Changing Roles

“Of course I meant it. I love you, Shelby. I want to marry you. I want you by my side at every event. I want kids and laughter and your smile across the table every day. I want it all with you.”

I sat back with a grimace. “I wanted to ask you all night. I was just so bloody nervous, I couldn’t.”

“So, you waited until we were…”

I looked down at OJ, who was still standing proud and erect, knowing Shelby’s pussy was inches away, and I huffed out a groan.

“Yes. OJ thought it would be more romantic if he got involved in the asking. Because nothing says romance more than a ginormous erection bobbing in your face when asking the woman you love to marry you.”

I was rewarded with a smile for my inane explanation, and I shrugged in resignation. “I cocked it up, Beaker.”

Her lips quirked as if she was trying not to laugh.

“Ginormous, Liam?”

“It’s a word.” I indicated my hard-as-steel erection. “And accurate.”

“Been saving that one for a while?”

Beyond glad she wasn’t furious at me, I grinned in relief. “A bit.”

Shelby sat up, her face close to mine. “Ask me again, Oscar.”

Relief, happiness, and pure joy tore through me as I reached over and grabbed the small box I had stuffed under my pillow, pressing it into her hand. I cupped her sweet, loving face, tenderly stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. “Shelby, my darling girl. I want you to marry me. Be mine. Let me be your life. You’re already mine.” I drew in a deep breath. “Please.”

She sighed, the sound low. “Yes.”

I opened the box and gently slid the ring onto her finger. It was still slightly swollen from the break, but the ring was perfect for her. The same way she was perfect for me.

“It’s beautiful.”

“So are you.”

Bright blue eyes shimmered in the dim light. “I love you.”

I pressed my lips to hers. “And I, you.”

We fell back onto the pillows as the kiss deepened.

“I think you have some unfinished business to attend to,” she whispered as she bit down on my earlobe, arching her body up into mine. She slipped her hands into my waistband, tugging it down with impatient fingers. “With your ginormous OJ.”

“Oh, baby, you are right. So bloody right about that.”

OJ wept for joy. He loved this woman.

She wrapped a leg around me, drawing me close to her warmth.

God, I loved this woman.The interview was almost done. It had been decent, and as if sensing her nervousness, Tony had mostly stuck to directing his inquiries to me first. The questions were fair, honest, and I answered them all in the same manner. I did get rather worked up over the issue of the paps and their intrusiveness in the lives of people, including myself. Shelby had to squeeze my hand more than once when we discussed the day of the “incident,” as Tony referred to it.

“You seem almost confused by the public’s interest in you.” Tony addressed Shelby.

“I am,” she admitted. “I don’t even understand their fascination with Liam.”

“He’s a celebrity.”

Shelby pursed her lips. “He’s an actor. That’s his job.” She lifted a shoulder. “He can’t really shoot a gun or fit his car into a tiny spot with some fancy brake work and the twist of a steering wheel. He doesn’t slide out of bed in the morning wearing a tux and walk around the house all day in character, quoting romantic lines and being funny.”

“What does he do?” Tony queried.

“What other men do. He wakes up and drives me crazy for most of the day, disrupting my schedule, wanting to be fed, asking where his glasses or keys are.” She met my gaze with a wink. “Stealing cookies or cupcakes when he isn’t supposed to.”

I leaned close. “I steal kisses too,” I murmured, brushing my mouth over hers.

Color flooded her cheeks, and she pushed me away. “The point is, he’s human. Not the characters he plays—he’s just Liam. Why it’s fascinating when he drives to the store or goes out on a date, I don’t understand. And I really don’t get the fascination with following me around the grocery store, seeing what kind of peanut butter he prefers.” She looked right at the camera and winked. “Jif, by the way.”

Tony laughed, and I joined him. “Shelby’s right. I’m an arse, and, frankly a bit of a git. It takes a lot of work to make me look smooth. According to Shelby, the suave thing is unattainable unless I’m acting.”

“You two certainly seem down to earth.”

Shelby lifted a shoulder. “We’re just two people.”

“There must be something special about him,” Tony urged. “Something that made you fall in love with him.”

“His heart,” Shelby replied promptly. “Liam has the biggest heart I know. And although he doesn’t slide out of bed wearing a tux, I love the smile he gives me when he wakes up.”