I don’t need to think.The answer leaps to my tongue without hesitation.
“Yes.Yes, I’ll marry you, Sebastian Sterling.I love you,” I vow.
He’s my safety.My control.My place of belonging.I want everything with him.
He slips the engagement ring onto my finger and takes my mouth in a hot, searing kiss.
A small sound of complaint escapes my throat when he pulls back.
“Put a ring on my finger before I get jealous, sweet pea,” he growls.
I quirk a brow.
“Men don’t wear engagement rings,” I say.
“I do.I want the world to know I belong to you.”
He lifts a second case, and sure enough, a masculine version of my ring sits inside.My hands shake as I take it from its pillowed bed and slip it onto his finger.I kiss his thick knuckles and scowl at the abrasion on the side of his hand.
“If I were a braver woman, I’d scold Mr.Carter for hurting you,” I say.
“Then I’m glad you’re not a braver woman.That old man tossed me around like I was only half his weight,” he chuckles.
He closes his fist around my forearm and tugs me forward.I hiss as my new piercing gives a delicious, throbbing burn.His wicked smirk as he wraps his arms around me and leans so close his breath warms my upper chest nearly makes me cream all over the table.Even with the elevated table and him on his knees, our height difference renders his head only a few inches below mine.I shiver and curl my fingers into the collar of his shirt.
“Plus, my pipsqueak deserves all the love and protection in the world.I’m happy you have Mr.Carter looking out for you.Same for Peter,” he rumbles.“And now you have my ma and nana alongside your parents.You never have to suffer in silence again, sweet pea.Understand?”
The tightness in his voice matches the vice gripping my throat.I nod and force myself to swallow.
He seals his vow with a kiss so soft and emotional tears of wonder stream down my face.I enjoy the silky strands of his hair between my fingers and the hardness of his body between my legs, and even as he pours his love and devotion into me, my core aches for his invasion.
With slow reluctance, he pulls his face back from mine and wipes my tears away with his thumbs.
“No more crying or they’ll think I’m being mean to you.How long will it take for the piercing to heal?”
Disappointment flows through me as I realize I won’t have the pleasurable stretch of his cock inside me until my piercing heals.
“Four to six weeks,” I grumble.
At my pout, he gives a tortured chuckle and braces his arm around my back.With the slightest dip of his head, he teases his lips back and forth over the flesh above my collar.
“Don’t worry, sweet pea, I’m too addicted to you to keep my hands off you for that long.There are so many things I want to do to you,” he growls.
Liquid desire puddles under me.I huff and tug his hair.
“Stop talking dirty.You’re making a mess.Let’s go home,” I say.
His smile melts my heart.
“I’m already home, Penelope.Wherever you are, that’s where I’m meant to be.”
A shudder wracks through my soul and spreads outward to my body, causing a ripple of sensations.I trace his masculine features, avoiding the scrapes on his cheek, and clear my throat before I can speak.
“That’s how I feel, too,” I admit.“But this isn’t the place to continue.”
He sighs and nuzzles my breasts.
“You’re right, sweet pea.Just give me a minute to enjoy this and then we’ll go.”
