“Seriously, Brooks. I’m freezing.”
I smile back at him, drawing him into my arms. “Then how about I warm you up?”
His lips are cool as I capture them with mine. Mmm. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.
The way my stomach flutters when my lips touch his. The soft moans he makes as my tongue sweeps into his mouth. His hands fisting under my coat to keep me close.
The smell of pine is strong as we kiss. And kiss. And kiss. If only it weren’t so damn cold, I’d drop to my knees right here and show him just how much I want him.
How much I’ll always want him.
I pull back, but Charlie stops me. “No. Another minute.”
“Aren’t you cold?” I whisper against his lips between smallpecks. He tastes like the champagne cocktail he’s been sipping on all night.
“Not with you.”
Wind sweeps through the farm, rustling the pine trees. Charlie’s brown hair blows into his eyes. His eyes hold so much adoration for me, I know what I’m about to do will only scratch the surface.
The love I have for Charlie runs deep, so etched into me, that I don’t know how it can continue to grow, but it does. It’s a part of me. Knowing what he does for me every day is something I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay to him.
But it makes me want to. In a way I never thought I’d be able to do for him. Something I can thank Hunter for helping me through.
“Marry me.”
Charlie steps back. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Oh, I heard you alright. But marry you?”
I scoff. “Why do you sound so against the idea?”
“Because, and I quote, ‘I will never get married again, even if the world is on fire and it would save humanity.’”
I rub my hands together, trying to warm my fingers. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“You had some pretty choice words on marriage.”
“Hey, can you blame me? It was night one as a single man.”
That pulls a smile from Charlie’s face. “I remember. Because a short while later you and I got together.”
I drop my forehead to his. “Probably the best decision I ever made.”
Charlie presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Which is why I won’t make you marry me.”
“But what if I did change my mind?”
“You’re changing your mind on marriage?” Charlie sounds skeptical and I can’t blame him.
It’s cold. The snow is starting to seep into the hems of my pants and soak my socks. Doing this out here might not have been my best idea. “I changed my mind on you, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“And I changed my mind on marriage.”
Charlie’s fingers dig into my back, keeping me close. “But why? I know you agreed to think about it, but I’ve kind of come to terms with being with you like this.”
