“I don’t need a ring,” she burbles against my finger.
“But I do. I need that diamond on your finger until you take my last name, and then I need that band to prove to the world you’re a taken woman.”
I remove my finger from her lips and dig in my back pocket, finding the ring I picked up this morning.
“That night in the hospital, you asked me if I was scared when we were taken, and I told you no. But what I didn’t tell you is that the only time I allowed myself to get anxious was when I thought about not coming home to you. I made a vow that wasn’t going to happen. You already said yes, but I want to hear it again. This time, I’ll even ask.
“Emerson Leigh, will you marry me?”
Her lips start to quiver, and she closes her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. When she opens them, they are twinkling a bright shade of amber. “The answer will always be yes. You can ask me, tell me, order me—whatever you want. The answer will always be yes.”
I take her hand and slide the ring on, kissing the base of her finger where it sits. She holds her hand in the air, staring at it, her smile growing wider by the second.
“I was so wrong. I need this ring on my finger.”
I lean in to kiss her again, sweeping my tongue over her lips before slipping it in her parted mouth. My hand glides up her side, bringing her shirt with it, until I reach the curve of her breast and flick my thumb over the piercing. Her nipple hardens instantly.
“We can’t,” she murmurs on my tongue.
“Why the hell not?” I tear away mid-stroke.
“Sweetie, you can’t have sex. You’re injured.”
“I’m not fucking dead. My dick works just fine.” I thrust into her hip to prove my point.
She giggles and cups my cheek, her eyes now shining mischievously. “One condition.”
“There are no conditions.”
“I do all the work.” She licks her lips suggestively, and my cock lurches in my shorts. The implication of her mouth on me is all it takes for the aching to begin.
“I’d be an idiot to turn you down.”
She curls up and whips her shirt over her head, exposing her naked chest. My eyes instantly gravitate to her nipples that are taunting me with those sexy barbells.
Her hands glide to the hem of my shirt where she inches it up slowly, kissing every inch of flesh not covered by the bandages. When she reaches my armpits, I help her by ripping it off and tossing it behind us. Her mouth trails back down, her tongue making a lazy path of circles until she hits the waistband of my shorts.
My dick starts to pulse in anticipation when her hooded eyes capture mine with a wicked gleam. “Remember, I’m doing all the work.”
“No arguments here.”
Chapter 28
Emi
“I’m sleeping with Marcus,” Maren announces as casually as if she was telling me she’s going to the mall.
I’m so stunned, I choke mid-swallow, spewing water everywhere. “What?” I cough out.
“I’m. Sleeping. Wi—”
“I heard you, but when did this happen?”
“It happens a lot, but if you’re referring to when did it start, the night we brought Walker back to Charleston.”
“That was three weeks ago!”
“I know.” She sighs guiltily.