I felt rather than saw Dex's displeasure. I took a deep breath. "And me, mine, of course. You heard that last song and Alex's explanation of the origin?"

  Mrs. R nodded. "About leaving his ring at will-call? Is that true?"

  "Yeah. I really did leave his ring at will-call." I winced. "It wasn't as heartless as it sounds. If you knew the whole story, our whole story, you'd understand that it was a bit poetic."

  But she smiled, a beautiful, sympathetic smile that lit her eyes. "I'm sorry. That's tragic."

  "Mom." Dex shook his head. "I'm right here, in case you hadn't noticed. If Shelby hadn't broken up with him—"

  "You're interrupting, Dex."

  He rolled his eyes, but I could feel him seething.

  "The marriage proposal from Alex today at the fair?" she asked.

  "His idea, not mine. A PR move, I'm sure. I gave him back his ring backstage." I snuggled into Dex. "I love your son."

  A maid arrived with a tray of appetizers and set them on the table in front of us. They looked and smelled delicious. My stomach rumbled, but no one made a move for one.

  Mrs. R turned to Dex. "See? Shelby told us everything we need to know. And it's beautiful. Who knew my son could be such a romantic?" She winked at Dex. "You two look very happy together."

  "So we have your blessing?" Dex asked cynically.

  "Now that we see you together? Absolutely!" She leaned forward and patted her son's knee.

  Dex stiffened. "Great. Now that that's settled, you can tell me how you found out about the engagement."

  Mrs. R laughed and smiled delightedly, looking genuinely pleased with herself. "I have a friend in the diamond business. Dex, you went to the family jeweler. What did you expect? That was your mistake. I was having the prongs on one of my favorite rings redone. When I picked it up, well, what can I say? One of the clerks slipped and told me that you were in buying a ring. Don't blame them. I'm sure they thought I knew."

  Dex scowled and muttered some choice words.

  "Have you set the date yet?" his mom asked.

  Dex and I exchanged a look.

  Dex answered for us. "We're barely engaged, Ma. We can't even publicly admit it until after next Saturday. Picking a date and booking a venue would kind of give it away. So, no. There's no hurry."

  Mrs. R's face lit up. "That's good to hear."

  Dex stiffened again. "It is?"

  "Absolutely. That means your calendar is completely open and flexible. Because I have a big surprise for you—I won the complete wedding package at the bridal fair today!" She clapped, looking almost devilish. "It has a six-month expiration date. So I was thinking October. The puppies will be weaned and in their new homes. It's a beautiful time of year. Dex's favorite—"

  "Mom."

  I felt lightheaded. Mrs. R had won the grand prize? I couldn't believe our bad luck. A chance at winning that prize, a dream wedding, was the reason half of the attendees came to the fair. There were thousands of people at that fair. What were the odds?

  "You won't have to worry about a thing! All expenses paid. It even comes with the services of Seattle's top wedding planner—"

  "Mom!"

  "Yes, Dextyn?"

  Was he in trouble now? She was using his full name.

  "Donate that wedding package to someone who needs it. We can pay for our own wedding."

  "You don't think I tried?" she said. "I told them to draw another ticket. But they refused. Said I'd won fair and square and drawing again was against policy and would cause them legal problems."

  "Then give it to someone. How about your friend's daughter?"

  "It's non-transferable. If we don't use it, it's just going to waste."

  "But why did you enter? Ostensibly you don't have anyone getting married." Dex was losing his cool.

  "I was automatically entered when I bought a ticket to the bridal fair." She shrugged and pointed between his dad and herself. "It's good for vow renewals, too. But we did that last year. But we can't not use it.

  "After I won, several of the wedding people who donated came up and congratulated me. When they found out who I was, they were really excited about the possibilities. Your dad and I are fairly well known in certain circles." She smiled. "I didn't, of course, tell them that you're engaged. I let them think your dad and I would use it."

  "But, but…" I stammered. "Alex singing at the wedding is part of that package."

  "Ironic, isn't it?" his dad said mildly. "That will show him, won't it?"

