All through dinner, Jennifer could not stop smiling and she could not stop staring at her ring. It was even more beautiful on her finger than when she'd first seen it in the shop. She even had a little trouble paying attention to Jonathan, she was so distracted by the ring. Though that was really because she'd barely slept in the last two days more than anything else. Because every time she tore her eyes away from the ring to look at his handsome face, her whole mind went completely blank and all that existed was him. And then she'd move her hand and the diamonds would catch the light and her gaze would be drawn back to the ring.

A lull in the conversation caused her to look back to Jonathan. He wasn't talking or eating or anything. He was just staring at her.

"What?" she asked, suddenly nervous that he might have noticed how distracted she was.

"Nothing. You're just so beautiful. I can't really think straight when I look at you," he said.

"I know the feeling," she laughed in response.

"Yeah?"

Jennifer grinned. "Yeah, you're gorgeous!"

"I'm glad you think so. I think we make a pretty good-looking pair."

"We certainly do."

"This is the first time I've gotten to see your hair down. I love how it frames your face. Makes you look soft and pretty."

"Well, I usually wear it up when I'm working because I don't like when it gets in my way, but thanks to hairspray, it stays put when I have it like this. I can do this more often if you like it better this way," she reasoned. And really, it didn't make any difference to Jennifer. It was actually more comfortable to style it this way. She didn't have pins sticking in her head.

"Whatever you like best. It's your hair. And I think you're beautiful no matter what. Though I have a feeling I'm gonna like running my fingers through it. That's easier when there aren't pins in the way."

"A very good point. Though I will warn you that the hairspray that keeps it this shape isn't conducive to running your fingers through it. But you can figure out what works for you," Jennifer told him. "Have you got a hairbrush at your hotel?"

Jonathan frowned in confusion. "Sure, why?"

"So I can borrow it and brush out the hairspray later."

It only took half a second for Jonathan to figure out her meaning, and she was glad. Jennifer had absolutely no intention of him taking her back to her apartment until tomorrow when she needed a change of clothes. And even then, she'd be content to have him take her shopping again so she wouldn't need to go home. She only wanted to stay with him. After all, they were going to be married. They needed the practice.

And just for good measure, Jennifer added, "And I'll probably need the hairbrush again in the morning. I'm sure it'll get all tangled during the night."

The look on Jonathan's face made it very clear that she was mildly torturing him, and that was her intention. His eyes were wide and his jaw had dropped, but he recovered quickly. "I assume you'll want to borrow some pajamas as well?"

Oh he was good. "I'll take the top and you can keep the bottoms," she said. Jennifer picked up her glass of champagne—she'd lost count on how many she'd had by now—and took a sip to keep herself from laughing as his eyes went dark and hungry. She couldn't help but think how much fun life with Jonathan Hart was going to be. And weren't they lucky that they'd found each other?

"You know," Jonathan said, "I was thinking that it would be nice to go out dancing again, but maybe we can go out dancing tomorrow night instead."

"We can dance at the Ritz," Jennifer agreed.

"Do you want to go see the ballroom?" he asked.

"I was thinking more your penthouse suite." She winked at him.

"I haven't got a record player up there," he said, but his smirk told her he was in on the joke.

"You can hum to me," she said with a shrug. "Finish your champagne and we can go."

Jonathan downed it in a single swallow. "You don't want any dessert?"

"We'll have something sweet at the hotel," Jennifer replied.

The bill was paid and they were in a cab before Jennifer knew it. There was much less giggling going on this time. They weren't as drunk as they'd been the other night when coming back to the hotel after their night out. Though Jennifer was having trouble keeping her eyes open with the gentle rocking of the cab. It also didn't help that Jonathan had his arms around her and his face buried in her neck. God, the way his lips and teeth and tongue teased her was going to drive her absolutely mad!

"Jonathan," she sighed, feeling him suck a little harder while his hand started to sneak up her waist.

All of a sudden, he was gone. "Sorry," he muttered.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why'd you stop?"

"Didn't you want me to?" He lowered his voice to add, "I mean, we are in the back of a cab."

"I know where we are, and I certainly didn't want you to stop." And that was the truth. Her body hummed with arousal, and she was about ten seconds away from taking his hand and putting it directly on her breast so he'd stop teasing her. Maybe it was better that he'd stopped.

"Well, why don't we wait till we get up to the room," he reasoned.

"And then you don't have to stop."

Even in the dim light of the cab, Jonathan saw a glint in her eye. She was a minx, his Jennifer. And he loved it. He loved every single thing about her.

Thankfully, the cab pulled up in front of the Ritz and Jonathan paid the driver and they were in the elevator soon enough. Despite the fact that it wasn't too late, they were the only people to get in at the lobby to go up. They used the privacy to their advantage. Jennifer wrapped her arms around Jonathan's neck, and he enfolded her in his embrace. Their lips met, and they shared a long, sensual, incredible kiss.

