Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(79)

His feet hit the floor in the bedroom. I could hear him stretch, and I knew exactly what that looked like. All those pretty muscles on display. I loved that view. And because of a stupid ring I was in here missing it.

I think I hated that ring.

When his gaze hit me, I lifted my head from my cup of coffee and looked at him. The frown on his face wrinkled his brow. “Why are you in here?” he asked with his husky sleepy voice.

I had lied to him all week and told him I was fine. It wasn’t fair to either of us. The ring was ruining things.

“I found the ring,” I blurted out, wishing I had thought that one out better.

His frown deepened, like he wasn’t sure what I was talking about. The moment understanding hit him, I saw it transform his face.

“I was cleaning. I wasn’t snooping. I just . . . We tend to lose my panties and bras and nighties when you throw them. And your socks. I was checking behind furniture and under the bed . . .”

Krit let out a frustrated growl and ran his hand through his messy bed head. “When did you find it? Is that what’s been wrong with you all week?”

He wasn’t denying that it was meant for Jess. He wasn’t telling me it was mine. He was upset. The look on his face was one of concern and maybe fear. Not good.

“Yes. It’s been a week. But”—I held up a hand—“it’s okay. I think I just needed to tell you. I’m dealing with it. Sure, that’s not easy to swallow, but I will. That was before my time.”

The confusion on his face was followed by “What do you mean, before your time?”

I didn’t want to talk about this, but it was good for us. We could discuss it and I could put it behind me. “I’m assuming it was for . . . Jess. She was before, uh . . . me.”

Krit’s nose scrunched up in a look that said he thought I’d lost my mind. Had there been another girl? One he hadn’t told me about? One he had loved more than Jess? I was going to be sick.

He stared at me for a few more moments before walking over to sit down on the coffee table so he was facing me. “Love, I never bought Jess a ring. Hell, I didn’t even consider it. Why would you think that?”

So there had been someone else. Someone so important he hadn’t even told me about her. This was worse somehow.

“Who, then? I thought she was the only serious relationship you’d had.”

Krit let out a small laugh like he was surprised by my question. “The only woman I’ve ever considered forever with is you.”

But the ring . . . Oh. Oh my.

“Yeah. You. Just you,” he repeated. Then he moved to sit beside me on the sofa. “Why would you assume that it was for anyone else?”

“Because it had dust on it. And you never mentioned getting married. Not even jokingly.”

He groaned and laid his head back on the sofa. “I have so f**ked this up.”

I waited for him to say more. His neck muscles and shirtless body were distracting me a little.

“I’ve worked for Dewayne to make extra money so I could pay for that ring. It took several months, but I did it. I loved every damn minute of it too. I wanted you to have the best. I wanted the ring on your finger to tell the world you were mine and I cherished you. But . . . but then your book . . .” He paused and clenched his hands in his lap. “It did fantastic. It was f**king amazing, and I was so damn proud of you. I still am. You blow my mind. But I just . . . I couldn’t ask you to marry me now. Because I didn’t . . . I never wanted you to think . . .” He stopped again and looked at me.

The frustration and fear in his eyes tugged at my heart. I got it now. I understood his worries. Crazy man.

I leaned up and set my coffee cup on the table, then turned my body to face his. Reaching for his face, I held it in my hands and looked into his eyes. “Yes. Yes. A million times yes.” Tears stung my eyes as I said the words, but I kept going. “You are the only man I will ever love. You are the only man I want to spend forever with. You were the first person to love me, and I found that, with your love, I didn’t need anything more. You filled every void in my life. My heart was complete with you. So whatever silly idea you have in your head about the money I’ve made off this book or the books I write in the future, forget them. I don’t think you want me for my money.” I laughed as I said it.

Krit closed his eyes for a second and let out a breath. When he opened them, he frowned again. “Shit. I f**ked this up. I was going to propose to you onstage. I was going to have the crowd hold up lights, and Rick was going to make the place go dark otherwise. Then I was going to get on my knee and tell them all how much I love you while I asked you to be my wife. This,” he said, waving at us sitting on the sofa together, “was not the plan.”

I laughed again, then leaned in and kissed his lips. “As sweet at that sounds, this is better.”

“How is this better?” he asked with a pout.

I pushed the blanket down, reached for the T-shirt of his I was wearing, and removed it. “Because,” I said, crawling over into his lap completely naked, “we can do this.”

Krit’s big hands grabbed my waist, and he muttered a curse before crushing his mouth to mine. I sank down and moaned as his rigid arousal pressed against me. Krit lifted his h*ps to grind against the anxious tingle already starting up inside me.