“It’s okay.” He rested his hand on my thigh, rubbing his fingers in soothing circles against my skin. “Continue.”
I wiped off the blood, feeling Michael’s gaze all over my face. When I finished, I excused myself to grab an ice pack from the fridge. My throat felt tight, and I wanted to cry again because what had happened to Michael was my fault. But I knew he’d tell me it wasn’t.
When I returned from the kitchen, Michael sat on the couch with an unreadable expression on his face. It looked to be a mixture of worry and uneasiness and fear. I sat down beside him again and placed the ice pack on his eye.
He watched me, focus traveling around my entire face.
I gave him a tense smile. “So—”
“Don’t,” he said before I could even finish. “It wasn’t your fault, and you’re not taking the blame for it. I would do it again if I had to. I’d do anything for you.” He paused for a moment, placed the ice pack on the coffee table, and grabbed my hands. “I planned for this night to be special for you—for us—but every time I want it to be, something always fucks it up.”
I frowned at him and went to brush a strand of hair off his forehead, but he held my hands tighter.
“These past few months, you have shown me what real strength is. I love every piece of you—the way you smile, your laugh, your tears, your resilience. I have fallen completely for you, Mia.”
My heart raced, my entire body feeling so warm and bubbly. Despite how disgusting I’d felt earlier, Michael seemed to wash it all away. He always made my life better, could always make me smile, make me laugh, make me feel as if a man could really and truly care for me, even in my darkest times.
He pushed his hand into his pocket, pulled out a small leather box, and knelt on one knee. My heart pounded even harder.
He took my hand. “Marry me, Mia.”
CHAPTER34
MIA
Istared down at him, then at the ring. Oh my God … Michael was asking me to marry him. This wasn’t real. I must be dreaming. This whole night must’ve been one big dream.
“Michael,” I whispered, grinning, “are you serious?”
“Yes, Mia,” he said, clutching my hand. “I want to marry you.”
Overcome with so many emotions, I choked out a raspy, “Yes!” I flung myself into his arms, nearly knocking him down, and wrapped my arms so tightly around his neck, refusing to let go. “Oh my God. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!”
He chuckled into my hair and pulled me tighter, standing up with me in his arms. When I finally pulled away just enough, he grabbed my hand and pushed the ring right onto my left ring finger. I stared at it in awe, then at him with love.
My heart pounded in my chest. This was real. Michael had proposed tome. I hugged him so close again.
“Now, as long as you don’t mind a man with a bruised eye taking you to bed, I’d rather finish this night on a better note.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer, kissing him.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressed my breasts against his chest, and kissed him back—hard. “I don’t mind,” I whispered against him.
Picking me up, he walked toward the bedroom, cradled the back of my head in his hand, and laid me on the bed. His lips moved from my mouth down the column of my neck, leaving hot and needy kisses. I ran my hands all over his body, tugging his shirt over his head and kicking off his pants.
He continued to kiss down my body, between my breasts, down my abdomen, up my inner thighs, taking off all my clothes in the process. Lying between my legs, he dipped his head and placed his hot mouth on my pussy. I interlocked my fingers with his, and he started to leisurely eat me out.
My back arched, and I grasped his fingers tighter. Delight rushed through my body as the tension built in my pussy. I moaned out as his tongue moved in circles around my clit.
“Michael,” I whispered.
He pushed a finger inside of me, then another. My pussy tightened around them.
“Michael, please, I need you.”
He kissed back up my body, sucking on my nipple and grabbing my tits. I tightened when the head of his cock brushed against my aching pussy. He pressed his lips to mine in one lingering kiss, then pulled away.
“Please,” I begged, needing him more than anything.
He rested his forehead against mine and slowly pushed himself inside of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him toward me. As soon as I kissed him, he pumped in and out. His lips devouring mine. His tongue slipping into my mouth.
