“Yes.”

“You’re not teasing?”

“No.”

“Where did you find it?”

“I didn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Hardy paused for effect. “I had someone make it.” When Miracle looked up at him, confused, he continued. “I talked to Mr. Billson, the horticulture teacher, and he agreed to try and splice two of your favorite orchids into a hybrid. If it grew, he promised to let me name it.”

Hardy could tell Miracle was speechless. She bowed her head and stuck her nose into the center of the blossom, inhaling deeply. Although she closed her eyes, appreciation and true awe were written all over her face. Hardy had never met someone so pleased, so enthralled by the little things. It was one of the many reasons she was so special to him.

When she opened her eyes and raised them to his, they shone with unshed tears.

Hardy was humbled. “Tonight, you got your miracle. The day I saw you, sitting with Mila in the park, I got mine.”

She sucked in her breath, myriad emotions flitting across her face. But one was predominant. Love. Hardy could feel it radiating from her like heat from the sun.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to…I’ve never…I mean, I…”

Hardy reached up and brushed the tip of one finger down her satiny cheek. “Anything for you.” He bent his head and brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips felt like velvet and even that small contact threatened the tight rein he had on his control. Lifting his head a bit, he pressed a kiss to her cheekbone and whispered in her ear. “I’m not done.”

Taking her by the shoulders, Hardy slowly turned Miracle around. When he heard her gasp, he bent his head and kissed the crook of her neck. That was just the reaction he was going for.

Miracle’s mouth had dropped open into a silent O and her eyes were rounded as she took in row upon row of night blooming orchids, all proudly displaying their colorful petals. They were illuminated by the dozens of candles Hardy had set on every available surface.

He saw her gaze drop. There, at her feet, in the center of the floor, was a thick stack of blankets strewn with blood red rose petals.

When she turned to him this time, her face told him that the moment was every bit as special as he’d hoped it would be. He didn’t want her to simply see the night as an item to cross off her bucket list. He wanted to show her how much he loved her, how much she meant to him, how much he wanted to please her.

“You really are the stuff dreams are made of, Hardy Bradford,” she said, reminding him of the time she’d said it once before. They’d come so far since then. “And I’m so glad you’re mine,” she murmured, her voice wobbling with emotion.

“You are my dream, Miracle, and I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known. I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you. Forever. But, right now, let’s start with tonight. Let me love you tonight.”

With that, Hardy bent his head again and pressed his lips to hers. They parted immediately and he slowly slipped his tongue inside the warm cavern of her mouth, exploring every sweet corner until he felt her fingers work their way into his hair.

Reaching down, Hardy swept Miracle up into his arms, her slight weight like fluff in his arms, and carried her to the thick bed of blankets. Gently, without breaking their kiss, he knelt and lowered her onto her back.

When they were both breathless from passion, Hardy dragged his mouth away and leaned back to look at her. Miracle’s eyes were a dark green in the low light and they glowed with the love and desire she felt for him. It blossomed in his chest like the orchids all around them. He held it tight, letting the sensation etch itself onto the very walls of his heart so that he’d never forget it.

Coming up onto his knees, Hardy reached for first one foot and then the other, removing Miracle’s shoes and setting them aside. When his eyes met hers again, he could see the fire burning there and his body hardened in response. He groaned and Miracle bit her lip, the sexy gesture only adding to Hardy’s discomfort. Closing his eyes against the tempting picture she presented, Hardy collected himself before returning his attention to undressing her.

His gaze never leaving hers, Hardy brought his hand to her stomach and reached for the hem of her shirt. He saw a flash of uncertainty flicker in her eyes. Always sensitive to her, he moved his fingers down toward the waistband of her jeans, slipping them just inside. He felt her stomach contract beneath his hand and, with one quick flick of his fingers, he freed the button closure.

Their eyes remained locked as Hardy slid her zipper down. He was so in tune with her, Hardy thought he could almost hear the blood pumping through her veins.

Hardy tugged on Miracle’s jeans. Obligingly, she raised her h*ps and let him slide the material down her long legs and pull it from her feet. It wasn’t lost on Hardy when Miracle laid her hands over her stomach, subconsciously preventing him from lifting her shirt.

Hardy paused after setting her jeans aside, tilting his head and looking deep into Miracle’s glistening eyes. Reaching forward, he laid his fingers atop her. “Please.”

He saw her hesitate, could practically see the indecision and insecurity as she debated. But then, purposefully, she moved her hands and laid them on the blankets at her sides.

Hardy said nothing, only reached for the hem of her shirt and slowly peeled it up her stomach. When he could go no further, he took her hand and helped her to sit up while he pulled the material over her head. When she lay back down, Hardy made a point of keeping his eyes trained on hers. He wanted her to see his reaction to the thing she dreaded most.

Slowly, Hardy let his eyes travel Miracle’s beautiful face and graceful neck, making their way down the ample swell of her br**sts to her stomach, to the scar that she protected from all eyes, including his. He saw her muscles clench and heard her inhale and hold her breath, as if waiting for him to turn away or to be repulsed by the purplish red line just beneath her ribs. He raised his eyes to hers, saw the fear there, and he smiled before dipping his head to press his lips to the scar.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered as he scattered kisses along the incision line and over to her bellybutton. When he heard her release the breath she’d been holding, he slipped his tongue inside the well of her navel. He heard her gasp again, but this time in a different way, an excited way.

Stretching out beside her, Hardy rested his weight on one arm as he hovered above Miracle. He raised his hand and rubbed the backs of his fingers over her jawline. “I want tonight to be perfect for you. Just know that it’s already been perfect for me.”

He saw her eyes fill with tears just before he lowered his mouth to hers and began the dance that would awaken her body to the fire, to the passion that they felt for one another.