He could kiss her forever and not get bored. It had never been like this with a woman before. He liked physical affection with women, the touches and the kisses and the seduction and all the delights of making love. But all of that had only ever given him pleasure and perhaps a healthy sense of pride in what he knew his skill could do for a woman. He hadn't known that the pleasure had been so shallow. When he kissed Jennifer, Jonathan felt pleasure down to his soul. The touch of her lips was home from the very first moment. He should have realized it then that she was the one. But he certainly knew it now. He was going to be kissing this woman for the rest of his life.

The elevator chimed, startling them apart. Jennifer looked at him with heavy-lidded eyes, full of joy and love. Jonathan gave her one more peck and then took her hand to lead her down the hall, only letting go to get the key out and open the door. His hand was shaking slightly. He was far too eager, and he knew he needed to calm down.

But Jonathan had a plan. "Why don't we get a little more comfortable?" he suggested.

"Sure," Jennifer answered. She tossed her coat on the sofa in the sitting room and slipped out of her shoes. She lost a good three inches, and seeing her in barefoot in that knockout dress was the most charming thing in the world.

"Give me just a second." He went into the bedroom and got out a clean set of his pajamas in pale blue silk. He presented the shirt to her. "The bathroom is around the corner there, if you'd like to change. And the hairbrush should be on the shelf by the sink."

Jennifer grinned brightly. "Max was right, you do think everything through."

"I try to pay attention, especially when someone important is speaking," he told her.

She kissed him swiftly and took the pajama top with her to the bathroom.

While she was busy, Jonathan made good use of his time. He took off his suit jacket and removed his tie before undoing the top three buttons of his shirt. Then, he went into the cabinet on the far end of the sitting room and got out a bottle and a couple of glasses. He was pouring when Jennifer returned.

"I hung up my dress on the back of the door. I hope that's alright."

"Oh that's fine," he said. He picked up a glass for each of them and turned around. He nearly dropped the glasses.

Jennifer stood there with her legs bare, wearing only the blue silk pajama shirt. The top two buttons were undone, revealing the expanse of her freckled chest. And her hair was brushed out and much softer than it had been earlier.

"I gotta tell you, we're gonna have a hell of a time these first few months together," he said, his eyes roaming over every inch of her.

"Why is that?"

"Because every time I see you wearing something new, I'm gonna need a few minutes to get my head screwed back on. God, look at you!"

"I'd much rather it be you looking at me instead of god," she retorted. "What's that you have there?"

Jonathan remembered he was holding glasses. "Port. You said we'd have something sweet when we got to the room, so here we are."

"Aren't you clever?" She took the small glass he held out to her and clinked it against his. "Cheers, darling."

They each had a sip, and Jonathan put his down on a side table. "If the bathroom's free, I think I'll…"

"I didn't see a line for it," Jennifer joked. "So you go get yourself comfortable, and I'll be waiting here."

Jonathan looked her over one more time, committing the beautiful image of her to memory. And then he hurried himself into the bathroom to take care of things and take off his clothes and put on the pajama bottoms that matched the top he'd given her. Coming out with his upper half bare was a bit of a bold move, but she'd come out with only his shirt on, so it seemed a move to match hers. He didn't think she'd mind. She talked a good game, but Jonathan felt pretty sure that Jennifer Edwards wasn't all talk.

His heart pounded in his chest as he opened the bathroom door and came back out to the sitting room. He wanted to see and hear Jennifer's reaction.

Turns out he'd have to wait a long time for that. She was sitting on the sofa with her legs propped up on the coffee table and her head was rolled back as she slept. It wasn't until that moment that he remembered she'd been in police custody last night. She probably had been awake all night or close to it. And after the day of near-death experiences and all the ups and downs before he had proposed and taken her shopping all over London and then the dinner with all that champagne, it was no great surprise she'd be exhausted. Having suffered jetlag that first day, Jonathan couldn't blame her.

He had two options. The first was probably the most practical. He could wake her up and help her get dressed and send her home in a cab to sleep. The second option was the one he chose instead.

Jonathan went into the bedroom and pulled down the sheets before he returned to the sitting room. He picked up Jennifer quite easily, careful not to move too quickly and wake her. She obviously needed her rest, and it wouldn't be nice to disturb her. He gently deposited her down onto the soft bed on a side he hoped she wouldn't mind being on. Jonathan tucked her in and kissed her temple.

"Sleep well, darling," he whispered.

He puttered around the room for a little while, cleaning things up and making sure everything was put away. When it was, he brushed his teeth and got into bed beside his fiancée.

This certainly wasn't how he'd anticipated spending the night with Jennifer for the first time. But it was wonderful all the same. Jonathan fell asleep with the smell of Jennifer's hair in each breath he took and the sound of her breathing as his lullaby.