“Gonna fucking marry you, Valerie. Marry you for real,” he snarls, his thumb flicking over the black pearl on my finger. “Gonna live to see this shit in family photos. Gonna make this family a whole lot bigger with you.”
I don’t even have a prayer.
I’m thrashing back against his tight abs, ass charging into him, love, love, loving how he pins me down so hard as his cock swells and pours its heat into me.
I think Flint Calum comes out half his soul with a roar that could rend the sky in two.
I know I do, gasping and rubbing, exploding from the inside out, locked in this sweaty, seething mess with the man, the hero, the husband I want in my life forever.
“Fucking aye,” he gasps, falling down on the bed beside me after he pulls out. “That was damn near deadly.”
“Not quite. We found out you’re still built like a steel pipe wrapped in velvet. I wouldn’t call that deadly,” I say, kissing him deeply, grabbing his cock and rubbing gently as he groans. “That was living. And if you meant half the stuff you said, I’m yours.”
22
String of Pearls (Flint)
Living.
That’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the day Cash brought Val to my house several months ago. I didn’t have a clue I was about to get whacked upside the head in the best damn way.
She’s already given me and Bryce ten times what we give her back, but I want more.
I want forever.
Just like I told her that night our glad-we-didn’t-die monkey sex pulled it out of me.
Val wants it, too.
I sincerely hope she does, judging by the fact that she’s never taken off the ring I gave her while we played pretend. But I’m old enough to know there’s only one way to get an answer out of a woman.
Ask.
For the first time in my life, I have butterflies—fucking butterflies—in my stomach.
Yeah, that’s a hell of a thing for a former SEAL to admit.
Good thing I’ve fessed up and made peace with plenty of other things since Val.
Truth is, honesty feels just as good.
“Everything’s loaded up in the truck, Dad!” Bryce says, closing the garage door. “Where’s Valerie?”
“Putting on her swimsuit.” I grab my keys off the counter. “Did you pack sunscreen?”
“Sure, but you know Grandma. She’ll be handing it out by the gallon.” He grins and walks over to the kitchen, glances down the hall, then turns back to me and whispers, “Don’t worry. She’s gonna say yes. I just know it!”
I lean down, giving his shoulder a manly squeeze. We had the heart-to-heart talk last week, when I told him my intentions. My boy not only gave me his stamp of approval, he gave me an idea for how to pop the question.
“Thanks, kiddo,” I whisper. “I think so, too. We’ll find out soon enough.”
“What are you two whispering about?”
We both look down the hall. Val stands there in a bright-yellow sleeveless dress pulled over her swimsuit and a floppy white hat, her hands on her hips.
Her tanned legs instantly hound me to get this show moving.
The sooner it’s done, the faster they’re wrapped around my very lucky ass forever.
“Oh, just guy stuff.” Bryce nudges me with an elbow. “Right, Dad?”
“Right. All set?”
“You know I am,” she says, striding forward with a luscious toss of her hair. “We’d better head out; your mom will be waiting.”
I wave them both toward the garage door.
This is all Bryce’s idea. I’d thought about taking Val to a nice restaurant, just the two of us, but because this impacts his life, too, he was full of ideas. And when he mentioned the beach…
Hell, I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more perfect place.
“You’re going to love this beach, Valerie,” Bryce says as we’re backing out of the garage. “It might be your favorite one in all of Hawaii after today.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“Just ’cause,” he says, giggling into his hand, giving me a knowing wink in the mirror.
“Right, Bud,” I answer, and wink at Valerie.
She laughs and asks Bryce questions about the beach as we drive over to my ma’s house and pick her up. Thankfully, she doesn’t know what I’ve got planned, at least not yet.
I’m sure Bryce will fill her in the second he gets a chance.
“I’m so glad you’re coming with me today,” Ma says. “Alice Gomez said she found a gold ring and ten bucks in change when she brought her metal detector to this beach last week.”
“Got my detector in the back!” Bryce says.
“Have you ever gone treasure hunting, Valerie?” Ma asks.
“No, I haven’t, but it sounds like fun.”
“Oh, it’ll be fun all right,” Bryce says, his grin growing wider when he catches my eyes in the mirror.
* * *
By the time we get to the beach, it’s obvious my ma knows something’s up.
She’s practically bouncing on her heels and hugs Val as soon she steps out of the truck. Then she leans close to me and says, “Pick a nice spot.”