Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

A s a schoolgirl, Jasmine had dreamed of her first kiss. She'd expected it to be romantic and beautiful.

And then it had come from Khalid, and it had been ugly and hard.

She'd hated it. She'd hated every kiss he'd ever given her.

Though she had never said so, Khalid must have discerned how she felt—or maybe he'd felt disloyal to his beloved wife—because he had stopped kissing Jasmine. The things they did were intimate—and she'd loathed his every touch—but there was something even more intimate about kissing.

Or intimate in a different way. Which didn't make sense to her.

Or hadn't, until now.

Now, beneath the towering forest, with the scent of smoke rising through the chimney and the waves crashing so close, Jasmine felt drawn to Derrick in a way she'd never felt drawn to another man.

His arms around her, his warmth enveloping her, she'd known he wanted to kiss her. She'd closed the distance because she'd wanted him to know that she was open to a relationship with him. She loved him. And with Khalid gone, she could be with him.

She'd felt alive in his arms. She'd felt safe and protected.

She hadn't wanted to kiss him. She'd only wanted him to know she was available to him.

And yet…

And yet, when his lips had met hers…

Oh.

Oh.

This was what a kiss was meant to be.

This soft touch. This wondrous exploring. This promise of more.

Derrick's mouth was gentle and warm.

He held her against him, shielding her from the wind as he'd shielded her from the evil that had tracked her down. This man had protected her and guarded her and loved her. He'd loved her so well.

And now he proved to her that she'd never really been kissed at all. Perhaps the other things she'd done with Khalid could also be different with Derrick.

Of course.

Of course everything would be different with Derrick. He didn't want to use her. He wanted to love her.

He did love her.

She felt it in the way his lips moved against hers. In the way his hand pressed against the small of her back. In the way his fingers weaved into her hair.

His touch sparked feelings she'd never experienced, making her want things she'd never wanted. Was this what it meant to love a man? To want to be with him?

To be free. To be free .

To truly love was to be free to say no. And to say yes. And yes. And yes.

Derrick ended the kiss, crushing her against his chest. His jacket was unbuttoned, his heart beating against her ear. He groaned, the sound coming from deep inside.

"Jasmine."

"Hmm…"

"I love you."

She leaned back, lifted her hand, and pressed it against his soft beard. "I love you."

He smiled that sweet, happy smile. "Marry me."

Surprise zinged through her, and she stepped back automatically, but Derrick didn't loosen his grip.

"Don't. Don't leave." His smile faded. "We can wait, if you?—"

"I do not?—"

"I get it. You're not ready. There's no rush. We can wait. I was only…I love you, and I felt?—"

She pressed her hand over his mouth. "Perhaps you should let me answer, hmm?"

His brows lowered. He didn't argue, just nodded.

"I do not wish to wait. If you are willing, I would prefer we are married before my child is born. I want him or her to have a father. To have you, if you are sure."

A little bubble of movement in her belly…

Her baby approved. Her baby would know this man, this good, good man. He—or she—would call him Baba.

No. Dad. Or, as Levi called Sam…

Daddy.

Derrick's eyes filled with sweet tears. "That's a yes? You're saying yes? You'll marry me?"

"You love me. I love you. And if we marry, we can do the kissing all the time, no? "

Laughing, he wrapped her in his arms, lifted her off her feet, and spun her in a circle. And then, he was kissing her a second time, and if her feet never hit the ground again, she would be happy.