I leaned in and kissed him slowly, his hand moving to my hair as he took over, dominating my mouth. I could have kissed him all night, but my exhausted body had other ideas. “You’ve broken me. I need a nap.”
“Okay. Get under the covers. I’m just popping to the bathroom.”
I wasn’t sure how long he was gone, but eventually, the bed dipped. He curled around my back, being big spoon, and took my hand in his.
“Jax, what are you doing?” He was pulling on my finger, making it feel weird.
“Nothing.”
I lifted my hand, trying to work out what was going on. “What the hell?” On my ring finger there was a beautiful square diamond ring on a thin gold band.
He moved my hair from my neck and nuzzled in, his hands cupping my breasts. “I know you. If I ask you right now like I want to, you will come up with a million reasons why we can’t—our ages, we’ve not been together long enough, what will people think, you’ve only just got divorced… It's why I didn't ask you tonight, in front of the whole town.”
My heart hammered in my chest, my eyes fixed on the ring that looked like it belonged on my finger.
“So instead, I’m not going to ask you yet… but that ring is staying there. You’re mine, Helen Fischer, soon to be HelenCartwright, and I’m not letting you go anywhere, but I want you to be ready to say yes. This is my compromise.”
I tried to twist to look at him, but he kept me firmly in place. “I just wear a ring—which is stunning, by the way—until I’m ready to get engaged?”
He sucked my neck in that spot behind my ear. “Yup.”
“And then what?”
“And when you’re ready to start planning a wedding, you say yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
He lifted my leg, placing it over his thigh, spreading me wide.
“And how do you know I’ll say yes?” My voice cracked as I spoke.
“Because I know you, remember?”
He edged his cock around my entrance. “Isn’t that right, future wife?”
“How are you hard again?” I giggled, sore but aching for him.
“Ah, one good thing about my dry orgasms. It means I can get hard again really quickly. Are you impressed?” He pushed inside me, his forehead falling against my shoulder as he moaned, while I had to fist the pillows to get used to this position.
“Yes.”
He rolled us and adjusted me so I was on my hands and knees, the ring glistening like a promise in front of me.
Jax leaned over me, his breath dusting my ear. “When you’re ready, I can’t wait to marry you. Now, be a good girl and keep that hand where I can see it, so we both know who you belong to.”
Kneading my arse cheeks, he rocked into me, giving me every part of him, and I was happy to spend a lifetime coming undone with him.
Epilogue
Helen – 14 months later
Jax stood on the stage, dressed in dark trousers, black shoes, and a light blue V-necked jumper under his suit jacket. The spotlight shone down on him, and the crowd clapped and cheered.
Pride filled my chest as he held the glass award in his hand and waited for the noise to die down. Jax had been surprised to hear that he’d won an award at thePride of Britain Awardsfor his contribution to charity.
News about his cancer had spread around town pretty quickly and he was asked to do a talk at the local school about testicular cancer and the need for teenage boys to learn how to check themselves and the signs to look out for.
