Possessing Liberty (Claimed 1)

I grumble a protest, which makes him chuckle.

"Open them, Liberty."

I huff and then do what he wants. It takes a minute for me to peel them open. And then another for me to actually focus them. When I do, I blink. There are candles and rose petals everywhere, turning the bathroom into an oasis.

"Killian," I whisper.

"You like it?"

I nod, turning around on his lap until I can see his face. He's got it tilted down to me, my favorite smile on his lips.

"When did you do this?"

"Just now."

I blink at him, which makes that smile widen.

"You were out of it," he says, satisfaction glinting in his crystalline eyes. "Pretty sure you went to sleep on me." He cups my cheek, brushing strands of hair away from my face. "I got you something."

"You don't have to get me anything. This is perfect." It's more than that. God, the way this man loves me is incredible. Every day, I feel cherished. Every day, I fall deeper into love with him. It's been two weeks, but it feels like I've belonged to him for a lifetime.

"So you don't want this?" he says, reaching over to the side of the tub to grab something. He brings his hand up and turns it over, uncurling his fingers.

I gasp when I see the ring sitting on his palm. It's a solitary round diamond on a platinum band. It's gorgeous and so much bigger than any diamond I've ever seen outside of a movie. I lift my hand to touch it and then hesitate, not sure if I'm supposed to do that or not. I'm pretty sure he's asking me to marry him. Maybe I should wait until he says it first.

"Take it, baby girl," he says. "It's yours."

"Are you–?"

"Am I what?"

"Is this–?"

Amusement dances in his eyes and across his lips. He's laughing at me.

"You aren't very funny," I mutter, glaring at him.

He chuckles, reaching for my hand.

"You love me," he reminds me, slipping the ring onto my finger. It fits perfectly. "And you're marrying me."

I briefly consider teasing him since he's teasing me, but quickly decide against it.

"Okay," I say.

He cocks a brow, suspicious. "That was easy."

"I can say no if you want."

He growls at me.

"I want to marry you, Killian," I whisper, letting him off the hook. "I'm not saying no. I'm not even going to complain that you didn't even ask me. I'm just going to say yes. I love you. I love being with you. Yes, I'm marrying you."

"Fuck." He tips my head back, pressing a hard kiss to my lips.

I touch my tongue to his bottom lip, which makes him growl and deepen the kiss. My hands slide through his hair as I twist around on his lap until I'm straddling him. We kiss for a long, perfect moment before he pulls back to rest his forehead against mine.

"You're really going to marry me?"

"Yeah," I say, smiling. "I'm really going to marry you."

"Fuck," he whispers again, his eyes falling closed. "I love you, Liberty. Didn't think it was possible to be this goddamn happy, but with you, I am, baby girl. Every day, I'm happier than I ever have been before."

"I know," I whisper, running my hands through his hair again. "It's heaven, isn't it?"

"No."

"No?"

He shakes his head. "Being inside you is heaven. This is something else altogether. It's…"

"Home," I finish for him.

"Yeah," he agrees, his smile blinding. "This is home."