Tell Me You Crave Me (Search and Seduce 3)

“I may recall some vague memory like that,” she whispered, and leaned into his kiss.

“And then I asked you again an hour later when you kissed me in the kitchen.”

“Oh, yeah. You got down on one knee and everything. That was cute.”

“Twice, Natalie. Twice in one day, and every damn day I’ve asked you.”

“Yeah, but in fairness, if you hit your knees in front of me, I just assume you want me to wrap my legs around your shoulders.”

He nipped her earlobe. “I do. And I want you to marry me. So give me both.”

She sighed and continued frosting her cupcake while his hands slid around her waist and he kept kissing down her neck. He was making her hot, like he did every day, a lot more than twice a day. Since Matt’s wedding just over a month ago, Natalie had had a hard time keeping her hands off East. And neither of them seemed to care about anything but touching each other at any given moment.

It was awesome.

She’d never felt so wanted in her life. And she loved the hell out of this man. And everyone knew, and everyone supported them, and she couldn’t quite believe it. She was going to spend forever with him, but there was a lot on her mind, and making him work a little wasn’t a bad thing.

“You think this looks all right?” she asked East and held up the cupcake.

“It’s perfection. Just like every single one you make. And Leslie will love them.”

Natalie smiled. She’d come to an arrangement with Leslie McMann. Natalie had kept the rights to her cupcake recipes and supplied them as a secondary vendor to Leslie’s elite clientele. Business was booming, and Natalie got to stay where she was, doing what she loved.

“Oh, by the way,” East said, and kissed her neck again. “Marry me, baby. My life sucks without you.”

“I’m not going anywhere. And we’re hanging out now. This is nice.”

“Not enough. I want more.”

She turned to face him. “Oh yeah? How much more?”

“All of it,” he said with seriousness. “I want you. All the time. All of you. In every way.”

“You have me,” she said and kissed him softly.

“I have you as my love and my best friend. I want you as my wife, the mother of my children, my road trip buddy, and my bowling partner.”

“Is that all?” she said with amusement, but something in what he’d said made her pause. “You want kids someday?”

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course. The world needs more of you in it. But I’m telling you right now, I don’t have a clue as to what to do, but I am certified in infant CPR and watched this documentary on whales and their young and how like humans you’re supposed to just support them and teach them stuff and there’s these backpacks you can stick your baby in and just go hiking! So I can take the little thing with me everywhere. A baby backpack, best idea ever.”

She laughed and watched East’s eyes light up when he talked about forever and a family. With her. Like she was a prize and he was excited for their future. Like she was excited every day she woke up next to him.

“I love you,” she said, and kissed him. “Can you do me a favor?” she asked against his mouth.

“Anything, baby.”

“Can you marry me?”

He pulled back enough to look her in the eye. “Yes!” She smiled, and he hoisted her up and set her on the counter. “About damn time, woman,” he said, and then kissed down her neck as he lifted her skirt.

She laughed and kissed him and wrapped her legs around his waist just as he loosen

ed his belt and yanked her close to take him deep. Her whole body was on fire for him, and all she felt was the beat in his heart.

“Love you,” he said, kissing her like crazy and taking her body to the edge of bliss.

“I love you, too.”