  They couldn't be serious. He had to be teasing.

  "Alex is a professional, I'm sure," Mrs. R said. "Your wedding will be high-profile. He sings beautifully. He won't want to do anything to mess up his career. And the chance of having a star like him sing for your wedding? Who could pass that up?"

  I could name at least one. I wouldn't count on his professionalism, either.

  Beside me, Dex was fuming. "We won't be coerced into setting a date. Not by anyone."

  "Dex," his mom said in a reasonable tone. "You forget how well I know you and your tendencies to…procrastinate. I won't believe you really intend to go through with this wedding until we have a date. And a prenup."

  "I'd go a step further—until he's actually said I do," his dad added.

  "You can't make us marry," Dex said.

  "I think we can," she said. "You haven't forgotten who gave you your first injection of capital for Puppy Love? And what percentage of the company we own?"

  Chapter Ten

  Vesuvius

  Shelby

  Dinner was delicious and the company was warm and cordial. Dex seemed to relax again. I even started to grow used to all the teasing and family dynamics, and the way they sparred with each other, always trying to get the win. But I was still shell-shocked when we left.

  "Have we just been blackmailed into setting a wedding date?" I asked Dex in the car as we pulled out his parents' driveway.

  "They're doing their damnedest to try."

  "Do they really own enough shares of Puppy Love to hurt you?" I had no idea.

  He nodded. "If they want to. But they won't. They're bluffing. And kidding. Kind of. It's just a front to let their desires be known."

  I relaxed back against the plush leather seat, enjoying the cool of the blasting air conditioning. It was a warm night and I felt flustered and upset by Dex's displeasure, which made me warmer still. It had been a long day.

  "It's more that wedding package that has me worried."

  "Why?" I sat up straight again. "Are they that thrifty? After teasing you about learning to be a billionaire?" I tried to sound jokey.

  And part of me really was—that wedding package was worth nearly a hundred thousand dollars. A dream wedding for the average person. Saving that much money on a wedding would seem prudent to anyone. But to a billionaire? It was a pittance. I was still getting used to the idea of Dex being one of the so wealthy.

  "Thrifty? No. That amount of money is nothing to them. But it was a public win, a show of Mom's lucky edge. And an in into your world. A political wedge to use against you and, therefore, me and us. A lever of great leverage. Once your colleagues find out you're engaged to me." He tapped his chest. "I guess given Alex"—he spat out the name—"and his stunt this afternoon, I have to clarify who's engaged to whom."

  Uh-oh. What was going on? Why the sudden change of mood?

  "And since my mom won the package, it will be tough getting out of it without hurting your friends. Tough politically for you. A billionaire's wedding, as Mom said, will be a high-profile plum for them. With high-profile guests.

  "Lots of free publicity. An endorsement. Magazines. Blogs. TV, even. Throw in Mom and Dad and their social status." He sounded disgusted. "It will be a media circus. Believe it or not, the parentals travel in fairly elite social circles here. They're tight with the high-tech crowd."

  "You never mentioned it."

  "It's not a selling point." He looked straight ahead as he drove.

  "But your mom was kidding about having Alex sing?" She must have been.

  His knuckles gripping the steering wheel turned white. "Don't count on it. Him singing at our wedding will be prestigious. He's talented."

  I hadn't thought of any of that.

  "Then there are my friends—Justin and Kayla, Lazer and Ashley, Riggins the duke and his duchess…"

  "I get it."

  "We'll think of something." He muttered something to himself. "Damn. Mom has always been lucky."

  "Yes. We'll think of something. We'll get out of it." But I had no idea how.

  He was surprisingly quiet as we wound down the hill. Neither of us spoke until we were out of the gated neighborhood heading for 405.

  "Music?" he asked, reaching to turn it on before I answered.

  As long as it isn't Wellston, I wanted to say. But I kept that to myself. I'd never seen Dex in a dark mood like this before. He was usually upbeat. But he was quiet and contemplative now.

  Had I embarrassed him? Did he feel like his parents didn't like me?

