141 Dotting the i’s.....
I just rolled my eyes at that remark, leaving him without a reply.
To my surprise, we didn’t drive to a restaurant. Instead, we arrived at the dock of the massive local river. Seeing my questioning look, Zavir explained that our date would be on a cruise yacht with a delicious dinner. I was pleasantly surprised and gladly took the blond’s hand as he helped me out of the car.
The time was already early evening, and the river offered a simply breathtaking view of the sunset. I froze at the yacht’s railing, gazing at the bright orange sky reflecting on the horizon.
I flinched slightly when I felt warm, strong arms wrapping around me from behind. An immediate sense of comfort and security washed over me, and I didn’t want to leave this wolfish embrace at all.
Zavir buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath, kissing my neck. It was unbearably pleasant, and I closed my eyes in bliss.
"Tanya, I’ve missed you so much, you can’t even imagine," he whispered into my neck, hugging me tighter as if afraid I would run away again.
"I missed you too, so much," I admitted, savoring the closeness of my beloved.
"Why didn’t you come back?"
"At first, there was school, and then I enrolled in university," I looked away awkwardly. "I liked my student life, and there was always this fear that you would lock me away and keep me from all of it. Plus, I held an old grudge against you, which didn’t exactly help," I admitted sadly, lowering my gaze.
"Tanya, why would you think I would lock you away?! Even Wayland didn’t lock Alina in at home when she returned!"
"Well, your shouts of ‘nowhere! no one! I’ll kill everyone!’ and so on… they really stuck in a teenager’s head!" I argued. "And you didn’t find me, so I thought deep down, you were even happy with the outcome."
"Tanya," Zavir exhaled heavily and turned me to face him, his eyes filled with so much emotion that my own breath caught somewhere in my lungs.
He gently touched my cheek and leaned in for a kiss. How I had missed his kisses! I pressed my whole body against him, and our kiss deepened, igniting both body and soul.
"Tanya, I love you," the blond whispered softly into my lips after pulling back. Our breathing was heavy, our hearts pounding wildly. "I’ve waited for you so long. Forgive me for that incident. I know normally one should wait until after dinner, but I can’t wait any longer."
Stepping back a pace, Zavir dropped to one knee, showing me an incredibly beautiful ring.
"Will you marry me?"
Sitting in morning classes, I could never have imagined that by evening I would become a fiancée. But my answer was obvious. I love this wolf and I want to be with him.
"Zavir..." Tears welled at the corners of my eyes as I threw myself around my man’s neck, hugging him. "I love you and I don’t want to run anymore. I will marry you."
We kissed for what felt like forever, unable to tear ourselves away from each other.
Then there was a wonderful dinner with my beloved, who was glowing with joy. Even I couldn’t stop smiling, and those fluttering butterflies probably devoured all my insides.
We talked about so much. By the end of this year, I would finish my full-time studies, and starting next year, I would switch to part-time. We would somehow work on our relationship.
After dinner, Zavir walked me to the apartment I was renting… and stayed. I didn’t want to let him go, and neither could he.
The moment we crossed the threshold of the apartment, we lunged at each other like mad. I wanted him like never before. Desire had completely taken control of my body, and I eagerly anticipated our intimate moment.
"Wait," Zavir pulled back with difficulty, breathing heavily and growling, forehead pressed to mine. "Sorry, I don’t want to pressure or rush you. You mean everything to me, and I don’t want to ruin what’s just begun between us. Sorry for lunging like that. From now on, I’ll control myself. I’ll sit on the couch," the blond stated decisively, stepping back and leaving me in complete shock.
Quickly realizing the situation, my beloved slipped into the bathroom, and I just stood there, blinking.
"Well, alright," I whispered softly, a little disappointed, exhaling into the emptiness.