Without a Hitch(114)

“This is the ring?” Shock is clear in his expression. “Your dream ring?” He’s smiling so broadly now I fear his face will split in two.

He closes the binder with a snap that makes me jump, and a second later, he tugs my hands so I’m falling into the bed on top of him. He flips us fast, and he’s once again hovering over me. It’s my favorite position.

“That’s the ring,” I say, still unable to meet his eyes.

“When did you draw that?”

I shrug, but he waits for an answer. “Fine. I did it in economics class like five years ago. I hated economics and because I could only afford to go part-time the first two years, I put it off as long as I could.”

“And now you’re wearing one that’s almost exactly like your drawing.”

“I actually like the real thing better. I like that the outside diamonds are rounded. I’d probably scratch the hell out of myself if it had sharp edges.”

His eyes smile at my answer. His freaking eyes. “I wanted to plan the perfect proposal.” I gasp, and he kisses my open lips. “But you didn’t have anything about that on your Pinterest board either.

Another surprise?”

“Sort of. More like I didn’t want a big show. The idea of everyone staring at me makes me break out in hives.”

“So something…intimate? Private?” I nod as my heart rate picks up. His fingers twist the band on my ring finger again. “If I were to tell you that I want this to go from a promise ring to an engagement ring, what would you say?”

I swallow loudly, and he smirks. “Um, I don’t know. I suppose it would be a spur-of-the-moment decision.” Feeling self-conscious, I glance away.

His hips dig into my belly, and I feel his hard shaft. “Tilly?”

“Yes.” I laugh and lift my hips to him at the same time.

Releasing one of my hands, he cups my cheek. “I want this to be an engagement ring. Will you marry me? In front of everyone? Give me the promise, the contract, the everything?”

My eyes burn with unshed tears. They spill over when I nod frantically, trying to force words to come. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

His lips crash into mine. “And move to New York with me?” I hesitate. Not because I don’t want to, but it will mean leaving my sister and friends for the first time in my life. This man has learned to read my mind in a relatively short amount of time. “There will always be a room for the girls, Tilly.”

A tiny sob escapes because he knows how much my girls mean to me. He surprises me again, and I worry that I’m actually speaking out loud. “Our family is growing, Till. Your girls are part of that. A big part. I know you wouldn’t be you without them, and I’ll always support them with and for you.”

“Thank you, Lochlan. For everything.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes. It’s a yes to everything.”

We speak no more words. Everything else that needs to be said is done with our bodies. Lochlan slips his hands under my T-shirt and lifts it over my head. “You’re so bloody sexy,” he growls just before his lips cover my nipple through the satin of my bra.

He wastes no time undressing me, or himself, and he enters me slowly. We’ve had sex in a number of ways and positions. Lochlan is nothing if not adventurous in bed. But like this, eye to eye as he moves in and out of me so slowly my body begs for more, I know I’ve found my happy.

He uses his body like a key that opens me just for him. His tongue laves and laps at my nipples while his hand reaches below me to tease my ass. We haven’t gone all the way there yet, but every time he teases me with his magical fingers or tongue, I nearly beg for it.

My legs start to shake as he slips a finger inside me and rotates it in time with his cock. It’s always too much, and not enough, but it always pushes me over the edge.

“Thank you,” I cry out. “Thank you for loving me.”

He pauses to cup my face. “Tilly, loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done because I know the outcome will always be the same. Loving you is my greatest joy, and I will thank you for that every day of my life.”

Tears cling to my cheeks as we move as one. Love is a powerful thing, and it brought me the happiness I’ve always searched for.





C HAPTE R 46

LOCHLAN

Two Months Later

“H oney, I’m home.” Tilly’s voice rings out through my office door, and my clusterfuck of a day is forgotten. Tossing my pen aside, I close my laptop and rush around my desk to greet her.

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” I say, catching her around the waist in the foyer. Burying my nose in her hair, I breathe in deeply. I love how all the stress of the day vanishes on an exhale.

“Hey,” she says softly. “Tough day?”

“Oh, darling. A bloody fucket nightmare.” Today was the first meeting with the prosecutors in charge of Christine’s case.

“I know it’s hard to rehash everything, but just think of all the people you’re saving from the same fate. You’re doing a good thing, lover.”

“I know. The lawyers need me in California next week for the preliminary hearing.”

Tilly lifts her phone and pulls up the calendar. “Okay. What day do we need to leave?”