The kiss that began as sweet quickly turned to breathtaking, as it so often did between them. Her hands were in his hair and clutching at his shoulders as his fingers explored her smooth skin.

Tearing his mouth away from hers, Hardy kissed a trail down her neck and chest to the valley between her breasts. Slipping his fingers inside the band of the silky material, he released the front closure and leaned back to take in the treasure he’d just revealed.

She was perfect. More perfect than he’d imagined. Reverentially, Hardy brought his hand up to touch her. He thrilled at the chills that spread across her chest and tightened her nipples. Lowering his head, he had to taste them.

After worshipping her with his lips and tongue, Hardy left Miracle’s br**sts to continue his exploration of her body. He nibbled his way across her ticklish ribs and the curve of her hip to the edge of her lacy panties. He slowly slid them down, kissing along behind them until he’d been to her ankles and back again.

When he brought his lips to hers once more, Miracle was moaning and writhing beneath him, softly begging him to touch her, to make love to her.

Hardy felt her arousal. He gritted his teeth against an ache, a physical need greater than any he’d ever known.

Rolling smoothly to his feet, Hardy quickly dispatched his own clothing, hating to have robbed Miracle of the chance to undress him, but too far gone to take the time.

Next time, he reminded himself, opening a tiny square package as he moved to kneel between her feet.

Obligingly, Miracle parted her legs to accommodate Hardy as he stretched out on top of her. He could feel the heat and moisture of her touching him, teasing him at his most sensitive point. Supporting his weight on his forearms, Hardy cupped Miracle’s face. He kissed her long and slow and deep as he moved his body against hers. When he leaned back to look into her face, he gave her one last chance to change her mind.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

He thought he might die if she said no, but he loved her enough to honor her decision, whatever it was. It would just mean a few more cold showers in his future.

Miracle raised her fingers to Hardy’s mouth, trailing the tips across his lips. Her eyes were shimmering pools of emerald he thought he could drown in and die the happiest man alive.

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” she said softly. “If I died tomorrow, being with you, like this tonight, will have been the best night of my entire existence. And it’s not because of a stupid bucket list; it’s because I love you.”

Situating his body at her entrance, Hardy eased a fraction of his length into Miracle. “I love you, Miracle,” he whispered. “You’re mine,” he said, inching his way forward a bit more, “and I’m yours,” he added, moving further in. “Forever.” And with that, he pushed his way quickly past the obstruction, making Miracle a woman. His woman.

He heard the breath hiss through her teeth and saw her squeeze her eyes shut. He paused to give her time to accommodate his size, scattering tender kisses across her face until he saw her relax. When she began to move beneath him, he flexed his h*ps a tiny bit as his lips found hers. Within seconds, their passion returned and rose to fever pitch, as it always did.

Hardy held onto his control with gargantuan effort as he moved slowly inside Miracle. He felt her short fingernails digging into the skin of his back, which only served to further inflame him. He groaned when she sank her teeth into his bottom lip and lifted her h*ps to meet his thrust.

He increased his tempo, driving his body more and more deeply into hers. He heard the soft purring in the back of her throat and felt his control slipping. When Miracle nipped at his earlobe and whispered to him, “Now,” it was Hardy’s undoing.

Ravaging her mouth with his, Hardy took them both to the edge of oblivion. He felt Miracle’s muscles clench as she tipped over it. It was more than he could bear. Abandoning himself to the most intense pleasure he’d ever experienced, Hardy followed her over the cliff and melted into the sweet waves of their joint cl**ax.

********

A loud banging woke Hardy the next morning. Someone was knocking on his door—hard—but despite the rude awakening, he felt himself smile. He was still on cloud nine.

Crawling out of bed, he went to answer the door. Wayne Bradford stood on the other side, seething. Hardy could read rage in every tense line of his face and body.

“What did I do now?” Hardy asked, rubbing a hand across his face and turning to sit on the edge of his bed until he was fully awake.

“I got a call from Dean Wittison yesterday evening. Imagine my surprise when I learned that you’d withdrawn from their football program.”

Hardy could’ve screamed. “He wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“Oh, so you were just going to hide it from me? For how long, Hardy? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

Hardy stood. “I knew you’d find out eventually. I’m not stupid and neither are you. I was going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time.”

“And when was that?”

“When I’d gotten a job and enrolled in community college.”

“Community college?”

“Yes, Dad. Community college. What’s wrong with that?”

“What serious football player has ever come from a community college?”

“Cam N—”

“That was a rhetorical question,” he snapped, interrupting Hardy. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. We had it all planned out, Hardy. Even after you nearly ruined it, I managed to get some good schools interested in you. How could you do this?”

“You take this so personally, Dad, like I’m doing it to you. Well, it’s not your life. It’s mine. And this is just something I’ve decided I want to do.”

Wayne Bradford fumed, his lips thinning into a slit. “This is about her, isn’t it?”

“Don’t bring Miracle into this Dad.”

“I didn’t. You did. Months ago when you threw away your future for a piece of a—”

Hardy was in his father’s face, cutting him off before he could finish such an insulting sentence. “Stop right there,” he warned quietly. “It’s not like that. If all I wanted was a whore, I could’ve taken my pick from the bimbos at school. Whether you like it or not, Dad, I’m in love with Miracle and I have every intention of marrying her if she’ll have me.”

“Well, of course she’ll have you. Why wouldn’t she? She’s struck gold.”

“That’s exactly why I’m getting a job. I don’t want your money. I don’t want anything from you. Just leave me alone. In a few more months I’ll be out of your hair and you won’t ever have to see me again.”

“Are you sure you want to leave this house that way, Hardy? Because you’ll never be welcome back. Are you sure you never want to see your brother again?”