Chapter 29

Bruce couldn't help the pure contentment that pervaded his heart nor could he look away from the breath-taking woman walking arm in arm with him. He'd hardly been able to take his eyes off of her since the moment that she had first entered the ballroom.

He had watched her intently in that black dress that fit her like a glove…a glove he was yearning to remove. His plans for the special evening with her had almost back-fired in those first few moments as he had very nearly threw it all out the window in order to take her right back to his bedroom at Wayne Manor to have his way with her, but his self-control had ultimately won out in the end.

His insatiable gaze had practically devoured her as she had wandered around the ballroom, his eyes caressing every single place that he was desperate to touch with his hands, his mouth. The toned shape of her smooth calves. The feminine curve of her hips. The slope of her perfect breasts. The slender column of her neck.

Drawing a ragged breath, he'd had to turn his back on her for a moment to regain his composure once more. The way that she turned him on had become unbearable, the need to be with her again overwhelming him. Damn, what she did to him just by breathing.

He had finally managed to pull himself together before approaching her, taking her slender hand in his and asking her for a dance in hopes of awakening a long forgotten memory. It hadn't been exactly like that night especially without the teeming crowds of people surrounding her and the gawking on-lookers, but it had been close enough he'd hoped.

Bruce momentarily closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and savoring the smell of pre-dawn that permeated the air as well as his Princess's exhilarating scent that made his head spin. She smelled like sunlight and jasmine, clean yet so uniquely her and tantalizing to his soul.

He tightened his arm around her shoulders, smiling to himself with how she suddenly tucked her head into the crook of his neck with a contented sigh. He had never felt such utter happiness and peace in his entire life until her, making him wonder how he could have been so blindly foolish to have fought her for so long.

He tilted his head down, pressing his lips into her raven curls, her fingers against his chest caressing him in a silent response of appreciation with the affectionate act. His hand moved to covers hers, his fingers wrapping around it and keeping it over his heart, wanting her to know that she owned it.

Diana momentarily closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of the man holding her as they walked. She had feared never having this with him, the huge gaps in her fractured memory leaving her to believe it never would happen. Some of the parts that she didn't remember turned out to be the best ones. She was more anxious to get them back, to be able to remember the story of how their love began.

She just wished that regaining her memories didn't include the ones where she was under Luthor's control, hurting the people that she cared about most. How could she have thrown Kal through a wall, hurt Dick or beat Bruce?

The thought made her ill to her core, tormenting her with how she could have killed the man that she loved more than anything in this world. What was worse was that he had more than likely let her do it to him.

Walking along the river, Bruce was still amazed by how Diana had managed to talk him into dancing for over two hours after dinner and now a walk along the Seine. Deep down, he already knew why. He could deny her nothing especially when she flashed him that brilliant smile that never ceased to dazzle him, the way that her bright blue eyes danced with such warmth and love for him.

He would do anything to keep that smile on her face, to bring her as much happiness as he possibly could. Holding her in his arms, he didn't think life could possibly be any more perfect than this. He had found his missing half in Diana and he'd be damned if he allowed anyone to steal her away from him ever again.

"I still don't know how you managed to talk me into a walk instead of just transporting you directly to my bed at the Manor," he suddenly said in mock annoyance, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over them.

Bruce frowned when she didn't respond, fearing she had mistaken his teasing. "Diana?" he prodded her. "Are you alright?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed, still lost in her thoughts.

He suddenly pulled her to a stop, turning her to face him. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned by the sadness that he saw swimming in her eyes.

"It's nothing," she tried to brush it off, turning to continue their walk under the disappearing Paris moon.

He immediately reached out to her, his fingers wrapping firmly around her forearm in refusal of her answer, not about to let her get away that easily. "Talk to me, Princess," he all but demanded in that baritone voice that caused desire to stir like a small cyclone within her core.

Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, Diana turned to face him, but her eyes remained downcast. A gentle but insistent finger beneath her chin forced her to meet his intense gaze, the very one that she had been intent on avoiding at that moment. She hadn't wanted to ruin such a perfect evening with him.

"No secrets," he simply said, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers in a coaxing kiss that hinted at what was to come later.

