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“Oh, God. A cocktail sounds so good right now,” I replied as he entered my space. “But the cock without the tail also sounds good.”
“You are so bad, Howler,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
“No. I’m that good, and you know it.”
“I have something to ask you, but I want to head back to the squad room first.” He cupped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me into a kiss. It was relaxed and passionate, and I felt his length slide against mine as I grabbed his ass with my good hand. The cast was a hindrance, and I hated not being able to match what my right hand was doing on his muscular butt, but I made do as best I could.
“If we keep this up, we risk getting caught,” I said heatedly against his mouth.
He stepped back and adjusted his semi-hard cock. “The perils of a large dick,” he complained with a grin. It made me laugh, knowing how he tucked himself for drag performances.
“Think baseball and cold showers,” I added with a giggle as I adjusted myself as well.
“You mean football and cold showers,” he replied teasingly.
“I forgot. Baseball was my thing. Yours was football.”
“Come on. Let’s get back to the squad room,” he replied, giving me a quick peck on the nose.
“What did you want to ask me?”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
His evasiveness drove me crazy. He had a way of drawing things out, either by teasing or trying to make a point. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes I was tired and wanted to go home. I must have hinted at my frustration when I let out a loud sigh, making him glance at me with a smirk.
He led me out of the interrogation area, and once we were in the hallway, he intertwined his fingers with mine. I found that even more shocking because he’d never shown any attempt at public displays of affection with me around the men and women of the precinct. My instinct was to break contact, but when I tried, he tightened his grip.
Keeping my voice low, I said, “Jonesy, what are you doing?”
He kept walking, and when we reached his desk, I looked around at a few of his fellow officers, none of whom seemed to notice we were holding hands. Captain Davis was talking to two other detectives nearby and gave us a quick glance. I’d always wanted touch from Jonesy, but now I was the one who felt self-conscious in his environment. Sean walked up after handing Dash off to booking. He smiled when he saw our fingers interlocked.
“I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago,” Jonesy finally said, letting go of my hand and pulling open the top drawer of his desk. He reached in and pulled out a small, black velvet box. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I kept my mouth shut. I looked at Sean, who winked at me.
It was as if the entire squad room vanished as I watched Jonesy go to one knee. Only the ringing of a telephone in the background reminded me we weren’t alone. The squad room fell silent as he held out his left hand to take mine. The black box was clutched in his right as he tumbled it in his palm, staring at it. Then his eyes met mine, and he spoke.
“Craig, we’ve spent the past three years together, and given what’s happened over the past couple of weeks, I’ve realized I want us to spend many more years together. I know my past actions, or lack thereof, when we were together made you feel unseen or ignored in public, but you’re the best thing that could ever have happened to me. I love you so damn much. It’s been cowardly and inexcusable that I couldn’t show my feelings to you publicly. That changes now.”
His words pulled at my heart, and I was stunned into silence. My throat tightened as he spoke. Unshed tears made the room blurry, but I was so focused on him it didn’t matter. Was it really happening in front of everyone at the precinct?
He continued. “I want everyone to know how crazy I am about you. You’ve enhanced my life more than you’ll ever know. I just hope you can forgive me for my stupidity and cowardice all this time. I want you by my side always, and I hope you feel the same way.”
He paused, looked down at the black jewelry box, and opened it to reveal a wide, textured gold band that reflected the light off its hammered facets. He brought his gaze back to mine.
“This band symbolizes what you mean to me. The gold is for how pure and steadfast your love has been. The titanium channel in the middle is for your resilience and how tough you are. The ring’s hammered surface embodies the ups and downs we’ve been through, and the imperfect trials that we’ll face together.”
My hand had found its way to my mouth, covering my lips, which trembled uncontrollably. A single tear slipped from my eye as I shut them tightly. That moment was what I had long dreamed of, even though I’d never expected it. I sniffled and looked back down at him.
“Craig Bannon, would you do me the honor of being my husband?” he said, smiling from ear to ear with glassy eyes.
The rest of my tears fell as I nodded and, without hesitation, said, “Yes.”
The precinct erupted in applause and cheers as he stood to place the ring on my finger. Luckily, my cast kept my fingers free, giving him easy access to settle the ring on my left ring finger. It fit perfectly, and of course my first thought was how in the hell did he know my ring size? I took in its brilliance before pulling him in to seal his proposal with a deep kiss.
“Well, it’s about friggin’ time,” Davis expressed, standing a few feet away. We laughed into each other’s mouths and drew back. His fellow officers and detectives continued clapping and congratulating us as we looked around the room.
“Oh, God…are you crying?” Jonesy said, turning to face his partner.
“Shut up,” Sean barked through happy tears.
