Tiffany Snow - Point of No Return

“Marry me, princess?”

Tears blurred my vision, my throat too clogged with emotion for me to answer, so I just gave a vigorous nod as a sob built in my chest.

Kade hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. He rained kisses on my face—my forehead, cheeks, eyes, lips. He kissed me until I was breathless. When he finally lifted his head, his smile was blinding.

“I have something for you,” he said.

Before I could reply, he’d set me aside and jumped up with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas. He bent to grab his discarded jeans off the floor while I admired the view, then he was back and holding a small box.

I recognized the Tiffany blue immediately as he took my hand and set the box in my palm.

“I bought this when we were in Vegas,” he said. “I was out of my mind to even buy it—one hell of an impulse buy.”

My hands trembled as I opened the box. A ring was nestled inside, the stone reflecting the light in brilliant glimmers.

I started crying again as Kade took the ring out and picked up my left hand.

“It’s a princess cut diamond, of course,” he said, his lips twisting in a grin as he slipped the ring onto my finger, “and they don’t make them any bigger than this.”

I laughed through my tears, reaching up to pull him down for a watery kiss.

“Thank you,” I said, looking up at him. “It’s beautiful.”

Kade’s grin widened. “I done good,” he said smugly.

I rolled my eyes. His arrogance knew no bounds, but in this, he was correct. The ring was exquisite, diamonds embedded into the platinum band on either side of the stone.

“I love you, Kade, even if you hadn’t ‘done good,’” I said, then raised an eyebrow. “But if you ever even think of leaving me again, I will kick your ass.”

His face turned serious in an instant. Taking my hand, he placed it on his chest, directly over his heart.

“I won’t. I swear it. I’ll never leave you.”

Then the moment was broken when his lips twisted and he said, “But I would like to see you try to kick my ass.” His eyebrows waggled suggestively.

I pinched him.

“Ouch,” he said with feigned hurt. “I didn’t know you liked to play dirty.”

I could feel my face heating and couldn’t smother my grin. “There’s more where that came from, pretty boy,” I warned him.

“I certainly hope so.”

I squealed in surprise when he tossed me down on my back, then he was scooting down my body until I felt the warmth of his breath against my inner thighs.

I started to protest. I hadn’t showered after our last bout of lovemaking and was immediately self-conscious. But then his mouth was on me, his hands pressing my legs farther apart as he slowly licked me. The feeling was torturous, the warm heat of his tongue dipping inside me then sliding to my clit, wiping every objection from my mind.

It seemed Kade didn’t mind dirty at all.

* * *

Later, I woke alone. We’d gone back down to the bed, jet lag catching up to us. Confused, I sat up, trying to get my bearings. The yacht was moving, I could tell that, then I heard water running in the shower.

Getting out of bed, I stretched, smiling a bit at the little aches that came with a vigorous night of sex with Kade. He’d seemed insatiable, wringing orgasms from me even after I would have sworn I didn’t have the energy for it.

I glanced down at my hand, the ring sparkling. Kade had proposed. I was going to marry Kade. It seemed unreal. Untouchable, harder-than-nails Kade Dennon was marrying me.

Deciding to wait until Kade finished in the shower, I wandered naked to the windows, which were at eye level, and looked out. The sea was moving past, waves crashing against the sides of the yacht as it made its way through the water. The sun should have been blinding against the ocean, but the windows were tinted. I sighed, crossing my arms along the sill and resting my chin on them.

I heard the water shut off but didn’t turn. A few minutes later, I felt Kade at my back.

“Now this is a sight I could definitely get used to,” he said, his lips by my ear. His hands caressed my bare bottom before settling on my hips. I could feel the denim from his jeans against the backs of my thighs.

“Well, you’d better get used to it,” I said, turning to face him. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

Kade’s expression was one I hadn’t seen before. A small smile played about his lips and his eyes were soft as they studied me.

“What?” I asked, smiling back. “What’s this face?”

“I’m happy,” Kade said simply. “You’ve made me happy.” He shrugged. “It’s a new feeling.”

My heart hurt a little at that and I stretched up on my toes to loop my arms around his neck. “And you’ve made me happy,” I said. “It goes both ways.”

Then my stomach decided to remind me that no matter how happy I was, morning sickness waits for no one.

“What’s wrong?” Kade asked, frowning at the sudden change in me.

“Bathroom!” I gasped, pushing past him. I made it in time and had the sense to lock the door before heaving into the toilet.

“Kathleen!” Kade called, twisting the knob. “Unlock this door and let me in,” he demanded.

I heaved again, though there was nothing in my stomach. God, I really hated it. I hated that nauseous feeling and the way my stomach twisted sometimes at just the wrong smell. Morning sickness sucked.

“Kathleen! Open this door or I will break it.”

I flushed the toilet and grabbed a towel to cover myself. A wet washcloth was on the edge of the tub so I grabbed it and wiped my mouth. Shakily, I leaned against the wall.

“I’m fine,” I called out, my voice weak. “Just—give me a minute, okay?” The last thing I wanted was Kade to see me sick . . . again. I’d just take a shower, brush my teeth, then I’d be more presentable. My current condition wasn’t so great.

There was a crack and a splintering sound, then the door flew open. Kade stood there, anger mixed with worry on his face.

“No, that is not okay,” he said flatly.

“Kade,” I whined, covering my face with my hands, “I didn’t want you to see me like this.” If I’d had the energy, I would’ve been pissed, but lack of sleep and the boisterous vomiting had taken it all out of me. And here I’d thought this part of pregnancy was finally over.