Diana swallowed hard, fighting the rising storm of emotions that suddenly seemed to wrap its persistent fingers around her throat. "Tim tttold me some of the things that I…I did while under Luthor's control," she softly admitted. "I…I bbbeat yyyou…Bruce…"

"I let you," he corrected with a subtle curl at the corners of his lips despite the annoyance with Tim that had settled over him with the unexpected news. He hadn't wanted her to find out about that, knowing how guilty she'd feel about it.

"Bruce," she frowned, pursing her lips as tears suddenly blurred his handsome visage from her view. "I…I could've killed yyyou. Why did yo…you do that?"

Diana quickly turned away from him, facing the beautiful view of the river before her as her hands fell to the railing, her chin falling to her chest. He watched her for only a brief moment before making his way to her, his arms snaking their way possessively around her waist and pulling her back against his chest.

"Because I love you more than my own life," he honestly answered her, momentarily burying his face in her silky hair. "I had to get to Luthor in order to stop him from taking you away from me and it was the only way to find him. I had to let you take me to him."

Diana tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder with his admission, feeling the wet warm trickle of a tear abruptly breaking free. She swiftly brushed it away, not wanting to disturb the romantic mood and yet she couldn't shake the horror that still filled her soul over her actions despite what Alfred had said to her.

She moved her hands to cover his on her waist, keeping them wrapped tightly around her. "I'd never be able to forgive my…myself if I had taken yo…your life," she managed to choke out, fighting to keep the tears in her throat from fully surfacing. "I'd rather sssacrifice my own life then hurt yyyou.

She could feel Bruce nuzzle her hair with his nose as he sought out her ear, breathing deeply as he tightened his hold on her in a silent heartfelt expression of love and understanding. She didn't feel as though she deserved it, warranted all that he done tonight after what she'd done to him.

"I would do no less for you," he murmured into her hair.

"I…I didn't know…" she began, her voice suddenly breaking off. "If I had…I would hhhave given anything…"

"No tears, Princess," he gently yet sternly told her, finally turning her around in his arms and forcing her to face him again. "It's over and Luthor is locked away in Arkham. He can't hurt you anymore."

Diana slowly nodded her head, trying to wrap her mind around everything that had happened and how it all fit together. A part of her hoped she never remembered it, wanting to keep those painful moments buried. "I just love yyyou so much…"

"I love you more," he smirked, trying to lighten the mood by using her own words.

He took her face in his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks and capturing the remainder of her tears before leaning in and kissing her slowly, teasingly. Diana's eyes fell closed as his lips softy caressed hers, her fingers sliding up into his hair and holding him close.

The soft sweep of his warm tongue grew more demanding, more urgent as the kiss grew more heated. He suddenly tilted his head as he deepened the kiss, wanting so much more. Their mingled breaths grew more labored as they lost themselves to the intimate moment, the building passion that was wrapping around them and binding them together as one.

All of her guilt and regret over what had happened was swiftly being washed away as he bathed her in his passionate kisses. He loved her enough to risk his life for her just as she would surely do for him. How could she fault him for that?

She had fallen in love with him because of his warrior spirit that was so akin to her own, his deep-seated need to protect as well as right the wrongs of this world. She would have given everything to get him back if it had been Bruce that Luthor had taken. That's what he had done for her by risking his life like he had.

Instead of guilt now, she allowed thoughts of his love for her to melt her heart, feeling it swell with the love that she held in return for this amazing man in her arms.

Breaking the kiss, Bruce drew back, breathing hard, but refusing to release his hold on her. He wanted this beautiful woman to be in his life for as long as humanly possible, recognizing that time was most certainly their greatest enemy with the dangerous lives that they led.

The thought of his life ending while she'd be forced to go on without him suddenly made his throat clench, made what he wanted to do next that much harder…bittersweet in a way and yet he wanted nothing more.

His hand slipped from her waist and into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small black velvet box that his fingers wrapped so possessively around. He'd rehearsed this speech, these words that he'd been growing anxious to say to her, but now that the time had finally come he could barely make his mind function.

