AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dawn watched the room as well. She could feel herself looking for something that she couldn’t put her finger on. A reason for the panic that tightened her stomach and her heart.
“I would like you to join me in celebrating the most momentous occasion in my life now,” he continued, his big body moving closer to hers as he stared out at the crowd. “Today, Miss Dawn Daniels has consented to be my wife.” He lifted her hand to display the ring she wore as Dawn felt her heart melt.
His voice was rough, rasping. His eyes as they stared at her were cloudy and dark with emotion, his expression tight with it. She stared back at him, and despite that edge of waiting, of almost fear rising inside her, she smiled and accepted the kiss he placed against her lips.
Who knew tough man Seth Lawrence could be so romantic. That he would have a stone reset in a family ring only months after meeting her. That he would buy soaps around the world so he could share the unique scents that reminded him of her, or that he would pick up silks, satins and lace in panties as delicate as a dream for her to wear.
And now he stood in front of his friends and closest business associates and claimed her as his heart. He didn’t see her as a Breed, he saw her merely as his woman, and that knowledge brought a lump to her throat and the betraying emotional tears to her eyes.
“To Seth and Dawn.” Craig Bartel lifted his glass in a toast as all the others followed.
“To Seth and Dawn,” they all called out while glasses were handed to her and Seth to toast the event as well.
It was magical, a dream come true. Dawn felt like Cinderella after Prince Charming slipped the shoe on her delicate foot and declared her his woman for all time. She felt as though she had finally found a place where she mattered, where she belonged. No, she thought as she stared into his eyes. She knew she had. Right here, she had found the one place in the world where Dawn Daniels was a woman rather than a creature or an animal.
They toasted once more amid laughter and congratulations before the band struck up a tune and Seth led her to the dance floor once again. He pulled her into his arms, smiling down at her as he swept her around the room, the other guests moving back and giving them this first dance to themselves.
Dawn would have felt self-conscious, even days ago, at having so many eyes on her. Tonight, she felt the panic build even as a sense of euphoria and happiness nearly overcame her.
Maybe that was the problem, she thought. She wasn’t used to happiness such as this. She was used to being content, not ecstatic and definitely not floating with the joy that seemed to strike her at the oddest moments now.
Like now, while they danced in front of several dozen of Seth’s closest friends, all eyes turned to them, and happiness was singing through her veins.
His body moved against hers, one arm around her, the other gripping her hand as the dark chocolate silk of her evening gown flowed around her, curled around his legs, and caressed both of them when they turned.
“Caught ya,” he whispered in her ear as a smile of pure joy curved at her lips.
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah.” He nipped at her ear. “And I’m going to keep you.”
She prayed. She realized that in the past two days she had been doing that a lot. Praying fervently that God wouldn’t take this dream from her, now that it was so close, right there in her grasp.
Her hand tightened at his shoulder and she wished she had managed to keep them in that damned room. She needed him now. Needed him near her, moving over her. She needed him loving her, whispering his need in her ear and stroking her into oblivion.
As the dance drew to a close, Seth moved back, his hand still clasping hers, turned to the crowd and slowly bowed before turning to Dawn.
With an impish smile, she curtsied, long and low, the skirt of her gown swirling around her as she held the position for long moments before straightening again amid the applause and Seth’s wicked wink.
Dawn realized she must be smiling like a loon. She couldn’t seem to control the curve of her lips for the happiness that bubbled in her veins like ecstasy. It fought with the panic, determined to win this battle, to hold itself inside her mind, where it was rarely allowed to materialize.
“Miss Daniels. Seth.” Craig Bartel approached, his fingers curled around his wife Lillian’s wrist as they stopped before Seth and Dawn.
Lillian Bartel was not happy to be there. Dawn could scent her hesitancy, her anger at her husband and her embarrassment.
“Seth.” Craig extended his hand. “Let me tell you, I admired you before, but seeing the beauty you’ve found to love, I must say I admire you even more.”
“Thank you, Craig.” He shook the other man’s hand and glanced at Lillian.
“Miss Daniels, your beauty is only overshadowed by your compassion.” He turned to Dawn and tugged his wife forward. “My wife and I would both like to extend our congratulations.”
Lillian Bartel drew in a hard breath. “And my apologies,” Lillian forced past her stiff lips. “What I said last night was uncalled for, and undeserved. I’m sorry, Miss Daniels. Sometimes, as my husband tells me, my mouth forgets there’s a brain driving it.”
Dawn tilted her head to the side and stared at the other woman. Seth was stiff beside her, unaware of what the other woman had said, but aware that it must have been extremely insulting for Craig to force this apology from his wife.
And it was sincere. Whatever Bartel had said to the other woman, it must have been taken to heart, because Lillian meant the apology, and not for the first time, Dawn thanked the Breed senses that allowed her to pick up on that sincerity.
“We’ll consider the words unsaid,” Dawn finally told her softly.
