Without Warning: A Billionaire Romance (Playboys of New York Book 5), JA Low [book suggestions .TXT] 📗

me diamonds. I could count on one hand the number of flowers I’ve ever been sent, too.”

“Really?” Rhys questions.

“Yes. You’ve been the best guy I’ve ever dated. You send me flowers. You listen to me ramble on about my day. You cook for me…” I trail off, shrugging my shoulders.

“No one has ever done that for you?” He genuinely looks confused.

“Nope.” I grin. “I dated some real idiots over the years.” We walk into the kitchen, where I grab us a drink.

“I’ll never understand how anyone can be like that.” He shakes his head as he undoes the lid of his water bottle and takes a couple of big gulps. My eyes focus in on his throat, watching his Adam’s apple move, and my body shivers all over.

Damn! I’ve got it bad for one Rhys Davenport.

“What?” He glances at me, perplexed as to why I am staring at him as if I’m seconds away from jumping him.

“Just that I love you,” I reply, letting the feelings I have for this man wash over me.

“I love you, too.” He stalks closer, caging me into the corner of the kitchen. His lips nip the tender flesh under my ear. “I’m going to spoil you, Ariana.” His lips glide over my goose-bumped skin.

“You don’t need to spoil me, Rhys. I’m not one of those kinds of girls,” I explain to him.

“I know.” He grins against my skin. “That’s why I want to. You don’t ever ask me for anything. Add in the craziness of my divorce, which you also never complain about, and you never push me on it either. I need to show you how much you mean to me, Ari,” he tells me. “How much I appreciate you being a fucking queen standing by my side.” His head falls against my shoulder as if he’s too exhausted to hold it up any longer. “I hate that this bullshit has consumed our entire relationship,” he confesses.

“Hey.” I lift his face to look at mine. “This won’t be forever. I know that. Also, none of this is your fault. How can I blame you for marrying someone as duplicitous as she is?”

Those blue eyes shimmer with emotion while staring at me. “I don’t deserve you, Ari. But for some reason, I’ve been given a second chance at love with you, and I’m never letting you go,” he declares.

Normally someone telling me they’re never letting me go would suffocate me or be creepy as hell, but looking into Rhys’ eyes, I can see the love he has for me.

“I want to be your second chance, Rhys,” I tell him.

His shoulders relax as if a heavy burden has been lifted from him as I say the words that I thought he always knew, but maybe I never articulated them in the right way. Rhys’ lips come crashing down on mine as he kisses the hell out of me.

“Rhys Davenport, you better not be smudging her lips, or you are a dead man.” Lenna’s voice echoes through the kitchen.

We both move away from each other, and I know well enough he has completely messed up my lipstick.

“Sorry, babe. But it was worth it.” Rhys grabs my ass in his hand.

“So worth it.”

We both chuckle.

“I better let you go.” Rhys kisses my temple. “See you later, Lenna.”

Lenna waves at him as Rhys waltzes out of the kitchen, leaving me all hot and bothered.

“Won’t be long till we are standing here on your wedding day.” Lenna winks.

“He needs to get divorced first.” I shrug my shoulders.

“That man is going to do everything in his power to finalize that. You mark my words,” Lenna tells me.

We can only hope.

35

Rhys

Never thought I would want to walk down the aisle again after the disaster of my first marriage. I watch as Ariana glides down the aisle looking like a beautiful goddess dressed in a green velvet dress, with her brown hair pulled up into an elegant bun. A bouquet of winter-inspired flowers is nestled in her hand, and her face is lit up with a smile so bright because her two friends are getting married. As she walked toward the flower-covered archway, she found me in the crowd, and the look she gave me was a direct cupid’s arrow to my heart. I’m head over heels for this woman, and the damn mafia is not going to stop me from moving forward with her.

“You look delicious.” Ariana finds me just after the wedding and kisses me passionately, the day giving her some extra confidence in public displays of affection.

“You look ravishing,” I whisper into her ear.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to wait till we get home to have you.” Ariana’s eyes drink me in.

Who knew tuxedos turned her on so much?

“Later, once everyone is a little drunker, we can slip off for some fun.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Davenport.”

Ariana grins before someone starts calling her name, and she disappears into the crowd again for more photos.

Dinner was amazing. EJ’s—who is Stella’s partner and Chloe’s brother—restaurant, catered the food. It was delicious—I really should go and check out his restaurant. Then there was the cutting of the cake, the first dance, and the tossing of the bridal bouquet, which Chloe tossed directly at Stella, who blushed. EJ shook his head but had the biggest smile on his face knowing that his future is inevitable. Once all that was over, I was able to catch up with Ariana again.

“My duties as a bridesmaid are officially over for the night.” Ariana wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss.

“So, you wanna play hooky, then?” Nipping her ear sends a shiver down her spine, while goosebumps lace her skin.

“Yes, please, Mr. Davenport.”

I take off my tuxedo jacket and wrap it around Ariana’s shoulders, then grab her hand and escort her out of the tent where the wedding reception is taking place. The shock of exiting the tent to outside chills us both