A Bad Boy is Good to Find(70)

He paused and took in a deep shuddering breath. “But now I’m in love with you…all the way.” His eyes shone. “You’ve given me back the ability to feel—to truly feel, the good and the bad.” He drew in a breath, hesitated. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to end each day with you in my arms. No pretense or trickery or lies, just you and me, together.”

She was still shivering. Her hand had flown to her mouth and tears glittered in her eyes. “You really mean it, don’t you?” She breathed.

“I do. I never lied to you, not in words. I love you, Lizzie, and I want you to be my wife.”

Lizzie stood there, hand pressed to her mouth. Finally she drew in a ragged breath. “You’re not the heir?”

Pain flooded his chest. Did it matter so much to her? “No. The DNA proved it. My mom was illegitimate or something. I found out this morning. It’s kind of confusing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” Strength roared through him at the sight of her, almost within reach. “I thought inheriting that big house made me good enough for you. Today I lost both you and the house. Losing the house was a blow, I won’t lie, but losing you?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

Lizzie stood there, fingers still pressed to her lips, tears dripping down her cheeks.

He crossed the room and took her other hand. Her soft skin on his was sweet relief. “You know what? I still think I’m good enough for you, money, or no money.” He held his chin high. “I may be an arrogant son of a bitch, cocky and quick to turn on the charm when it suits me, but I’m also smart, caring and hard working. I love you, and I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life. I can promise you that.”

Lizzie let out a choking sob. He grabbed her and held her close, her face to his chest, her tears warm on his shirt.

Emotion surged through him, painful in its intensity, as he stroked her lovely wild hair. “You will marry me, won’t you? Because I couldn’t stand it if you said no. No cameras, no fancy napkins, just you and me.” He breathed the words. “Just you and me.”

Lizzie looked up at him, eyes glittering with tears, her cheeks flushed bright pink. “Yes, I will. Of course I will. Did you really think I could say no?” She laughed, crying at the same time. “I’ve been a sucker for you since day one, I can’t help myself. I love everything about you. Your devilish charm, your bad-boy cool, your aristocratic sense of entitlement—” She blinked away tears. “The way you tell me I’m pretty like you really mean it—” She bit her lip, suddenly shy. “The way you like to cuddle after sex like a contented puppy—” Her smile sent pleasure rippling through him. “I’m awed by the way you know how to do everything—from eating an artichoke to picking a lock, and most of all…” She paused, eyes sparkling, “I love the way you’ve proved you really care about me, even when it’s inconvenient, expensive and embarrassing.”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, and they kissed until he couldn’t breathe. His happiness was so intense he didn’t know how to handle it. Stripping off Lizzie’s clothes was a good start.

He unbuttoned her flimsy blouse and unhooked her bra, worshipping her warm, fragrant body with his lips and tongue and pressing his face and fingertips into her satiny softness. He eased down her white cotton bikinis, his breathing audible as his tongue yearned to taste the honey sweetness of her sex.

As he buried his face between her thighs, Lizzie moaned his name and made his joy even more incandescent and explosive.

She helped pull off his clothes, and they fell to the bed, half blind with desire. They made love with total abandon and a tremendous amount of noise until they both lay panting, sweating and holding each other with fierce affection.

“Do you think we can get married today?” he said. “Before any other crazy shit happens?”

“We can try,” she whispered, grinning from ear to ear. “But I’ll marry you just as happily tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day…” she punctuated her speech with kisses that made his skin tingle and his cock harden—again. Lizzie wriggled against him, ready to start in on round— Three? Four?

A harsh rap on the door startled them out of frenzied kissing. They froze, naked on the bed, the sheet long gone. Con tore himself away from Lizzie and groped around for the sheet. He found it hanging off the far end of the bed and drew it up over them.

The knock came again. “Hey, Con, it’s Danny.”

“Um, Danny, we’re kind of indisposed.”

“Yeah, I figured. But it’s Maisie. She won’t quit calling.”

“Whose fault is that?” Con winked at Lizzie as they both shook with silent laughter.

“She’s not calling for me, big brother. She has to talk to you about something. It’s urgent.” The last word was a credible imitation of Maisie’s clipped tones that made Con chuckle. “Could you do me a big-ass personal favor and call her back before she drives me out of my mind?”

“Ask him in,” whispered Lizzie. “He’s practically my brother-in-law.” Her eyes shone. He planted one last kiss on her nose before diving for a towel and opening the door.

Danny came in looking very large and very shy.

“Hi, Danny. Thanks for driving Con here,” said Lizzie cheerily.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you two made up. I didn’t want my brother to be miserable for the rest of his life.” He grinned. He handed the phone to Con. “I swear, she’s called, like fifteen times in the last two hours.”

“Two hours? We’ve been here that long?” asked Con.

Danny just looked at him, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Con ran a hand through his very tousled hair. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem.” Danny kept a straight face as he handed Con the phone. “I’ll be out in the truck.” He winked at Lizzie, and exited.

Con hit call back. Maisie answered on the first ring with a curt, “Yes?”

“It’s Con.” He stretched out on the bed next to Lizzie, letting his hand wander into her soft hair.

“Conroy, thank God. There’s been a development.”

“Yeah?” He feathered a kiss on the tip of her chin. Her parted lips were swollen and rouged from kissing, inviting him back for more.

The phone kind of drifted away from his ear as Maisie launched into some detailed story about something, and Lizzie’s hand slid under the towel. Her fingers closed around his hardening cock.

“Conroy! Are you there?” The high-pitched sound of Maisie’s voice made him bring the phone reluctantly back to his ear.

“What?” he rasped. Talking was uncomfortable in his current state of arousal.

“Did you hear a word I said?”

“Yeah,” he lied, “Sure.” His breathing became labored as Lizzie’s hand teased him.

“So you’ll come right back now to sign the papers?”