I rolled over onto my side, thin morning light coming through the narrow slit in the curtains.

There was a dark, tousled head on the pillow next to mine and I reached up, stroking a finger down Maya’s cheek.

She slept on.

It had been two months since the day when Maya had all but knocked me down in her rush to get to Florence. How she’d suspected what Florence might do, and when, I had no idea.

It wasn’t something we talked about.

And we talked a lot. Just not about that.

Florence was still staying at the clinic. She was supposed to leave soon. I thought she could have left already, but I’d heard from Maya there was a man she was interested in. Florence hadn’t revealed anything more than that, but she seemed…happier. Calmer.

Settled.

Things she’d never been with me, so whoever the man was, maybe he was good for her. Or maybe the therapy was just doing what it was supposed to do. I just hoped she stayed steady when she left. I wished her nothing but the best.

I stroked my finger down Maya’s cheek again, but she didn’t respond other than to wrinkle her nose and turned her face away. After a moment, she rolled onto her side and hauled most of the blankets with her.

I’d fallen in love with a blanket thief.

I’d fallen in love.

I murmured those words to myself silently, wondering at them.

I couldn’t quite believe it had happened, but it had. When I’d first seen her, first kissed her, even, I’d thought it was infatuation. I’d hoped it was. Infatuation could pass. After the first time we’d slept together, I’d waited for things to change like they always had. For that deep need I had for her to wan.

Except it didn’t. It’d hadn’t. If anything, it had only grown.

Maya was different, always had been, and different had always caught my attention, but it wasn’t the fact that she was unique that made me love her.

I loved her because she was…Maya.

And because I loved her, I climbed out of bed without waking her.

She’d fallen asleep reading last night. She read all the time. We were constantly going shopping for books, and if I was working, like I had been the past few weeks, then I had a driver take her.

She didn’t have a license, and when I offered one of my cars to her, she’d been oddly reluctant. I’d offered to teach her how to drive, but she shook her head. I can drive. I just don’t want to.

I didn’t mind. If she wanted to be chauffeured around in a car painted gold, I’d arrange it. So far though, all she ever did was go to the library, or to one of the stores she’d decided offered the best selection of books.

Last night hadn’t been the only night she’d fallen asleep reading, either. I’d teased her about how exhausting it was to read, and she’d thrown a pillow at me. You wouldn’t know, you never read, unless it’s a movie script.

I’d never had a woman tease me in a way that wasn’t sexual, but Maya did it all the time, and I loved it, loved that we had our little language. And the more time I spent with her, the more it meant to me.

She snuggled deeper into the blankets as I crossed the room. I wanted to crawl back in next to her and wake her up with my tongue and fingers between her legs, but I needed to shower and grab some food before leaving for my meeting with Peter.

* * *

“The studio’s pleased with what they’re hearing,” Peter said as he poured himself a drink. For him, brunch wasn’t complete without at least one drink. “Two months clean and sober, without an incident. Granted, they would prefer to see you married, or at least engaged, but it’s an improvement.”

I leaned back in my chair, relieved. When Peter had asked me to meet him for brunch, I’d half-expected to finally have the confrontation we’d been dancing around from the moment I’d told him that Maya and I were together. I hadn’t expected him to seem so...cheerful.

“I’m glad they’re happy,” I said honestly. “I am too.”

He took the seat across from me and gave me a shrewd look as he sipped the amber alcohol in his glass. “With Maya.”

I nodded. “I know you liked her–”

He held up a hand, stopping me. “She’s beautiful and intelligent, but by the end of that night when we all first met, I knew there was more heat between the two of you than she and I could’ve ever hoped to have.”

I blinked, surprised. “But you kept telling me I should be with Florence. Hell, you told me to propose to her.”

He shrugged. “I thought Florence would be better for you. Her star is on the rise. Or was, anyway. She’ll probably come back from the scandal, once someone else does something stupid.”

He was probably right about that.

“She’s doing well,” he said. “And sends her best to you and Maya.”

“Is that why you wanted to see me?” I asked. “To tell me that you’re both okay with Maya and I being together?”

“No.” He tossed a sheaf of papers toward me. “But I figured it was time to say it anyway. Especially since I’ve moved on.”

I picked up the papers. “What’s this?”

“A new script,” he said with a grin. “Your reputation has improved enough for the studio to trust you with the lead of their biggest new project.”

I stared at it, not quite daring to believe it. “What do they want in return?”

“Just that you do not return to your previous behavior.” Peter poured a small bit of whiskey into a clean glass and put it in front of me. “So make sure you don’t lose that girl of yours.”