“Too bad,” he said, crouching down by me. He pulled my hands away from my face. “I do believe it’s ‘in sickness, and in health,’ right?”

“We’re not married yet,” I said. “And this is gross.” I wrinkled my nose.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I’ll decide what’s gross,” he said, “and my bride, who carries our unborn child, is most decidedly not gross. Even when she’s puking her guts out.”

Kade helped me off the floor and started the shower for me. “Do you need help showering?” he asked. “Because I can wash your back. And your front.” His lips curved in another smirk.

I gave a huff of laughter and pushed him away. “I do not feel sexy at the moment. It’ll have to wait.”

“Fine,” he groused. “I’ll wait.”

I felt much better after the shower and wrapped myself in a towel before I emerged. Kade was checking his phone.

“Are you hungry now?” he asked.

I considered. “Yeah. I think the nausea’s passed.”

“Then let’s feed you,” he said. “Come topside when you’re dressed.”

He curved a hand around the back of my neck to pull me close enough for him to brush a kiss to my forehead before he disappeared up the stairs. I gave a contented sigh. I would never have guessed Kade to be the doting type, but I wasn’t complaining.

Something Alisha had said came to mind then. She’d been telling me how comfortable she was with her new boyfriend, Lewis, and how she’d never felt that way before.

“It’s like, you know how you’re with a guy and he’s driving you home or something, and you need to pass gas? Well, you hold it, right?” she’d said, all matter-of-fact. “Even if it gives you a stomachache. And it’s nice to date those kind of guys, but I’d rather find the kind of guy who’d just laugh and roll the window down. If I found a guy who made me feel like that, I’d marry him.”

I’d laughed at the ridiculous analogy, though I could admit she had a point. It struck me that morning sickness and pregnancy and all the things that came with that, all the changes my body was going to go through, none of it seemed embarrassing or beyond Kade’s ability to take it in stride. He’d seen me sick several times now, had stood by my side unflinchingly when the doctor had examined me, and hadn’t batted an eye or made me feel like I needed to hide anything from him.

Going to my suitcase, I pulled out a sundress and flat sandals, finding my brush, too. My hair would dry quickly in the breeze and I dug out my sunglasses and then headed up to find Kade.

To my surprise, a man was bustling around a table for eight that was set for two. He wore white pants and a white shirt. Catching sight of me, he smiled. “Good morning,” he said. “I’m Andrew, the chef. You must be Kathleen.”

My eyebrows climbed. Chef? “Um, hi,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Kade said you were hungry,” Andrew continued. “I have some fruit for you, but if you want to tell me what you’d like, I can prepare it.”

I felt a little out of my depth as Andrew clasped his hands behind his back and seemed to be waiting for my request. I scrambled to think of something that wouldn’t sound too demanding.

“Breakfast?” I tentatively asked, even though it was midday.

Andrew smiled. “No problem,” he said. “There’s coffee, if you’d like some. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Do you know where Kade is?”

“Sure, he’s on the upper deck.” Andrew pointed to a set of stairs leading up.

I looked around a bit before going to the stairs. The yacht was long, not like the typical white luxury yachts I’d seen in pictures. It had to be over half the length of a football field, the long honey-colored deck gorgeous in the sunshine.

I climbed to the top deck. The wind whipped my hair and I caught sight of Kade sitting on the couch where we’d watched the sunrise. I made my way toward him. He had his sunglasses on, shorts, and a white shirt, most of the buttons undone. His arms were stretched along the back of the couch, one ankle resting on the opposite knee as he leaned back, his face tipped up to the sun.

“So what’s the story with the yacht?” I asked, sitting down beside him. I kicked off my sandals and tucked my feet up underneath me.

Kade’s lips twisted as he lifted an eyebrow. “You like?”

I laughed. “What’s not to like? It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Three huge sails billowed in the wind and I tipped my head back, shading my eyes with a hand, to gaze up at them. The couch we were sitting on was ivory. The whole decor downstairs, up here, and in the bedroom was in whites and ivories. “Another loaner from ‘a friend’?” Kade had access to odd things—nice things—from people he called friends, but who I suspected were really clients.

“It’s mine, actually,” he said.

I jerked my head back around, my mouth dropping open in astonishment. “Are you serious?” I asked.

“Got it for a song from a guy desperate to sell,” Kade smirked.

Alarm bells went off in my head. “And why was he desperate to sell?” I asked.

“He pissed me off, so I may have intimated that it would be . . . healthier for him to stick to land for a while.”

I shook my head, not in the least bit surprised, though I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. Incorrigible. Spontaneous. Unstoppable. Together, they equaled Kade.

“So where are we going?” I asked.

“Just out for a day cruise,” Kade replied. “Thought we’d find a good place to see the sunset tonight.”

“That sounds lovely,” I said. It seemed dreams really did come true. Kade and I were going to be together.

Kade reached for me, pulling me onto his lap. I hooked an arm around his neck.

“What do you say to marrying me today?” he asked. “When the sun sets?”

My heart leapt. “Really?”

“Really.”

“How?”

“The captain used to be a Navy chaplain,” Kade said, combing back my unruly hair with his fingers. “I’ll introduce you later. He said he’d marry us. I had some connections get us a license, and there’s no waiting period in Hawaii.”

We could get married today. By the time the sun set tonight, it would be official. Suddenly, I wanted that. I wanted it more than anything. Maybe I was gun-shy because Blane had broken our engagement, or maybe it was because even though Kade had promised to not leave me again, a little part of me was still unsure. Whatever it was, I felt a measure of relief to think it would be a done deal by the time the day was through.