Anna opened her eyes in surprise. "Of course I do," she told him. "It's just that when you're doing that, I can't concentrate."

His full, masculine lips curving into a sensual grin, he ran his fingers across her collarbone and down the underside of her upper arm. "Good."

More moisture flooded her panties and she couldn't hold back a soft moan of pleasure.

"So sweet, Anna. So damn sweet."

The desire that rippled through her at his heated words sent her reeling. Needing desperately to ground herself in something, anything, she buried her face against his chest. But instead of grounding her, when she breathed in the heady scent of him--a clean, male scent that drew her in even deeper and made her want to rub herself all over him like a cat in heat--she could barely focus on anything other than how much she wanted Cole. No, this wasn't simply wanting, this was something else entirely, a desperate craving that ate away at her.

And then she felt his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back far enough that he could hold her gaze again. "You'll be Anna Taylor soon."

Her breath caught in her throat. It was a heck of a way to tell her his last name.

Before she could get her lungs or brain to cooperate again--was she really about to leave Anna Davis, the woman she'd been for nearly thirty years, behind?--the chapel's front door opened and an attractive gray-haired man walked in.

She felt herself flush as he quickly took her in, head to toe. He kept his face expressionless, save for the slight surprise lingering in his eyes.

"Introduce me, please," the man said to Cole.

Cole's eyes hadn't left her, not when his friend had walked in, not now that he was making the introductions. "James, this is Anna Davis. My fiancee."

Anna's heart rate leapt at the word fiancee and she worked to school her face into a normal smile of greeting. "It's nice to meet you, James."

The man's eyebrow lifted slightly. "It is very nice to meet you, Ms. Davis."

The next thing she knew, he was opening up a velvet case, much like the one the chapel attendant had under the counter. She gasped at the rings inside this one.

"No," she said, shaking her head and shooting a panicked glance at Cole. "You can't--I shouldn't--"

"Are these the biggest ones you could find?" Cole asked his friend in a clearly irritated tone.

Ignoring him, James told Anna, "Of course you will look beautiful in any of them. But now that I've met you, I think this one would be perfect."

He held out the only ring that had caught her eye, a princess-cut diamond surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds. Still, she didn't reach out to touch it.

Frowning, Cole said, "Damn it, these diamonds aren't big enough." He pulled out the biggest one, so big she wasn't sure she'd be able to lift her hand with it on, and said, "How about we use this one tonight and then tomorrow morning we'll trade it in for something better?"

Standing in a Las Vegas wedding chapel, staring at a diamond that had to be at least five carats in the hands of a man she'd met approximately sixty minutes earlier, Anna stopped processing.

And starting laughing.

Both men stared at her as if she were completely off her rocker. She supposed they were right. After all, she was here, wasn't she?

"Cole," she finally said when she was able to speak, "these diamonds are all way too big."

"Too big?"

Cole looked utterly confused and she could have sworn his friend made a sound that was something between a cough and a barely-swallowed laugh.

"Way too big." Her gaze swung back to the one James had pointed out. "But that one's pretty. I guess I could get used to wearing it."

"Leave the ring."

James turned a bemused gaze to Cole. "Of course."

He put it on the counter, then closed the velvet box. He caught Anna by surprise with his smile, so friendly and genuine. "My best wishes to you, Anna." He left before wishing Cole luck.

"Wonderful, the ring has arrived!" The attendant returned, holding a clipboard and a pen.

"I just need to see photo IDs and have you fill out your addresses, social security numbers, and signatures and we can get straight to the ceremony."

"We'll tell you when we're ready," Cole bit out.

The man's eyebrows rose. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I just remembered one more thing I need to take care of. Excuse me."

Cole practically carried her over to a small sitting area in the corner of the room.

"You scared him," she said.

"I don't care about him. I care about you."

Her stomach fluttered. He cared about her?

Oh my.

"You're overwhelmed."

No question, he was a man of few words. Still, he managed to say everything that needed to be said.

"Who wouldn't be?"

Before she knew it, he had pulled her onto his lap. "I don't want to hurt you, Anna."

He was so big and warm and hard beneath her thighs, against her chest, her hands. And when she was close to him like this, suddenly everything became so much clearer.

He hadn't forced her to come here. He'd simply asked her to marry him and she'd agreed.

Because, for the first time in her life, she wanted to see what it felt like to really live.

"You're not hurting me, Cole. And you don't need to apologize."

"Good," he said in that low, rough voice of his that heated her up beyond reason,

"because I'd rather kiss you." And then his mouth was on hers and her insides were lighting up like the Fourth of July.

"Sweet," he murmured against her lips, between kisses. "Sweeter than sugar."

Her body ached to get closer to his, to shift so that she wasn't sitting sideways across his legs, but straddling him instead.

When he finally let her up for air, she had to say, "You taste good, too."

"Nowhere near as good as you, Anna," he said, his eyes still on her lips, which were throbbing from his passionate kiss.

"Kiss me again, Cole."

She didn't have time to take another breath before he was there, stealing it from her lungs, shifting her so that her br**sts were pressed hard against his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

It didn't make any sense, not just being here in a wedding chapel with a man she hardly knew, but the fact that every cell in her body wanted to become part of him--and never, ever let go.

Every day, every minute of her life had made sense up until now.

And none of that sense had ever felt as good as this crazy did.

"Let's get married, Cole."

He stilled at her whispered request, before saying, "Anything for you, sweet Anna."