揕iar.?
I pick up the ceramic plate he抯 laid the Regis roll on. There抯 a small silver fork next to it, waiting.
揇ig in,?he orders.
I do, and the cinnamon roll all but crumbles apart. I take a bite, but it抯 weirdly flaky, almost like there抯 something odd with the dough. I cough, sputtering small crumbs into my hand.
揂re you okay??
I nod.
He slips an arm around me, pulls me closer, presses his mouth to mine, and traces my lips with his tongue.
I open my mouth.
He glides his tongue across mine.
I drop the fork and put my hand in his hair.
He covers my palm with his hand and pushes my hand back to the plate without breaking the kiss. He抯 still tracing my tongue, the inside of my mouth, with his.
I sigh, already delirious as he breaks away.
揧ou need to eat,?he whispers, curling my hand around the fork with his own.
Together, we stab the cinnamon roll, closer to the center.
What抯 he doing?
He kisses me again, this time deeper, his tongue flicking over mine.
Oh, God. I can抰 care what he抯 doing.
We pull at the cinnamon roll again, and this time the fork hits something solid. He guides my hand, lifting away the flaky layer.
He pulls away, sighs, and draws in a deep breath. 揇akota, look at your plate.?
What? I blink.
揘ow??
揚lease??The word is barely audible as it leaves his mouth.
I catch my breath and look down.
The fork hits something metallic almost like a small metal disc. I tap the fork again, peeling back more roll.
揢m, that抯 a pretty big screwup for customer health. I think we should sue,?I joke, my head whirling with possibilities.
揕et抯 see what it is before you sic the lawyers,?he says slowly, his eyes locked on mine.
I scrape cinnamon roll away from the rest of it. There抯 something on top as I pry it out.
It抯...some kind of box? There抯 a raven shape engraved across the top.
My breath catches.
My eyes flick back to Lincoln.
揋o on.?He gives me a half smile and shrugs. 揙pen it, Nevermore.?
Breathe, Dakota. Just breathe.
My fingers shake as I pull the box closer, touch it to make sure it抯 cool, and gasp as I run my pointer finger over its seam.
Ready or not...
The hinges pop as I push it open.
Hello, vintage ring. A gorgeously large oval diamond clustered by smaller diamonds in a halo around it.
揕incoln, this is梚t抯 beautiful,?I stammer, tripping on my words.
He leans over with a firm nod, lifting the ring from the box.
揕ooks a hell of a lot better if you抮e wearing it, beautiful,?he whispers.
I look at him, unsure what he抯 doing, even if part of me knows.
I抦 transfixed as he gets down on one knee and slides the ring on my finger.
揑 told you I can抰 live without you. That gets truer every day. I love you with all the heart I抣l ever have, woman. Now I just want you to be Mrs. Burns.?
揑 love you too桰 love you so much梑ut棓 Hot tears push up my throat in a strangled sob.
I can see his dark-brown eyes fall.
Oh, no.
揕-Lincoln,?I stammer.
He stands with a soft smile, pulling me into his arms, even though he must be paralyzed.
揃ut what, sweetheart? Isn抰 love enough??
揑t抯 just桰 don抰 like weddings.?
He strokes my back with his hand. 揧ou trust me, don抰 you??
揙f course, I do.?I nod sharply. 揑 want to marry you, I guess I抦 just scared...?
揟hat makes two of us then. Nevermore, if you give me forever, we抣l get through this together. I promise. You抮e the only one I抎 ever trust to do this with.?
揃ut what if you freak out because you have to wear a tux棓
揑t抯 still a semi-regular occurrence at Ma抯 charity events,?he says softly.
揙h. Right. But there are so many people棓
揂lso normal. If you want, we can do our vows without an audience,?he says, his voice so torn, so determined, so sweet.
