“Well, they’ll leave right after dinner is over.” Max wrapped his arms around me as he kissed my forehead, and then whispered. “I wouldn’t want him to hear how loud I’m going to make you scream from the things I’m going to do to you tonight.”

His words alone blasted pleasant shivers through me. I don’t know how he could do that to me every time he talked dirty, but I didn’t want him to ever stop.

“How loud, Max?” I asked, looking at him with my finger in my mouth, giving him the most enticing look I could give.

“Jenna….” His voice was low and hot. Oh man, I loved how he growled my name, as if he was going to punish me. “You want to skip dinner and eat dessert first?”

Max guided my finger out of my mouth. Just before it went to his, I stopped him. Walking backward, I sucked my fingers, pulling in and out seductively, and I found myself on the other side of a massive grand piano. I couldn’t believe what a tease I’d become. I liked this new side of me and I was sure Max did too.

“You’re so lucky I have a plan tonight or I would have you naked and sprawled out on that piano, in front of Jeff and his staff,” Max grunted, taking several steps toward me.

Pulling out my finger, I halted. “Staff?”

Max chuckled, his eyes sparkling with humor. “Yes, staff. Turn around Jenna. Meet Molly.”

Holy crap! I swallowed nervously, gulping down the air, and sure enough, there was Molly. She was a plump, friendly looking woman. I couldn’t help myself as my face flamed in heat. I parted my lips to greet her, but nothing came out.

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am. I’ll be out of your hair in a second, but I wanted Mr. Knight to know that dinner was ready and if he didn’t want to miss the reason why it was to be served outside, he’d better go quick.”

“Thank you, Molly.” Max nodded.

It was as if they were talking in a secret code. The reason? What did they mean by that? Before I could ask, Max hooked my arm and led me out the front door.

“Max? Where are we going? Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I want it to be perfect.” After walking along the sidewalk, we went up the stairs. The next house was quite a distance away, so I assumed this was a private beach. Max suddenly stopped and covered my eyes with the blindfold I had used on him.

“Max. What are you doing?”

“Jenna, I don’t want to miss this opportunity so please, just do as I asked and stop asking questions. It’s a surprise.”

Feeling all sorts of excitement rush through me, I couldn’t wait for whatever Max wanted to show me. Trying to walk blindfolded was almost impossible, even while Max had his arms around me. Just as I was getting used to it, he scooped me up.

“Max! Put me down,” I demanded, though I didn’t mean it. In fact, I loved being in his arms like that. Shortly after, he placed me down and I could hear the sound of soft waves. “I hope you’re not planning on going skinny dipping,” I giggled.

Max didn’t answer me but started speaking again. “Jenna, I’m going to take the blindfold off, but you have to promise me to keep your eyes on me.”

“Okay. I don’t think you’re giving me much choice right now,” I said.

The blindfold came off and I blinked to adjust my vision. Max embraced me so fast, I had no time to move. When he started to sing, I didn’t feel the need to do anything but listen to the words he was conveying to me.

Perfectly spellbound by his sexy voice and the words of Elvis Presley, he continued as he swayed us to his rhythm. “I can’t help falling in love with you.” The words to the song hit me in waves as his voice resonated in my ear straight through to my heart and soul. He filled me, reaching deeper, expanding my heart and I shuddered in his arms as that feeling spread through every single nerve in me.

His voice was full of passion and love. Why he decided to sing me this song right here, right now, I had no idea, but it didn’t matter. I could listen to his voice any time, day or night. His voice always compelled me to surrender to him.

Sliding his hands to my cheeks, he locked his eyes on mine with adoration. His sternness and sincerity told me he meant every word. “You’re my heart. It beats because yours beats. You’re my lungs. I breathe because you breathe. You were right Jenna; you’re not public. You’re my everything, and I will sing to you for the rest of my life if you want me to.”

His eyes continued to reach deeper, and I didn’t know what to say. In fact, I couldn’t believe what was happening right before my eyes. Before I could say a word, he turned me towards the ocean. We were actually on a cliff, overlooking the beach. The first thing I saw in front of me was the most amazing view of the horizon. The sun was just setting, giving its magnificent blending colors of yellows, oranges, and reds.

This vision absolutely hypnotized me, and I understood now, why he was in a rush. He wanted to share this precious moment with me. “Max,” I whispered, reaching for his hand without peeling my eyes off the horizon. “I don’t know what to say. This view is so perfect. Sharing this with you makes me want to cry happy tears.”

“Babe,” he laced his fingers through mine. “Look on the sand, to your right.”

“Huh?” I asked, shifting my eyes to where he directed. OH…MY…GOD!!! Was this real? There were thousands of candles lined up to form letters, spelling out the words. I threw my hands over my mouth. I didn’t want Max to see me cry, but I couldn’t help it. Tears pooled in my eyes, but I blinked and wiped them away, and then I read the words in my mind repeatedly.