Page 59 of A Diamond for My Forbidden Bride

Love was sitting on a beach throwing shells even when she was angry with me.

Love was arguing with me about building a fire and then letting me sit by it while we toasted marshmallows.

Love was pushing me off a rock and then laughing when I pulled her in.

Love was a first kiss under the stars and wild passion in the sand and her face glowing as she talked about what she wanted for her company and the gentleness of her fingertips on my jaw.

Love was her sitting by a fire with a bag of marshmallows.

Love was my little star, my Olivia.

You can trust her. Of all the people in the whole world, you can trust her.

A shudder went through me, ice melting under the heat of the sun, and somewhere deep inside I felt part of me let the ghost of my father go.

And then I was wrapping my arms around her, holding her tight, kissing her desperately, kissing her as if I was suffocating and she had all my air.

‘Livvy,’ I whispered when I could finally breathe again. ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to disappoint you. And I’m afraid I’ll end up doing both.’

She looked up at me, her eyes shining. ‘Oh, you probably will. And I’ll probably do the same to you. No relationship is perfect.’

My heart was pounding. I wasn’t sure if this was real. ‘But I—’

She cupped the side of my face with one small hand. ‘It’s scary and, believe me, I’m scared too. But we’ll make this work because I love you and that’s all that matters.’

She was right. Lovewasall that mattered. And right then and there I decided I would do everything in my power to keep her here with me, to make her happy. And not for myself, but for her.

Because I loved her.

I cupped her face between my palms and looked down into her beautiful face. ‘I love you, Olivia Wintergreen,’ I said, and I made a vow. ‘And I will spend the rest of my life arguing with you about the best way to start a fire, toasting you the perfect marshmallow, not getting angry when you push me off a rock, making love to you under the stars and trying to make you happy for the rest of my life.’

I took a breath. ‘Will you live with me and have my children? Will you marry me?’

Her face blazed, her eyes the white-hot heart of a star. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Yes, I will.’ And then she kissed me and I caught fire with her.

And, even all these years later, we’re still burning.

EPILOGUE

Olivia

MYWEDDINGDRESSwas perfect—white silk in a wraparound style with a sexy slit that went all the way up to my thigh. My hair was loose and I carried some tropical flowers in a small bouquet.

On my finger was the engagement ring Val had bought me, which I adored. A red diamond. The world’s rarest diamond colour. Because I too was rare and beautiful and precious, he’d said, and the red was for passion.

He waited for me at the end of the jetty, dressed all in black, and he watched me with all the ferocious intensity a man like him was capable of. Which was considerable.

My Val.

We’d tried to get hold of Constantine the night before, because Val had decided Constantine could keep his company. Val didn’t want it. The only thing he’d ever wanted was me.

And all I’d ever wanted was him.

We were married on the end of the jetty and, when I was finally his wife, his kiss just about burned me alive.

So I pushed him into the sea.

Of course he pulled me in after him, but I didn’t mind.

Nothing was going to cool the heat between us, and I didn’t want it to.

We would burn together until the end of time.

Because it wasn’t just me who was a star.

He was too.