Still, it's a positive reply and I'm not one to say no to a bottle of champagne and our favorite food when my lovely boyfriend suggests it. We're sitting on our terrace, bathing in the scenery of the evening sunset, sipping on champagne and indulging in a lavish platter of sushi rolls.
I'm a little tipsy from the drink, and Ryan can tell when I cast him a giddy smile. He's looking so sharp in his sunglasses, the dark shirt stretching around his buff, chiseled physique as he lifts the glass up to his lips.
"I'm proud of you," he says, smiling at me.
"I have yet to actually make it," I remind him. "Finishing the degree, I mean."
He huffs.
"That will come easy for my doll," he says. "You've faced much bigger hardships before. Remember, you’re a warrior."
I cast him a grateful smile. "You mean like taming you?"
He laughs, shaking his head.
"That's not what I'm talking about," he objects. "And rest assured, there's nothing tamed about me. You'll be reminded once we're done here and I spank that little ass of yours until you beg me to stop."
He always says these naughty things with such nonchalance, as if he was talking about an innocent hiking trip we're about to take. The heat on my cheeks is no longer caused by alcohol alone. His words excite me, and I can feel the familiar tingling in my core every time he makes these promises.
"Let's just hope none of the boys at school flirt with me," I tease. "They might have to face the fury of my savage boyfriend."
He huffs and takes his sunglasses off, squinting against the setting sun as he rises. My eyes follow him, widening in surprise. Did I say something wrong?
“You’re right,” he says, facing the sun instead of me. “I shouldn’t feel safe having my beautiful doll run around campus footloose like that. Someone might want to steal you.”
He pauses, turning to wink at me over his shoulder, and I cast him a quizzical look.
"And then," he adds, walking over to me.
My breath catches when he stops in front of me, facing me as he drops down on one knee.
"They might have to face the fury of your savage fiancé," he says, producing a little black velvet box from the pocket of his pants. He holds it up to me and opens the lid, revealing a diamond ring with a twisted vine setting. It sparkles radiantly in the evening sun with such clarity that I'm almost blinded by it.
"Laura Brown, my doll, my savior, protector of my sanity and owner of my heart," he says. "Will you become mine for all the world to see?"
I'm dumbfounded. I did not see this coming, not at all. I just sit there, staring at this beautifully broken man, the man who's given me so much, the man who hasn't left my thoughts since the very first time I saw him. And all I want to say is Yes, Yes a thousand times! But my voice is failing me. I'm bereft of speech and don’t know what to do but sink down into his arms, marking my silence with a kiss that tells him everything he needs to know.
Yes! A thousand times, yes!
THE END