  Or was he mad at his parents for trying to force our hand? Cursing luck for his mom's win? Plotting deviously how to get us out of this mess?

  All I knew was that he was silent on the rest of the drive. And so was I. This was, to be honest, the first meet-the-parents disaster I'd ever had. At least… Was it a disaster? I thought I'd recovered, and it had gone well in the end. Had I misjudged?

  Dex parked in front of my house and pressed the button to open my car door. He walked beside me up the front walk, but neither of us said a word and he didn't reach for my hand. He jammed the house key into the lock, mumbling about how he wished I let him install an electronic lock. He had way more faith in them than I did. When we walked in the front door, he threw his keys on the entry table.

  It was late. Tim, the puppy-sitter, slipped quietly out.

  My house, usually so homey and lovely, seemed to mock us now. All of my wedding art around—pillows, prints, and the like—seemed to be screaming that I was a hypocrite. Laughing that I wouldn't be able to escape the inevitable.

  I set my purse down and followed Dex down the hall toward the bedroom. "Dex? What's wrong?"

  He stopped in front of a large print of a heart and wedding bouquet painted and lettered by me with the words Till death do us part. I swore he glanced at it and scowled before turning to me. "You really loved Alex? With 'the passion of youth'?"

  I froze. "Yeah. Of course I loved him. I loved all of my ex-fiancés. At least, I did at one time. I wouldn't agree to marry someone I didn't love."

  "Your love can die, then?" His voice was hard. His expression was tortured.

  I'd walked right into that trap. What could I say?

  "My love for Alex died, if that's what you mean." I took a step closer to him. "My love for you will never die."

  "Till death do us part? Is that it?" His jaw was set.

  "I—"

  He shook his head. "Not even if you have to 'set me free' at some point to pursue a dream?"

  "What are you talking about?" I was stunned. "Our dreams are the same."

  "You said you and Alex were from two different worlds. You didn't look comfortable in the world I grew up in tonight."

  "I was surprised, is all. I had expected more upper-middle class. Not wealthy."

  "I'm wealthy. I'm a fucking billionaire."

  "But normal." I had to make him understand. He seemed like a guy I could have gone to high school with. Not like some snooty rich guy.

  "And my parents aren't?"

  "You could make the case," I said, joking.

  He almost cracked a grin. That he didn't was telling. "You and Mitch obviously had a date and booked a wedding. You left Jesse, for all intents and purposes, at the altar. Your first fiancé? You had a date?"

  I nodded. "Yeah. But it was way out there—"

  "Did you and Alex set a date?" He stuck his hands in his pockets.

  I thought about lying. "We did."

  "So with all of your fiancés but me?"

  "You knew that. I thought we were on the same page here. Not marrying you is what makes our love special." I waited for an answer. "Am I wrong? Dex?"

  "I guess I never really thought about you actually loving those other guys. With Jesse it was easy to ignore. He was a rebound guy. He was almost a drunk-marry. A quick infatuation.

  "Mitch? It was clear that you were over him. I didn't see that you loved him anymore. He hadn't broken your heart. But this Alex…" He took another deep breath. "Intellectually, I knew you must have loved the others. But it was just a simple fact—she must have loved them. Yeah, of course she did.

  "But I never thought of what that really meant. Never examined it. Never pictured you truly heartbroken. Sympathetic to their disappointment, yeah. Sure. You're kindhearted. You don't like hurting people. But heartbroken yourself? In such a funk that you'd get drunk and almost marry someone else? I guess I didn't understand or care to examine it. That's on me."

  "Dex—" I touched his arm.

  He shook my hand off. "I never realized how fast you fell in love, either. Or how fast your love ended. I could handle all that. Or thought I could.

  "Until Alex came out of the woodwork singing love songs. Baring his heart publicly, in a way that I never could. Or would. I'm not that kind of emotional guy. But now I realize that Alex was your true love. A guy I'm as different from as night and day." He pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a step into me, forcing me to back against the wall. "Alex was your true love? He broke your heart. Does he still have a piece? Or does he still own the whole thing? You gave him back his ring. But did he take back your heart?"

