“What’s so funny?” Xander asks.
“Nothing, just a goofy inside joke,” I tell him. “You guys ready to go upstairs and finalize everything? It’s almost time to open your doors, right?” The employees would be arriving within a half hour, and I knew they’d want time to explore the changes, familiarize themselves with the new layout before customers came in.
We head toward the basement stairs, me and Cole in the back. When I step onto the first step, his hand holds me in place. We let the two other men proceed up, and I turn and give in to the kiss I’ve been wanting to give Cole since we came inside.
Cole sighs against me, his body scorching, and I savor the intensity building between us. My lower belly throbs in anticipation. Clearly my body remembers every moment of what happened in here too and would love a repeat performance. With a groan, I make myself pull back.
He shoots me a crooked grin. “I can tell exactly what you’re thinking right now.”
The flush on my cheeks is a dead giveaway. “It’s hard being fair-skinned,” I bemoan.
“Come here.” He tugs me toward the middle of the room, still holding my hand. His eyes are suddenly intense on mine, and I feel another surge of love for him, this man who sees everything in me and loves me anyway.
“You’re amazing,” I tell him.
“You are,” he counters. “Look what you’ve done to this place. It’s going to be a huge success because of your hard work.”
I shrug. “The contractors did most of the work.”
“Don’t be modest.” He takes a step toward me, gripping my hand harder. “Lauren, I love you so much.”
I feel myself melting. Man, I wish we were alone right now. I would love to feel him inside me, to christen this room. It’s insane how much I crave him. “I love you too, Cole.”
“You’re my best friend,” he continues. I feel my pulse skitter in my wrists when his thumbs stroke me there. “My best friend and the woman I love more than my own life. Being away from you for so many years was a special kind of torture, but I have to be glad that things went the way they did, if only because it brought us to where we are today.”
My heart throbs hard. “You’re my best friend too.” I can barely speak past a tightening throat. “Thank you for being by my side and trusting in me. And for taking a chance and daring me to kiss you.”
Cole stays quiet for a long moment, and I find myself starting to feel weird. Why is he just staring at me like that?
Then he lowers himself on one knee.
My chest gives a painful squeeze. I can’t say a word, just watch in silence when he digs into his pocket and pulls out a ring box. Oh God, oh God…
He flicks it open, and there’s a diamond solitaire nestled in black velvet. It’s stunning.
“I know this seems fast, given we just started dating a few months ago, but to me it isn’t. Lauren, I’ve been in love with you for so many years, and nothing in my life has ever felt so right. I can’t imagine living without you, and I don’t ever want to. We complement each other, bring out the best in each other. You make me laugh, you frustrate me, you drive me crazy. But I will never regret stepping off the ledge in the hope of being with you. It was worth the risk. I want you to marry me, be my wife. Will you?”
It takes me a moment to find my voice. “I love you, too.” I don’t realize I’m crying until tears streak down my cheeks, leaving wet trails on my skin. My heart is so full it might explode. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes.”
There’s the tiniest hint of a tremble in his fingers when he takes the ring out of the box, slides it onto my finger, and it isn’t until then I understand that he’s nervous. Did he really think I’d say no? My sweet, beautiful man. All mine, for the rest of my life.
I cup Cole’s smooth-shaven face and tug him to my mouth, and I show him without words exactly how I feel.
THE END OF CRASH AND BURN
The Billionaire’s Rules (Books 1-6) by Kelly Favor
Part I
Discipline (The Billionaire’s Rules, Book 1) by Kelly Favor
This was a gigantic mistake.
That was Ivy Spellman’s very first thought as she sat down in the freezing cold conference room and waited for orientation to start.
There were approximately thirty temps all watching the front of the room, where Cullen Sharpe, CEO, stood in his perfect dark suit, his eyes scanning the group as if he was evaluating them and finding them lacking already.
This was a man who wouldn’t be denied anything and everything he wanted. He was, to put it plainly, stunningly handsome, but not in the superficial sense.
He was complex, Ivy decided almost immediately.
His eyes were intense and he had an animal magnetism and presence that was like nothing she’d ever come across.