揃ut what if you wake up with huge regrets? Like, 慜h my God! I抦 going to spend the rest of my life with this woman. I抦 never having sex with anyone else again, and if I wanted to go bum away boating with Wyatt for a week, there goes my chance.?Would you run??
He laughs for a solid thirty seconds.
揊irst of all, an entire week is way too damn long to be with Wyatt Emory on a ship棓
I look at him, my breath stalled, trying to bury my stupid fears so I can give him the firm yes he so truly deserves.
Then he nips at my neck and I jump in his arms.
揂hhh梬hat was that??I sigh.
揧ou think too much,?he growls against my ear, all hot breath and saintly patience. 揊or the record, I wake up every goddamned day with zero regrets. I just know you抮e the woman I抦 spending the rest of my life with. Whether that means we抮e tying the knot today or in ten years, you抮e never getting rid of me.?
I. Am. Ugly. Crying.
揧-you mean it??I whisper.
He nods.
揚romise??
揅ross my fucking heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want that life to start now.?
揑 just梠of. I didn抰 think you were the marrying type.?
His jaw clenches. 揑s that a no then??
揋od, no! I love you. I don抰 want this to end.?
揝o, you抣l marry me??
There抯 a long pause where my heart stops.
揑 want to. With all my heart.?My lip quivers. 揃ut Lincoln...I抦 really bad at weddings.?
揥rong. Your jackass ex was bad at weddings.?He beams pure confidence into my eyes, and oh God, it抯 infectious. 揑f we do this, my mom will plan it, or I抣l hire a planner. Anything you want, Nevermore, as long as you抮e mine.?
揑 want to elope,?I blurt out, pushing my hands into his.
揥hat??
揑 want to elope. Just us.?
He pulls me to him. 揗a will have my head on a silver platter if I deny her the wedding she抯 been planning for twenty years, but for you棓
Laughing, I push my hand softly in front of his lips.
揧ou swear you won抰 chicken out??I whisper.
He cups my face with his hand.
揇akota, if I don抰 show up to our wedding for any reason, I抣l be dead. And even then, I抣l probably come back and haunt your ass all the way to the honeymoon suite. Listen to me very closely.?
He takes the other side of my face softly, clasping my head in both hands. Smiling, I sigh.
揑. Cannot. Live. Without. You. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in a thousand years. Am I getting through yet? I need you like oxygen.?
My lips turn up. 揑 love you.?
揝o, is that a definitive yes??He presses his forehead to mine.
I wrap my arms around his neck and nod, sealing my agreement with a kiss that curls my toes.
Our lips are fused for what must be ten solid minutes before we slowly, breathlessly pull away.
揙nly you could convince me,?I whisper, finally looking down at that strange, yet magnificent ring on my hand that抯 starting to feel just right. 揙h, and I have a surprise for you!?
揧eah??
I bite my bottom lip. 揑t抯 kinda cool here. We should move closer to the fireplace.?
He side-eyes me so hard I laugh.
揥hat抯 this surprise??
揙nly one way to find out...?I walk toward the fireplace, motioning for him to join me.
Lincoln follows and grabs the back of my sweater. 揘evermore, you have no idea what you do to me.?
Heat pumps under my cheeks and I grin. 揑 think I have some idea.?
I pull my sweater off then, revealing a hunter-green teddy underneath.
His breath catches and he swallows hard.
揧ou抮e wearing lingerie under your clothes.?
I nod.
He traces the silk cup over my breast while his eyes stay on mine.
揟his color looks good on you, but so would a paper bag. Your eyes glow.?His voice is husky.
揧ou抮e still looking at my eyes??My lips quirk up.
He loops his fingers into the waist of my skirt and yanks me toward him.
揊uck no. They抮e hypnotic, but so is the rest of you.?His mouth comes to mine.
My fingers go to work, hot and nimble, undoing his shirt buttons.
His tongue slides across mine as his fingers rip down my gown.
He wraps his arms around me then, pressing me greedily against him, making me feel his hardness.
Holy hell.