  "How can you even think that?" I blinked back hot tears. "You're my true love. You own my heart, every last molecule of it. Every beat of it."

  An expression of doubt crossed his face. He quickly got control and masked it. "But with me it wasn't love at first sight like with Alex and Jesse?"

  "Maybe it was. Maybe it would have been if we'd had more than a few rushed minutes together in Vegas. When I met you the night you helped me run away from Jesse, I really think I could have fallen in love with you. Given five minutes more."

  His expression softened. He snorted and gently shook his head like he wasn't sure he believed me.

  "Then it had two years to age, like fine wine. Or maybe whisky." He liked whisky.

  "Whisky needs more like ten years to age into anything decent. Twenty or thirty, even fifty, even better."

  "You mean like a lifetime commitment?"

  Nothing. A blank expression from him.

  "Okay. Wine, then."

  Deadpan expression. He wasn't appreciating my humor.

  "Explain it to me—when we met again when Charlie attacked you, your 'perfectly aged' affections popped right to the surface? Love at second sight?"

  "Umm…" I couldn't honestly tell whether he was joking or serious.

  "Yeah, that's what I thought." He took another step into me.

  "I was wildly attracted to you at very first sight," I said. "There aren't words to describe how happy and excited, and stunned, I was when you came around that corner and I recognized you. But I was on the rebound again. My heart was guarded. And I had finally decided that caution was the only way to proceed in love. And when I saw no hint of recognition of me in your eyes…

  "So, yeah, I guarded my heart. Against every assault that even a mere smile from you made. Intentionally. I forced myself to take it slow. For once. So my feelings took a while to build," I whispered. "On purpose. You had to break down my defenses and the fortress that past loves and failures had built around my heart. If you had to swim the moat and use the battering rams, it makes it all the sweeter, right? So what if we faked it till we made it? That just makes our love stronger."

  He took my face in his hands, tipping my face up so that our eyes met. He stared into my eyes, looking as if he was trying to see into my heart and soul. Our noses nearly touched. I could have nosed him, gently Eskimo-kissing him. Our mouths were a hairsbreadth apart. My back was up against the wall.

  I was literally between his rock-hard body, which called to me with every nerve in my being, and the hard place of the wall. The hard place of the emotional wall between us, too.

  Neither of us moved. I felt suspended in time. And I knew that if neither of us made a move, the right move, his attacking troops would retreat. The fortress around my heart would rebuild in the face of his retreat, maybe becoming too tough to scale ever again.

  I could have angled my face for a kiss. I could have been gentle and teasing. Or…

  Holding his gaze, I reached for the fly of his shorts and unzipped them. I slid my hand inside. He was so hard that I could feel him throbbing in my hand as I pulled him out. A stroke or two and he'd come in my hand. Unless he had the willpower to resist. I hoped he did. But I was willing to take any chance.

  His gaze was unwavering. He stood perfectly still, as if daring me to do more.

  I was aching with need too—the complete and utter need of him.

  I pulled up the skirt of my dress with one hand, slipped out of my panties, and stepped out of them. Still looking him in the eye, I slid him between my legs. "Let me be clear." My voice shook. "I love you. You are my love song. Everything about you."

  I guided him into the warm, slick spot between my legs. As I let out a small moan, he covered my mouth with a hot, insistent, almost brutal kiss.

  He pounded into me, banging me against the wall until the paintings shook. In the living room, Bella barked from her basket. From her tone, I could tell she was torn—worried for me. Afraid, or unable, to leave her puppies and her nest.

  We thumped the wall again. Dex inside me was pure pleasure. But Bella didn't like it. She barked louder.

  I reluctantly twisted out of Dex's kiss. I whispered breathily, "You're scaring my dog."

  "Let her bark. I can handle her."

  I ignored him and called to Bella, cooing reassurance.

  Dex ignored me and continued to rock into me. We continued to thrust and parry and rock like two people whose desire was untamable and unstoppable.