Anthony plops down in a chair beside me with a long-suffering sigh, a cigar tucked in the side of his mouth. He claps my shoulder. “She’s happy.”
“The one who is getting hitched, or the one who is about to?” I drawl.
He chuckles. “Easy there, tiger. Hallie hasn’t said yes yet.”
Because I haven’t asked her. But I will, tomorrow. When we go back to Chicago and I show her the place I rented for her. A tattoo parlor in The Loop. Somewhere she can flourish and do her own thing. No better place to go down on one knee than in her own kingdom.
“She will,” I say with confidence.
“Probably.” He withdraws the cigar from his lips, sending a plume of smoke skyward. “She is crazy about you.”
As if sensing the conversation is about her, my girlfriend twists her head, peeks at us from behind her shoulder, and gives us that big Hallie beam that makes constellations light up in the sky.
“I will make you a very miserable man if you hurt her, son.”
“Sir.” A smile tugs at my lips. “If I ever hurt her, she’d hurt me back twice as hard. That’s why I’m marrying her.”
Hallie turns away, just as Anthony swivels toward me. He fingers the hem of my blazer, where my skin meets the fabric. “What’s that?”
Before I can answer, he pulls the blazer up, just enough to make the sliver of ink peeking from my tux reveal itself into a full-blown sleeve.
“She needed one hundred and fifty tattoos under her belt for her internship,” I say.
“And you decidedallof them would be done on you?” Anthony chuckles.
“Not all.” I smirk. “But most.”
Over a short period of time, Hallie has used me as her personal canvas. She carved my past, my present, and my future onto my skin. Faces and quotes and people who meant something to me over the years.
“She marked you.” Anthony gives me an appeasing once-over, like he is finally sold on me. About to make an offer on a horse.
I sit back and watch the love of my life as she becomes an integral part of her family.
“She didn’t need any ink to do that.”
BIG BELLS AND BEAUTIFUL BALLROOMS: HALLION IS GETTING MARRIED!
By Anna Brooks,Yellow Vaultcontributor
Hallie Thorne has given her image a makeover…and that includes a sexy, high-profiled bodyguard of a boyfriend. Or should we call him now…herfiancé?!
You heard it here first, Vaulters. Our dear socialite, our favorite party girl, is tying the knot! Check out this exclusive photo of Hallie and her beau, Ransom Lockwood, sharing an ice cream and a pretty hot and heavy kiss in downtown Chicago. Why, we never thought we’d see the day. One thing is for sure—if this girl could find her happy ending, then my dear Vaulters, I can assure you—so can you!
The End.
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This book is the fruit of much pain and reflection, and dealing with my own learning disability.
I would like to thank the numerous people who made it possible.
First and foremost, to my editors, Mara White, Tamara Mataya, Sarah Plocher and Paige Maroney Smith. Thank you for your guidance, patience, and attention to detail. I strive to become a better writer because of you.
To my sensitivity/kinkster reader, who wished not to be named, for your honesty, time, and sense of humor. You made the bad parts bearable.