“Yes.” The words were out immediately. There was nothing to think about when it came to Rylie, because he was right. I was just Luci, and he was just Rylie.
With a long-relieved breath, he pulled the ring out and put it on my shaking hand. My head was in his hands, and he was kissing me again. “Thank God.”
“You were worried I would say no?”
“I kept a huge secret from you for a year. So, yes, I thought you would walk out and I would never see you again. Instead, you sat on my lap and kissed me stupid.” He kissed me again, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him closer.
My alarm went off then, and I sighed. “I want to stay in bed with you. All day. Show you all the ways you are so very wrong. I want nothing more than to wake up in your arms every single day until my last breath, Rylie James.”
His phone pinged repeatedly with text messages then, and his eyebrows knitted when he checked them. A few texts flew back and forth, and he let out a heavy sigh.
“Need to take care of some things?” I asked.
“Yeah. You’ll be what, three-four hours? Done by lunch?”
I nodded. “That’s the plan. My meeting with Ray Henderson is at ten. Hopefully, he will sign the contract. Sam says he will if I agree to the position. Apparently, I’m part of the negotiations.”
“Ray Henderson? As in Henderson and Sons?”
“Yes?” He studied me for a long moment. “What is it Rylie?”
His mouth opened and closed a couple times before I raised my eyebrows at him and raised my left hand up, twinkling the ring on my finger. “Absolutely no secrets, Rylie James Allen.”
“That is the Henderson project you would personally oversee?”
“It is.” I drawled. “What is your connection to Henderson and Sons?”
“They are a pretty large client. More importantly, Ray Henderson’s son is Malk.”
“Malk is Malcom Henderson. How had I not put that together?” I smacked my forehead. They had been friends since he moved out here. Rylie and Malk had gotten closer after Harper’s death. It had really torn Malk up, too.
“You’ve seen pictures of him, Luce.” He chuckled. “Though I never use his full name. Let alone his last name. It never would have come up. Since I, ya know, hid the whole business side of my life from you for so long.”
I shook my head, but then I got to thinking, and I pressed my lips together.
“I know that look. You aren’t happy.” He stood before me and lifted my chin so I was looking at him. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“Our relationship is public now. It won’t be long before it breaks that we are engaged, because I’m not going to hide that. Yes, I want to protect our privacy, but let the world know that Rylie Allen is taken. Solidly taken.”
“Damn fucking right, he is.” He said, bending down and kissing me softly. “So fucking taken.”
I smiled, blushed slightly before sighing, “But I’m not going to have our relationship and my connection to you dictate things at work. I have worked very hard in this very male-dominated field to get where I am.”
“I won’t say anything to Malk before your contract is signed.”
“If he texts you to ask who the woman was on your arm last night?” I said teasingly, as I ran a finger down his bare chest to his bellybutton.
“He already has, and I’ve ignored him.” When I gave him a look, he pushed a few buttons on his phone and showed me a text chain.
Malk Henderson:
Who was that beautiful woman at dinner man?
Don’t you ignore me, fucker. Who was she?
I can’t believe you’ve kept a woman like that a secret.
How did you do it?
