Vegas, Baby - Volume 2

As I parked my powder blue Mini Cooper next to Maddox’s black Dodge Challenger in the garage—since he left the door up for me—it reminded me of our differences. Then I walked into the house and saw all of my things mixed in with his, and it was a bit of an eye-opener too. My stuff was pastel and girly, while his was so masculine and dark. We really were opposites who barely knew each other, and now I was living with him. After one day...and we’d had unprotected sex.

My heart started to beat quicker, and my breath came in shallow pants, but then I spotted him standing at the kitchen counter and my panic eased a bit. He had a beer in one hand as he poured me a glass of white wine with the other. His piercing blue eyes darkened with need when his gaze landed on me.

As he set our drinks down on the counter and prowled over to me, I held my hands up in a gesture meant to ward him off. There was something I needed to know before I lost myself in him again. Before he got to close, I asked, “Why me, Maddox?”10MaddoxI halted in my tracks and stared at Ariel in confusion. “Excuse me?”

She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes darted away nervously before coming back to my face. “Why do you want me? We’re opposite in every way. I guess I just don’t understand what you see in me that makes you think I’m the right woman for you.”

My eyes narrowed, and I glared at her as anger bubbled to the surface. I quickly closed the remaining distance between us. She watched me warily but didn’t step back when I reached for her. I wrapped my big hands around her biceps and brought her so close that the tips of our toes were touching. I was so much taller than her that she had to drop her head back to look up at me.

It was a power move. I wanted her to understand that I meant what I said and to recognize that while I would always give her anything she desired; I was the one in control. “First of all, Ariel. I don’t think you’re mine, I know it. You’ve been mine since the moment you walked into my shop.” I slid my hands from her arms, up her neck, to cup her face. “As for why I want you. That list is never-ending. But I’ll hit the high points. Your brand of sunshine is addictive. It calls to me because you fill every dark corner of my life with light. You are everything I’m not, and that makes us perfect for each other.” I grinned and winked. “You’re also sexy as fuck.”

Ariel giggled, and her crystal blue eyes brightened. The smile dropped from my face, and I closed my eyes as I leaned my forehead on hers. I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. Then I lifted my head and locked my gaze with hers. “Even if those other reasons didn’t exist, there is still one that trumps them all. The reason I know you’re meant to be mine. That we are perfect for each other. That you are everything I have or ever will want.”

Ariel’s eyes had become wide and round as she waited. I wasn’t sure she was even breathing.

“The heart doesn’t lie, baby. And, I love you so damn much it feels as though it’s going to burst out of me every second of the day.” I whispered a soft kiss over her mouth. “You’re my forever, baby. Moving in, getting married, having a family, they are all part of our future. So, why wait?”

Tears had welled in her eyes and they spilled over, streaking down her cheeks. However, the joy brimming in them and the beautiful smile on her lips assured me that they were happy tears.

“I love you too,” she breathed.

“I know, baby,” I sighed as I released her face and stepped—only a few inches—away. “I was trying to come up with a perfect, romantic way to do this. You deserve all the cheesy shit, but I’m an inpatient motherfucker and I need to see you wearing this.” I dug into the right pocket of my jeans and pulled out the little box I’d shown Knox earlier in the day. I held it between us and flipped up the lid to show her the ring nestled inside.

Ariel stared at it as though it were the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. “Maddox, it’s—wow, it’s perfect.” She looked at me through her lashes and smiled sweetly. “It’s fast but…Yes!” she shrieked as she threw herself into my arms. I stumbled backwards with a laugh, holding her tightly to me.