I smiled. “I don’t intend to.”

* * *

It was almost evening by the time I got back, and I found Maya in the backyard with Mrs. Blanchard. They were on their knees in the dirt, and I scowled as I approached.

“Did you run out of books to read?”

She slid me a narrow look, and Mrs. Blanchard made a disappointed noise in her throat.

“I was bored.” Maya rolled her eyes. “I wanted to get outside, and Mrs. B. told me I could give her a hand if I wanted. I think I’m going to have her teach me how to cook.”

I thought about telling her that I had Mrs. Blanchard there to do the cooking, but I figured out, just in time, that wasn’t the point.

She’d already told me the point.

She was bored.

“Well, when you get done becoming a master chef, let me know.” I leaned in and kissed her, though not as deeply as I would have if we’d been alone. “We’ll figure something out that won’t keep you so…bored.”

“Like what?” She rolled her eyes at me, a smile on her lips.

Mrs. Blanchard’s snort kept me from saying something I probably shouldn’t say around her, but I grinned at Maya, all the same. As she laughed at me, I pushed myself to my feet.

“I’m going to go take a shower.” I lingered another moment, though. “Peter said Florence is doing well.”

“She is.” Maya reached up to wipe at her face and left a streak of dirt on her cheek. “She called me today. A few more weeks, and she’ll be ready to leave the clinic. Did Peter know the name of the guy she likes?”

“No, he said she’s still keeping that a secret.” I considered telling her about the movie offer but decided to wait. There were other things more important tonight.

She sighed and stretched her arms over head, the sunlight dancing off the gold necklace she wore. She hardly ever took it off, except the other day when she’d lost it.

“You found your locket.”

Her hand went to it, as if she had to reassure herself. “Yeah. It fell into the laundry. Mrs. B actually found it.” She gave the older woman a grateful look.

“She’s good at that.” I slid Mrs. Blanchard a casual glance. “You’ll have dinner ready in a few hours, Mrs. B?”

For once, she didn’t give me that famous snort.

“Of course.” She even smiled a little.

That had Maya’s eyebrows rising. I turned away before she could think to ask anything.

I didn’t want my surprise to be ruined.

* * *

We ate outside.

Mrs. Blanchard had set everything up and then left, taking the night off as I’d asked her to.

Not only had she arranged a table, covered with a tablecloth of soft white and set with dishes I hadn’t ever seen before, she’d put candles out, and even placed a bucket of champagne chilling nearby.

When Maya had first come outside, her eyes had gotten big, gleaming with unshed tears. I didn’t want her crying, so I kissed her and told her she looked so beautiful, though I was tempted to put her on the table and fuck her senseless right there in the open.

That had made her laugh and blush.

I loved seeing both. I wanted to see both for a long time to come.

Now as she sat across from me, sipping champagne, I touched the box I had tucked into the pocket of my sport coat.

I detested dressing up, but there were some occasions that just called for it.

When she put the glass down, I moved from the table. If anybody had told me a couple of months ago that I would be getting down on bended knee, I would have laughed. Or asked them if they were drunk.

But there I was, on one knee in front of Maya.

She was staring at me with wide, startled eyes, and I was almost positive that she hadn’t seen this coming. I could see her pulse slamming in her throat, and my own felt like it was beating to match. When I pulled the jewelry box from my coat pocket, she pressed a hand to her lips to stifle her gasp.

“Oh, no,” she whispered. “No way.”

“I hope you’re not saying no,” I said, not entirely joking. “I haven’t even asked you yet.”

That startled a laugh out of her, and some of my tension eased.

“Maya…” I kissed back of her hand. “I love you. I love you more than I would thought was possible. I didn’t know I could love somebody like this.”

She bit her lower lip for a second, then said softly, “I love you too.”

“Will you marry me?”

She launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

Kneeling, the impact of her body knocked me off balance, but I wasn’t going to complain. Not when the end result had me on my back, holding her against me as she kissed me. No, I didn’t mind at all that her slender body moved against mine.

It was a moment before I realized that I still had the ring.

“Is that a yes?”

She sat up, one knee on either side of my hips, her core pressed against my quickly swelling erection. There were too many clothes separating us, but I needed her answer before I took care of that problem.

“Yes.”

She held out her hand, holding my gaze steadily.

And as I slid the ring onto her finger, I watched her face, trying to etch every fine detail into my memory. Then, reaching up, I caught her by the front of her shirt and tugged her down to meet my kiss.

“So…where do you think we should have our honeymoon?”