"I know that I fought you at every turn for so very long, always pushing you away with all the reasons why it would never work, but it was only because you'd captured my heart from the very beginning and…and it terrified me. No one has been able to do that before I met you," he admitted, lifting his hand and flipping the little box open before her. "I wish I could say that I will be with you forever, but I'll give you everything that I have, everything that I am until I draw my very last breath...if you'll have me."

"Bruce…" Diana softly gasped in shock, her eyes filling with tears for a very different reason this time as she lifted her gaze to finally meet his expectantly hopeful one.

"I love you, Princess," he said with a heartfelt sincerity that she felt clear to the core of her being. "For so very long I have loved you. I never knew true happiness or peace could exist after I lost my parents and then I found you, finally let you into my life and now I don't want to ever let you go. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," she replied as she nodded her head, her voice barely above a whisper, but he could see the answer shining so very brightly in her blue eyes, in the delicate curve of her smile, in the happy tears that trickled down her cheeks. "I love you with all my heart, Bruce."

Bruce was nearly knocked backwards as she swiftly threw herself into his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He could feel her tears so wet against his skin, her body trembling in his arms. He suddenly found it more than difficult to control his own emotions in that amazing moment, knowing that she had accepted his proposal.

Life had tried its best to destroy what they had, what they had found in each other, but they had finally won, scratching and clawing, struggling and surviving the fiery trials only to come out the other side stronger and closer than ever before.

Diana began to kiss along his throat, alternating lip brushing gentleness with teeth scraping passion as she finally met the well-defined ridge of his jaw. He softly gasped as she slowly tortured him, taking her time to blaze her own trail in search of his mouth.

He groaned with sweet relief mingled with straining desire as she finally latched onto his lower lip, teasing and sucking it relentlessly until his breathing was ragged. His fingers pressed deeply into her waist as he held her close, his mouth angling to return the kiss with equal fire.

He could taste the salt from her tears on her lips, desperate to erase them as he pulled her impossibly closer to him. He cupped the back of her head with his hand, keeping her right where he wanted her as the kiss grew more desperate, more demanding.

Bruce finally pulled back, taking the ring from the box before taking her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger, his breath leaving him in rush at the site of his ring on her hand. It affected him much more deeply than he had thought it would, his heart expanding with more love than he ever thought humanly possible to feel for a woman.

Diana looked up from the beautiful ring, stunned to find tears glistening in his eyes. "Bruce?" she uttered his name with growing concern as her right hand came to rest against his cheek. "What's wrong?"

He swallowed past the thick knot of tangled emotions that had suddenly lodged in his throat. "I just…I never thought I'd ever be this happy again after I lost my parents. You've opened my eyes as well as my heart, Diana. You've given me a chance at a life for myself for once, one that I never thought I'd ever have or deserved."

"You deserve so mmmuch more than you've allowed yo...yourself to have, Bruce," she told him, touched by his admission. "And I'm going to have sure that yyyou never forget that."

His finger caressed her cheek, tracing the delicate curve of her face as he lost himself in her cobalt eyes. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you," he softly murmured.

Diana smiled with his words. "I'm sure there mmmust have been something," she lightly teased. "Unfortunately, I can't seem to re...remember what it was."

Bruce chuckled softly as his fingers slipped into her thick hair that fell like an inky waterfall over her shoulders. "I guess I better get to work reminding you before you figure out what a terrible mistake you made by accepting my proposal," he teased back as his lips melted against hers.

Her lips curled against his in amusement, thrilled to her soul how this magical evening had ended up turning out. She never would have guessed this morning after what had happened with Selina that she would be engaged to Bruce Wayne by that night.

She could feel the warm wash of pastel shades enveloping them as the Paris sun began to break over the horizon, signaling the dawning of another day as they continued to kiss. Bruce's hand slipped from her hair to his ear, finally forcing himself to break the passion that was steadily intensifying.

"Batman to J'onn."

"What can I do for you, Batman?"

"Ready for that transport home now."

"Consider it done, my friend."

"Thank you, J'onn. Batman out."

Bruce didn't wait for the transport to be complete before taking what he wanted again, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss as they shimmered from view. He didn't bother to look around before beginning to push the strap of Diana's dress off her shoulder, trusting J'onn to have gotten the coordinates right that he'd sent him yesterday in preparation for tonight.

