“What . . . ?”
He nuzzled the side of her face, making her melt. “You should marry me.”
The ring twinkled menacingly in the low light, like a distant star that brought the promise of eventual heartache. She loved him, but what would happen if he got sick or died? It would kill her. But then again, not having a ring wouldn’t make losing him easier.
“Isn’t there a rule saying you can’t ask girls important, life-altering questions while you have them bent over the hood of a stolen car?”
“Hmm. I forgot to check Miss Manners for that one.” His hips moved lazily, and he thrust into her a few times, making her groan with pleasure and forget about the lifetime proposition that hovered inches from her nose. When he stopped again and her eyes focused, she realized he was waiting for an answer.
“I’m not answering you like this.” She tried to turn, to see his face.
He pulled out of her then flipped her over. This was the most undignified proposal ever. She yanked her dress back down and pulled up his jeans.
Now that she could see his face, look into his eyes, she gave the question some real thought. The whole thing was surreal. Who proposed like this? She’d never be able to tell anyone this story. They’d have to come up with a fake one.
As she stared at Fox, she realized he was holding his breath. As if he were waiting for the most important thing in his life. As if she held the key to his happiness.
She smiled, realizing that although this was unexpected, there was nothing in the world she wanted more.
“Yes,” she said, beaming up at him.
He exhaled then grinned back.
“I love you, and I can’t imagine living without you.”
She rose up on her toes and kissed his sexy mouth. He murmured a response while kissing her hungrily. Something about loving her too.
Abruptly, she pulled away and gave him a stern look. “However, if you’re planning on posting this proposal to YouTube later, I’m safewording that shit right now.”
He chuckled. “It would probably go over better on a kink site, but hey, at least I untied your arms.”
“And they say romance is dead.”
“I organized a flash mob, but they must have gotten lost.” He peered around them then shrugged.
Laughing, she held out her hand and he picked the ring up and slid it onto her finger. It was a little too big, but not a bad guess.
After he put it on, he kept her hand in his and watched her face. “I never planned on getting married. I always thought it would be Luke or Atlas who’d settle down while I focused on running the business until I was old and grumpy like my uncle.” He chuckled. “But lately . . . I’ve been worried that if I don’t hurry up and marry you, you’ll realize you can do way better than the likes of me.”
She snorted but felt flattered at the same time. “So you’re saying the ring is just another way to trap me?”
“It’s better than chaining you in my dungeon.”
She wasn’t so sure about that.
“We don’t need to be fancy or conventional.” He wasn’t the only one who’d never thought he’d end up married. To her, marriage had always been just another way to be trapped. To end a future full of freedom and opportunity.
“I know, but I want it to be official. I want a tacky wedding with our family there and crappy catering, and my uncle drunk dancing on the table. I want everyone to know we’re permanent.”
Her grin was so big her cheeks were starting to hurt. “That sounds . . . pretty fucking perfect.”
Fox reached down and pulled her to sit on the hood of the car. Then he kissed her and she felt every ounce of his love poured into it.
She’d always thought marriage would result in a boring, dead-end life, but with Fox, even marriage felt like an adventure. Their relationship was a high she could see herself riding forever.
And she never wanted the buzz to end.
Acknowledgments