Piper stirs when I push the rough wooden object down on her finger. Her eyes flutter open and she stares.
“What’s that?”
Unexpectedly, I find myself getting nervous. I had never doubted she wanted this as much as I did, but now, I start to second guess myself. What if I got it all wrong? What if she hasn’t yet fully forgiven me, and this brings back all the bad memories?
“It’s not much,” I hedge, “but I’ll get you a nicer one in Astley.”
“Whatisit, though?”
“It’s a ring, silly. Can’t you tell?”
She brings it closer to her and studies it more intently. “Now that you say so, I guess I can kind of see the passing resemblance. What’s the occasion?”
I grit my teeth. Does she really have no idea? Or does she expect me to spell it out?
Spying the wicked glint in her eyes, I realize it’s the latter. Taking a deep breath to summon up some courage, I pull myself away from her and kneel on the floor. She sits up a little and watches me.
She’s never looked so beautiful as now. The towel is parted just enough that I see her small breasts, still glistening with wetness. Her rapid breathing is making her chest rise and fall fast, and her long wet hair is plastered around her, the deep red color making her seem white and frail. Her face is a pattern of red splotches and freckles, and her green-blue eyes stare at me, unfocused. She quickly grabs her pair of glasses from her bedside table and fits them on the bridge of her nose. I can’t decide if she looks more beautiful with or without them. She looks beautiful no matter what.
“Piper Day,” I begin in an awkward cough, “I can’t say that I loved you from the first moment that I saw you. But, well, you definitely didn’t leave me indifferent.”
She crosses her arms, regarding me with the shadow of a smirk.
“Come on,” I interrupt myself with a groan, bringing my head down on her lap. “You know exactly what this is. Don’t make me say a whole speech. I don’t even know how I can put into words what you mean to me.”
“Try to,” she murmurs, her voice soft. “I want to hear you say it.”
I swallow with difficulty, then lift my head up slowly and squeeze her hands in mine. “Piper,” I say, looking into her sparkling eyes. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, you’ve been my obsession. There’s nothing else, no one else, only you. I know I’ve been cruel and I’ve hurt you. I would rip my own heart out before I hurt you again, and I will spend the rest of my life making amends. But I need you. I can’t envision my life without you. Will you marry me, Piper? No. I’m not asking, I’mtellingyou. You don’t have a choice. You have to—”
My words are cut off by a sudden kiss. Piper flings her arms around me and hugs me to her. “I don’t want a choice,” she mumbles into my mouth. “Make me your wife. Please.”
I sit back on the bed, hugging her to me. I’ve killed nearly one hundred men and women, but I’ve never done anything as hard as getting those words out. I’m shaking all over, and for once, Piper’s the one soothing me.
“Shh, Quill,” she murmurs, running her hands up and down my back. “It’s okay. I’m yours. I’ll always be yours. You own me.”
“Yes,” I breathe, stealing a kiss from her. “But not as much as you own me.”
Chapter 31
Quill
“The car’s here!”
I hear Josh call out those words from below. His voice is tense from nerves and anticipation. I know he’s worried. At the same time, there’s relief in his voice, too, now that the decision has been made to go home. I guess he does miss his family. And maybe he’s sick of feeling like a third wheel.
“Crap!” Piper jumps out of bed, letting the towel fall to the floor. “We haven’t packed, I’m naked, come on, Quill! Stop sitting there! Get moving!”
Instead of moving, I sit back in bed, stretching. “You pack. I’ll watch.”
“Oh, hell no! Just because we’re married now, doesn’t mean—”
“Married, huh?” I grin.
“We-e-ll, not yet, I guess.” She pauses, flustered. “I kind of got ahead of myself. When do you want to do that, Quill? Should we have a ceremony or—”
She’s standing right next to the bed. I hook my arms around her waist and pull her back down. She tries to resist, but she’s got nothing on my strength. One moment later, she’s toppling over, and I trap her body between my legs.
“You’re fucking beautiful.” I slide a hand over her breasts, over her taut stomach, the swell of her hips, then around her, gripping her ass. I don’t know how she manages to stay so slim and give the impression of being toned when I know how much she hates exercise. The only thing that betrays her lack of muscle is the feel of her. There’s no resistance when I grab her ass.My hands sink right in. But I like her this way. I’d like her any way. She could be one hundred pounds heavier and riddled in cellulite, I’d want to own her body just the same.