Fighting Shadows (On the Ropes #2)(78)

I kissed him more deeply then moved to straddle his waist. “What if I want my birthday to be today?”

“Sorry. No can do.” He suddenly sat up, shifting me to the side as he scooted toward the edge.

“Where are you going?”

“Shopping. I just found out my girl has a fetish for suits.”

I chased him off the bed, catching him just before he was able to retrieve his crutches. “Well, then why don’t you let her enjoy this one? Then go shopping.” I dropped to my knees in front of him only to be lifted right back to my feet.

“Because torturing her with a day at the mall then f*cking her to sleep sounds like more fun.” He winked.

I would have argued, but it did sound like fun.

I could live with that.





Three weeks later . . .

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY,” I SAID, PULLING a little, black, velvet box from my pocket and placing it on the table after we’d finished lunch.

I’d wanted to take her somewhere nice, but in true Ash fashion, she’d picked a greasy burger joint with paper menus. It was her birthday though. If she wanted burgers and milkshakes, then damn it, I would make sure my girl got them.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, staring at the box as if I’d just unleashed a venomous snake. “I can’t open that.”

I nudged it a little closer. “Yeah, you can.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Flint.”

“Just open it.”

She shook her head and bit her lips.

“Ash, open it.”

“No!” she yelled. Then she pleaded, watching me intently, “Are you sure? Like, really, really sure?”

I grinned, pushing the box even closer. “I’m positive, Ash. Absolutely positive.”

She looked back down, sucking in a deep breath before extending a shaky hand to pick it up. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” I replied, waiting for her reaction as she slowly pried it open.

Staring down, with tears in her eyes, she exclaimed, “You *!”

I burst out laughing. “Ash, baby, we’ve been together for three months. Did you really think I was going to propose at a burger joint on your twentieth birthday?”

“No!” she snapped. Then she looked to the side and mumbled, “Maybe.”

I continued laughing but took her hand and lifted it to my lips.

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” she bit out, pulling the silver dog bone from the box. “What is this?”

“One step at a time, Speedy. I figured maybe we could get a dog until you’re old enough to legally drink at your own wedding.”

“Just so you know, there was no guarantee that I was going to say yes.”

“You cried.”

“So?”

I winked and pulled the box from her hand. “You were gonna say yes.”

She rolled her eyes then laughed. “I was totally going to say yes.”

“That’s really f*cking good to know for future reference.” I reached back into my pocket, and her eyes grew wide again. “Oh God, stop! It’s not a ring.” I revealed a small, pink collar and twisted the silver dog bone onto the loop.

Her shoulders fell, and I laughed all over again.

“I should not have started with that damn box. I had no idea that you would assume it was a ring.”

I’d known with one hundred percent certainty she would think it was a ring. Ash had found the engagement ring I’d bought her while she’d been snooping around my office at On The Ropes. I knew because she’d put it back in the box upside down and then spent the rest of the day tearing up every time she so much as looked in my direction. I got the best sex of my life that night. She rained I love yous over my entire body, focusing the majority of her attention on my cock.

I got hard from just thinking about it.

“I thought we could go pick out a puppy. I’ve never had a dog, and I figured maybe you’d want one. But . . . I mean, if you don’t—”

“No! I do. I really do,” she interrupted, snatching the collar from my fingers.

“Are you sure, because you didn’t seem too excited?”

Leaning over the table, she planted a kiss on my lips. As she tucked the empty box into her purse, she said, “Let’s go get a dog.”



I drove Ash to a pet store, where I had full intentions of buying her a small and fluffy lap dog—something yippy she could fawn all over. However, she refused to even go inside, stating that there were plenty of dogs at the animal shelter waiting for a new home. So, after a quick search on my phone, we were on our way to the adoption center at the local pound. Ash painfully paced up and down the rows of caged animals, apologizing to each and every one for not being able to take them home, before finally settling on the ground in front of a Chihuahua puppy. She sat there for several minutes, poking her fingers through the chain link and letting him chew on the tips.

“You want that one, baby?” I asked when she started to push to her feet.

She pointed to the dog next door. “No, I want that one.”

“No,” I said firmly even though I knew exactly how worthless it truly was.

“Yep.”

“No,” I repeated.