Lustful Hearts
Chapter 59: Bіrthdау Wish - P2

We headed out into the cool evening air after the delicious three-course meal. I was completely stuffed and drunk from all the wine.

I stumbled along beside Joel, feeling giddy and slightly unbalanced in my heels. Joel only had the one glass so I snuggled up tight against him to keep from completely falling over.

"Take me home, Joel." I hiccupped before giggling. I was more than eager to rip off my clothes and these damn heels and launch myself at him. He had seduced me all evening and, I was ready for the taking. He stopped abruptly, and I stumbled slightly before he pulled me around to face him. "I have another surprise planned yet, Iz."

I groaned softly, instantly regretting it.

God, I was such an ungrateful bitch.

His face dropped at my reaction, but all I wanted was to be naked and wrapped around his body. I looked up into his face and squinted to regain some focus. I placed a soft, sweet kiss against his lips, silently asking for him to forgive me.

The frown instantly evaporated, and his smile instantly piqued my interest. "Where are we going?" I asked intrigued.

His smile grew even wider. "Nope, not telling you anything. You do know what the concept of a surprise is, don't you?" He laughed when I playfully stuck out my tongue.

Joel seized his opportunity and slammed his lips against mine, sucking my tongue into his mouth. I moaned with delight as his hand lightly caressed my face, his tongue gently swirling together with mine.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in deeper. We became lost in each other until Joel moved away, leaving me aching for more.

He pressed his forehead up against mine, we were both panting, and I could feel how turned on he was. "Iz, we need to slow down, else we're never going to get to your surprise."

"Okay, I'll be good." I pouted, feeling slightly scolded.

His fingers lifted up my chin, and his eyes stared deep into mine. "Believe me, I will more than make it up to you after the surprise."

"Better had," I grumbled.

Right now all I wanted for my birthday was Joel, naked and in our bed.

We climbed into the car, and he turned towards me. I clicked on my seatbelt, watching a smile play on his lips. "I need for you to put something on."

My eyebrows lifted with intrigue. He laughed and pulled out a scarf, leaning over to fasten it around my eyes. "This is so it won't spoil the surprise."

I was literally in the dark.

The darkness only heightened all my other senses. I listened to Joel's breathing as I concentrated on the sound of the car gauging the speed. When it slowed down, I knew we'd reached our destination, and a flicker of excitement ran through me.

I heard the car door slam, and a few moments later my door opened. Joel's hands unbuckled the seatbelt, gently guiding me out of the car. We walked for a few minutes before I began to hear low whispered voices.

Joel guided me once again and held me tight, ready to grab me if I stumbled. I stepped up listening to Joel's whispered instructions in my ear, walking forward I shuddered feeling movement. My hands instinctively lifted to pull up the blindfold, but Joel's hands covered mine, stopping me.

"Not yet, Iz." He stopped and turned me to sit down as my heart hammered deep in my chest.

He kissed both hands soothingly and stood beside me as we waited, eventually he pulled me upright to kiss me on the cheek. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," I breathed back. A little scared at what was about to happen.

I

"When I take the blindfold off, keep your eyes shut till I say open."

"Okay," I squeaked, the nerves beginning to kick in. I felt the silk scarf fall away from my eyes as Joel's arm wrapped around me.

He walked me over a few more steps, standing behind me, his chin resting on my shoulder. "Open," he whispered in my ear.

My eyes fluttered open to be greeted with the most amazing panoramic view of London. Millions of lights covering the dark city as my gaze immediately fell upon Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, all beautifully lit up.

I gasped in amazement. "I'm on the London eye."

He kissed my cheek softly, and his lips brushed up against my ear. "Happy birthday, baby."

"How did you know?" I asked, turning around to fully face him. My eyes searched his in wonder of how he'd have guessed such a thing.

"I overheard you say to Elijah one time that you'd love to see the city at night and that this would be the ideal setting to share with someone special."

He really was too perfect.

My fingers weaved into his hair, guiding his lips down onto mine. He softly moaned when our mouths finally connected. My eyes finally reopened only to notice the pod was filled with over a hundred candles. Tiny white fairy lights twinkled around us, I gasped in surprise at how wonderfully magical and romantic it all looked.

I turned back to look at Joel, who's eyes questioned mine. He was looking for confirmation he had succeeded in giving me the best surprise ever.

"Joel," I managed to croak out as tears filled my eyes. "Thank you for making my birthday so amazing. Just when I think it can't get any better, you pull something like this out of the bag and take my breath away again."

His eyes glazed over at my words. I knew how much effort would have gone into this kind of planning. His dedication in giving me a birthday to remember, to have this wonderful memory for always, was just so unbelievably amazing.

His thumb gently stroked over my lower lip, his face barely inches away from mine. "Can I take your breath away once more tonight?"

I looked at him in surprise. "There's more?"

He pulled out a box from his trouser pocket, and I gasped, my knees almost buckled from underneath me.

Oh god, please tell me he didn't.

He grabbed me and guided me into him before I ended up in a heap on the floor, noting the look of fear on my face.

"Iz, it's okay, I'm not asking you to marry me well not yet."

I instantly relaxed.

As much as I loved Joel, I was only nineteen. I was not ready for that kind of commitment yet. We hadn't been together that long and marriage was a big step.

He opened the box, and my eyes widened, revealing two rings nestled inside. They were beautiful white gold bands and the smaller one had three exquisite stones running through it.

"Iz, I love you with all my heart. Nothing will ever compare with what we have, and I will love only you till the day I take my final breath. I want us to wear these promise rings as a sign of our love and commitment to each other, until you're ready, and I can replace it with a wedding ring. Will you wear my ring, Iz and promise to be mine?"

His sweet, loving words sent me into a spin. I looked deep into his eyes as tears streamed down my face. I had always been his from the first moment we met.

"Of course, I'd be honoured to wear your ring."

A look of relief flashed over his face, and he visibly relaxed, letting out a loud sigh.

He lifted my hand gently slipping the ring onto my finger before I did the same for him. He guided my hand to his lips, gently placing a soft kiss onto the precious gold.

"Thank you, Iz, for agreeing to be mine."

"Like that was ever an option. It's only ever been you and always will be until the day I take my final breath too. I have loved you for so long, there will never be anyone else." I snuggled into his chest, lightly kissing his neck.

"I will love you forever, Joel." I felt his arms tighten around me as we slowly began swaying to the music softly playing in the background.

When our song began to play, my head snapped up to look into his eyes. "Seriously, could you be any more perfect?"

"We've got to play our song. It was the one thing that kept me going when we were apart." His face frowned slightly at being reminded of that dark time. The pain was evident in his eyes; I could barely handle looking into them.

I closed mine as the pain came flooding back. "I couldn't listen to it. It just reminded me of happier times, when you would softly sing it to me each night. The thought alone of never hearing you sing it again broke my heart."

His thumb swept across my cheek. My eyes fluttered open to reveal the tears I was so desperately trying to hold back. He placed a soft kiss on my lips, drawing me in tight to dance with him again.

He sang the lyrics softly into my ear as we swayed together. We held each other so tight, only breaking apart to kiss. Our hearts and minds connecting, becoming one, momentarily lost in the magic. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day. My prince charming had certainly surpassed himself in giving me a birthday with a happily ever after.