Diana gasped as his lips began a sweet torment down her neck, his hands sliding around to her back to find the zipper of her dress. She didn't hesitate to begin undressing him as well as his jacket slid from his arms and landing on the floor, his bow tie swiftly following his jacket's fate.

His shirt barely made it unscathed in Diana's fierce assault, a couple of button popping free before rolling across the floor to disappear under his bed. His undershirt, however, suffered a much worse fate, tearing apart in her fist as his mouth suddenly sucked hard on her pulse point.

She quickly tossed aside the scrap of material left in her fist as her other hand immediately began to stroke the chiseled expanse of chest that lay bare before her now. He gasped against her throat as her fingernails lightly raked across his nipple, teasing it and fueling his arousal even more.

Her dress fared much better as Bruce slipped it off of her body, allowing it to pool on the floor at her feet, his hungry touch following its path along her feminine curves. Diana pressed her forehead against his cheekbone, her breaths growing hot and desperate against his face with the way that his fingers traced so erotically over her body.

She slipped her arms around him, running her hands over his back as they just touched and explored one another, taking their time and fully savoring this intimacy as a newly engaged couple.

His breaths grew more labored, mingling with hers at the feel of her breasts pressed firmly against his muscular chest. His mouth blindly began searching for hers again, craving to taste her once more as frantic need for her and her alone thrummed wildly through his body.

His lips found hers as he exhaled with a sense of relief as he began to drink her in. His fingers skimmed over her sides, along her back before gripping her bottom and pulling her hips firmly against his. She moaned with the feel of him so hard against her center, electric tingles shooting up her spine with what she knew was about to come, what was all hers for as long as the gods saw fit to allow them.

Breaking the kiss, Bruce began to trail hot wet kisses along her shoulder and collarbone, alternating nips and kisses as he made his way to her throat. Her head fell to the side as he continued his sweet tortuous attack, her hands making quick work of his pants, Bruce pausing his assault long enough to remove the last bit of his underclothes and shoes.

He swiftly grabbed hold of her with a desperate need that refused to be ignored, turning and roughly pressing her back up against the wall as his mouth crashed into hers with a force that stole her breath away. His large hands stroked her thighs before suddenly lifting them up to wrap around his waist, releasing a strangled groan into her mouth with the feel of her taking him inside as he thrust into her.

He broke the kiss with a sharp gasp of her name, the feel of her so hot and tight around him driving him wild and nearly pushing him over that sweet edge. He pressed his forehead against the wall next to her head, breathing heavily as he fought to regain control.

Diana swiftly turned her head, taking his earlobe into her hot mouth, sucking it and grazing her teeth over it before releasing it. Her tongue snuck out to trace it, causing a shiver to ripple through him. He abruptly turned his head, kissing her hard as he began to move his hips, thrusting deeper and deeper inside of her.

His hand continued to caress her thigh while the other helped support her as he made love to her. Passion seemed to ignite the very air around them as bodies moved together in perfect rhythm. Panting moans and gasps mingled with whispers and promises of love as they clung to one another, their mutual cries of release filling the air.

Bruce kissed her slowly, murmuring his love to her while he held her trembling body close to his own. Finally recovering from his fierce release, he carried her over to his bed and laid her down, more than anxious to make love to her all over again as he settled himself over her.

He swiftly began worshiping her body all over again with his mouth and hands as she threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him against her breast. It felt like her entire body was on fire, every nerve ending firing as he began to make love to her all over again, barely recovered from her climax.

He suddenly pulled her hands from his hair, interlacing their fingers and pinning them on either side of her head, his Apollo-like physique looming so large above her. His dark lustful gaze fell to their entwined fingers, the sight of the large diamond engagement ring on her hand turning his blood to liquid fire of pure passion in his veins.

"God…I love you…Princess…" he breathed heavily, his mouth swiftly descended on hers but not before her whispered profession of undying love escaped her lips.

They smiled against each other's mouths as they continued to kiss, lips parting as tongues began to war for control. Tomorrow, the world would soon know about their engagement, but tonight was theirs and theirs alone and they were going to take full advantage of it.