…” Katherine—Katie—cleared her throat. “I didn’t realize…I thought you’d want…”
He kissed her. Deep and hard. Let her feel the lust and need and love that were burning inside him. “I was gonna call Ross,” he whispered against her lips. “I was gonna make him tell me where you were. I figured after everything, the guy owed me.” And he’d planned to trade in that IOU for Katherine.
She pulled away from him. Her eyes widened.
“Wherever the hell you were, I was going there, too.”
It had seemed like the perfect plan. With the explosion, Katherine Cole could disappear. She could escape all the reporters—and all the Valentine-obsessed loons out there—like Evelyn Knight—who would make her life hell. She could start fresh.
One final relocation.
One final life.
Only it would have been a life without him.
Ross had started making the plans immediately. Katherine had been taken away from Dane at the crime scene. The story of her death had been deliberately leaked to the reporters.
Everything should have worked perfectly. Katherine would have her freedom. The killer would be dead. New Orleans safe. Should have been perfect.
Except for one small problem. He didn’t want to live his life without Katherine.
“Your life is here,” she said as she gazed up at him with her deep golden eyes. “Your job. Your friends.”
She didn’t get it. “You are my life.” He’d tried living without her for just over seventy-two hours. Those had been the shittiest seventy-two hours of his life. “From now on, where you go, I go.”
Then he did something he’d never thought he’d do. Dane dropped down to one knee. “I don’t have a ring.”
She blinked. Then her eyes—those beautiful eyes that made him think of sex and love and hope—widened.
“I’m so sorry, baby, I swear, I’ll buy you the biggest damn diamond in the world.” Well, the biggest damn diamond that an ex–New Orleans detective could afford. “I’ll buy you anything, just please do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
She wasn’t saying anything.
So he kept talking. Fast. He was holding onto her wrists because he didn’t want to hurt the wounds on her hands. “I love you, Katherine. Hell, I was willing to die for you. Willing to kill in order to keep you safe.”
“I don’t want anyone dying for me.” Her voice was so soft.
“Death is behind us.” He wanted life. With her. “You want to start over. You want to begin without the baggage of Valentine? Then let’s do it. Together. Let’s pick a small town. I can be the sheriff. Hell, I’ll pay my dues and start as a deputy if I have to. You can open another art gallery. You can paint. You can do anything you want. Just…do it with me. Start fresh…with me.”
It looked like she might cry. He didn’t want her to cry. Oh, hell, no, he hated it when Katherine cried.
“I want to wake up next to you in the morning and go to bed holding your hand each night.” His jaw locked. “Katherine, marry me.”
She laughed then. A sweet, light sound that pierced right to his heart. “I don’t really want a diamond.”
His brows lowered.
“I don’t care about a ring.” She dropped to her knees. Brought her face close to his. “I just care about you. I love you, Dane Black. And Katelynn, Katherine, hell, even Katie—whichever one of us you want—we’ll marry you.”
“I want you all.” Every part of her. He wrapped his arms around her. Pulled her close. “I want you.”
Her gaze held his. “Then you’ve got me.”
He kissed her and knew he had to have her. I need her. He wanted to feel her body against his. Wanted to be sure that the nightmare was really over. That Katherine was alive and safe and with him.
Not a thousand miles away in a new town.
Not dead, killed in an explosion set by Valentine.
He lifted her into his arms. Made sure not to jostle her hands and took her into the bedroom.
This time, he wouldn’t be frantic. He’d put a stranglehold on the insatiable hunger he felt for her. He stripped her, so carefully. Kissed her flesh as he tossed away her shirt and skirt.
She wore a lacy black bra and panties. Looking at her made his whole body ache. Part of him wanted to rip away the panties. To just take…
But being with Katherine was about more than taking. More than just sex.
More than f**king in the dark.
His fingers threaded with hers. He kissed her. Keeping his lips gentle and easy.
He pulled away long enough to strip off his own clothes, and he threw them into the corner.
With fingers that trembled, he slid off her bra. Licked, caressed her br**sts. Such perfect br**sts. He loved the way she moaned and arched up against him.
She wanted more. So did he.
He tried to be careful with her panties, but he still shredded them as he pulled the delicate lace off her hips.
Katherine laughed.
He loved the sound of her laugh.
Then he was between her legs. She was wet and ready, and he was about to explode, but even though his muscles locked from the effort and sweat slickened his back, he pushed into her slowly.
He stared into her eyes.
And he saw forever. The best dream he’d ever had.
“Give me more,” Katherine whispered.
He’d give her anything. Everything. Just as he’d promised.