Who's Your Alpha? (7 page)
He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in heat. “Sunny, I don’t care if you’re the alpha or the omega. If you’re a bitch or a witch. If you’re smart or dumb. All I care about is you. Sunny. The only girl I’ve ever wanted.” Then he kissed her.
And finally Sunny knew.
When she could breathe again, she felt him shivering in spite of the heat between them. “David?”
“Hmmm?” His hands massaged her back down to her butt and stayed there.
“It’s freezing out here.”
“Yeah, but you warm me up.”
“Maybe, but wouldn’t your cabin be more comfortable?”
He laughed. “Yeah, probably. Race you.”
They both shifted and raced through the trees. Once back, they shifted again and Sunny gathered her clothes from where she’d dropped them. David led her inside. He pushed the door shut, took her things from her and tossed them on a table, and then pulled her into his arms.
“Better?”
She growled low in her throat. His interest was very apparent and she palmed him, smiling when he gasped. Not to be outdone, he stroked her, teasing and tempting. Somehow they made their way toward the sofa, but they collapsed onto the soft rug in front of the fireplace. Though she hadn’t had many men, Sunny was no neophyte when it came to sex, but what she experienced with David went so far beyond anything she’d ever had. Her orgasm left her shuddering and weak, but oh, so satisfied.
“Sunny?” David lay next to her, holding her close.
“Hmmm?”
“I love you.”
She raised up on one elbow to study his face. And saw the truth. “I love you too.”
“Will you stay with me? Marry me?”
She sighed and lay back against his arm. “How ’bout if we take it one step at a time? There are a lot of things to think about. I’d need to find a job here, move, all that stuff.”
“Don’t you want me?”
“Of course I do. How can you even ask?” She already knew the real answer, but part of her still held back. “Give me time, David. I know there’s no one else for me, but—”
He sat up and pulled her to him. “But you’ve been through a lot in the last two days. I’ve waited ten years. I suppose I can wait a little longer.”
Sunny thought over the possibilities. What did she really have to go back to? Her life in Pittsburgh was one of existence, not living. In the past two days, she’d felt more alive than she had in ten years. The mountain was where she belonged. And David was the one man she could commit to with no regrets or even minor qualms. Then she thought about Rommy and her announcement. She wondered if Sam could use a clinical psychologist. She searched her feelings and made her decision. “Maybe six months?”
“Six months? That’s all?” He stared into her face. “Are you sure?”
“If you can find me a ring, we’ll make it official.” She grinned at the happiness in his face and knew she’d made the right decision. A heaviness she hadn’t known was weighing her down lifted.
“Wait here.” He rose and Sunny got the chance to admire his cute butt as he strode over to a sideboard. On his way back, she got to admire another part of him. He knelt in front of her and opened the box. Inside lay a simple ring with a single black pearl set off with two tiny diamond chips. “Sunny, will you marry me?”
“You remembered!” Tears sprang to her eyes. So long ago it seemed unreal, she and David had talked about their dreams and she’d mentioned she wanted a guy who wouldn’t shower her with diamonds—she preferred pearls, especially black ones, because they were unique. Different. She took the ring out and slipped it on her finger. Perfect.
Like he was.
Chapter 7
The dessert plates had been cleared away, the speeches over, and the tables pushed back making room for dancing when Sunny and David strolled into the banquet room. Her dress was still perfect, but she’d lost the stockings, and her hair and makeup weren’t quite as perfect as earlier. But Sunny didn’t care.
She grinned when Rommy came up to her, and Rommy squealed loud enough to be heard over the music and chatter. The room went silent as Sunny and David made their way to the front of the room. Sunny noted Mack to one side, his arm around a very pretty, smiling Carly. Sunny smiled at him and he nodded at her. Ruby, bandages visible under her slinky dress, sat against the wall, like Sunny used to.
David reached the microphone and stepped up. “Folks, I’d like to make an announcement.” He held his hand out for Sunny and she joined him. “Sunny has agreed to become my wife.”
“It’s about time!” Rommy shouted and the room erupted into cheers, roars, and howls.
As Sunny stood there, David’s arm around her, looking at the people she’d grown up with but had never really known, she knew the mountain had once again made magic happen. She was where she belonged and with the one man who fit her. She lifted her head and howled, happy beyond belief when the room joined her.
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Vicky Burkholder
Vicky Burkholder lives in a small town in Pennsylvania not far from the hill country where her ancestors settled in 1741. She shares her home with her husband and maintains storage room for their four children. She has worked for magazines, newspapers, government organizations, epublishers, and private clients. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a computer specialist, a DJ, and a librarian.
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