Big Man's Bride (Big Men Small Towns 1)

Realizing I haven’t told her how I truly feel in response to her beautiful words, I raise my head. “Aside from not being embarrassed by you, there are a couple of other things that you need to know.”

“Oh?”

“Being with you, just around you, makes me appreciate things more. I look at things and wonder what you would think, and then I’m thinking about them from an entirely different perspective. You have more passion—even for small details—than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. The way you fought for this house, and sacrificed what you thought you wanted for it. It’s not something I’m sure that I could have done if the roles were reversed.

“But probably most importantly, being with you makes me want to be a better person. You make me imagine a life. An entire future. And at first, I just thought that being around you was bringing into focus what I really wanted. But then I realized that you were a part of that future, too. That it wouldn’t even exist if you weren’t in it.”

Ally’s eyes are glassy with tears, and I roll off her, grabbing her hand and taking her with me as I sit up and get off the bed. We’re completely naked, and I probably look ridiculous, but I get down on one knee.

“This isn’t the way I imagined myself proposing to anyone,” I admit, “but I don’t want to keep you waiting for a perfect set-up, because to me this is the perfect moment.”

Reaching for her hand, I slip the wedding ring off her finger, and I hold it up to her. “Ally, I love you. I am in love with you. I want to spend my life with you, in this house, if you’ll have me. I want to meet your grandfather and get to know him. Because if he raised you, then I know that he’s an incredible person. I want to take you on the honeymoon of a lifetime. And most of all, I want you to tell me to tear up those contracts that we signed so that they no longer mean anything.

“Will you stay married to me? After the month is up?”

Ally has tears rolling down her cheeks, and then she’s laughing. “Of course I will,” she says as I push the ring gently back onto her finger. It’s still loose. “I’ll stay married to you always.”

“It won’t be easy,” I say. “Not with my family and not with the attention that we’ll get.”

She’s looking at her ring with a new kind of wonder. “Well, the entire country has already seen me nearly naked, so I think I’ll be okay.”

I grin. “I’m so happy to be with you. I’m going to get this ring sized so it fits you perfectly, or buy you another one if you don’t like it. And by you a proper diamond ring.”

Ally drops to her knees wish me, kissing me. “Don’t you dare take away my ring. I love it. But I’ll let you size it so it fits. And I don’t need a diamond.”

“You’re right,” I say, standing and lifting her into my arms so I can carry her back to our bedroom where she belongs. “You need several. Lots of diamonds.”

“Caleb!” She smacks me lightly. “I don’t need diamonds.”

I can’t keep the smile off my face. “Well, now that we’re staying married, there’s no way that my parents can hold back the inheritance from me. So what are we going to do with all that extra money? Buying my new bride some beautiful new jewelry seems like a solid way to go.”

We tumble onto the bed together, and Ally laughs. “I’m sure we can find something to do with the money. After all, I am an accountant.”

“That’s true. A very sexy accountant.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

Her hand creeps between my legs, and my cock stirs under her fingers. “You make me feel like a teenager, Mrs. Staunton,” I say. “I just can’t seem to get enough of you.”

“Is that what I am?” she asks. “Mrs. Staunton?”

“If you want to be. I won’t lie, I kind of like you having my last name.”

Ally sighs, still absently stroking my cock, which I’m pretty sure is going to drive me insane. “I don’t know. If I’m a Staunton, doesn’t that mean I’m going to instantly turn into a terrible bore?” She puts on a fake accent. “A horrible rich snob?”

“One night of begging for orgasms would get the snobbery right out of you.”

“Is that so, Mr. Staunton?”

Deep, possessive lust rushes through me. “Yes it is. I’ve found my new wife to be very responsive to things like that. Turns out it’s the only way I can get her to shut up.”

Her eyes flash with humor. “Well, husband, you’ve taught me a few things.” She shimmies down the bed and swallows my cock in one motion that makes me harder than a rock and completely fucking blind. Shit.