I reach for her and drag her onto my lap. She squeals in delight. I hold her to me and listen as Riker continues.
“Jane—love of my life—will you please come down?”
Nia shifts, her gaze searching my face. “Mommy? Are you going down?”
Cameras continue to flash at Riker. His brows angle up and he sports a nervous smile. The entire world is watching him right now. Waiting to see if I’ll forgive him and go down.
“You love Riker. Don’t you, mommy?”
My heart soars. “I do love him.”
“So, are you going down or what?”
34 Riker
Jane’s shadow blurs behind the closed glass doors as she runs across the lobby. When the doors burst open, I’m right there, catching her in my arms and pulling her up into a tight hug. Her feet leave the ground as she stretches her neck, meeting my lips in a heated kiss full of love and desire. Her dark legs wrap around my waist and I pull her flush against me, savoring how wholly veracious she feels in my arms.
I swear to fucking god and all that is righteous in the world that my heart actually seizes in my chest, stuttering, until it picks back up, matching the rhythm of her own. My mouth sears to hers as my tongue breaks the barrier of her lips. She meets me stroke for stroke, swirling together as fiery passion scorches a blazing trail along every nerve in my body. If I live a thousand years, I will never get enough of her!
The crowd behind us erupts into thunderous applause. A steady ovation of whistles and cheers fills the air, echoing between the buildings in a deafening explosion. Crimson streaks across Jane’s cheeks, splashing along the brim of her elegant nose and dripping down around her sensuous neck. She buries her face in my shoulder as her legs loosen from my waist, and her body slides down alongside mine until her feet hit solidly atop the concrete steps.
“Oh lord,” she mumbles against my chest. “I am never going to get used to this kind of attention,” she whispers, lifting her gaze to meet mine. I see the trepidation swirling in the umber depths of her eyes, but I also see determination.
“Don’t worry,” I lean down speaking low against her ear. “I’ll always be here to keep you safe.” The soft tendrils of her caramel locks, brush against my nose, and I breathe in the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle, feeling as if I’m finally home.
The press bursts into an onslaught of questions, one after the other. They’re coming so fast that they run together in a buzzing sea of interrogation. I grip Jane’s small fingers, holding them tightly in mine as if to propel every ounce of support I can into her. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can be alone with her.
I step back up to the podium, angling the microphone so that it will pick up my voice without any interference. “Quiet down, quiet down,” I shout above the noise, raising one hand in the air to get their attention. I’m shocked when they actually listen to me. Usually, I can’t get them to shut up.
“We’ll spend a few minutes answering your questions, and then I ask that you kindly let us alone so we can celebrate…quietly.” I incline my head and wink at her, letting a smoldering look cross my features. “If you can show us some respect, I promise that in the future, we will offer the same to you. Jane is new to this kind of attention. Now that I have her, I refuse to let anyone scare her away.”
The crowd goes wild with ooh’s and ah’s. Women fan themselves and simulate fainting as the first audible question is shouted our way. “Riker, are you really in love?”
I turn my gaze to Jane, meeting the look of longing in her eyes. “Yes,” I say. “Jane, I love you more than I ever thought physically possible. Before you, the only person I cared about was myself, no one else mattered. You have made me complete, you have made me whole. I am a better man with you by my side, and I never want to know the pain of being without you again.”
Leaning down to brush a soft kiss along her smooth lips, I ask the next question. “Do you love me?”
“Yes, Riker,” she nods her head, steadfastly holding my gaze. “I love you, with every breath in my body, with every cell of my being, with every ounce of my life.”
“Will you be planning a wedding?” Someone shouts from the crowd.
“We’ll be discussing that this evening,” I hint. “We’ll keep you updated with all the details when we have them.
“What about the honeymoon? Will you be taking Jane to the private island that you bought for her?” A small woman shouts from the front.
“I’m not sure where that rumor got started, but I currently do not own an island at this point in time,” I reply exasperatedly. “Of course, if Jane decides that a private island is something she might want…” I let the implication hang in the air as Jane rolls her eyes, and a small giggle escapes through her lips.
“Are you planning on having children? Wouldn’t Nia love to have a baby brother or sister?” Shout’s someone.
“It’s a little early for that,” Jane sighs at the absurdity. “But that is something that, as a family, Riker, Nia, and myself will discuss, if and when the time comes. We’ll let you know if it does.”
“Do you have a couple’s song?” Shouts a gray-haired woman standing to the left of the crowd, pen poised over the notebook in her hand. I didn’t think people still used those things.
“What do you think about Jaker or Rine for your ship name?” Someone else yells over the ever-increasing volume.
Jane and I both laugh. “I could go for Jaker,” I say
