Her lips curved and she looked at me as if I were something special. I really was the luckiest bastard on the planet.

Chapter Fifty-Five

KENNEDY

“I love you so much,” I whispered, stretching up onto my toes to kiss him before standing back to admire the way the ring glittered in the light. “It’s beautiful.”

He smiled tenderly. “Then it suits you.”

I shivered. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to him saying things like that. I hoped I never did because I never wanted to take him and what we had together for granted.

“I don’t want a big wedding,” I told him. “Nothing fancy. All I want is to be married to you, and soon.”

He grinned. “How does next month sound?”

“Perfect.” Perhaps it would freak people out. I knew there was a lot to organize. But I also knew that our family would be happy to help. The wedding was only one day. Our marriage would be forever. I glanced around, noting that the clearing around the falls was empty, and we hadn’t passed anyone on the way there either. The summer tourist season was winding down, and autumn would be quieter before things picked up again in time for skiing to begin. “We should celebrate properly,” I suggested saucily.

He raised a brow. “What did you have in mind?”

“You packed a blanket, right?”

He nodded slowly.

“Well, there’s a nice mossy clearing through the trees over there. We should get naked.”

His lips twisted in a smirk. “Are you suggesting we have a quickie in the woods?”

“Maybe.” I winked. “There’s no one else around, and we’d be able to hear somebody approaching.”

He gave me a wry look. “You’re giving us a bit too much credit, I think. When I’m inside you, there’s nothing else I see or hear. But if you’re game for it, I am. And if anyone comes along, you can explain to my mother how you corrupted me.”

I grinned. “Deal.”

We made our way over to the mossy spot I’d singled out, and Liam took a fleece blanket from his backpack and spread it over the ground. Standing over it, I whipped my shirt off and dropped my shorts, leaving me in panties and a sports bra. I reached behind myself to unclip the bra, but Liam batted my hand away and did it himself. When the scrap of fabric fell away, he dipped his head and kissed the raised skin above and to the right of my left breast where the bullet had exited my chest. His body buzzed with energy, and I smoothed a hand down the back of his head.

“I’m still here,” I murmured.

“I know.” He straightened and drew me close, his clothes rasping deliciously against my bare skin. “But I came so close to losing you.”