Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Well, you found it in me. You’re mine, Scarlet. Mine to love. Mine to take care of. Mine to keep. Today, tomorrow, and always.”
“Enough sweet talk.” I reach up and caress his jaw. “I believe you promised to fuck me all night long.”
“Indeed I did,” he growls, somehow flipping us so I’m on top. “Ride me, and I’ll make good on my promise”
I swivel my hips, and he damn sure delivers. All. Night. Long.
EPILOGUE – ELLIS
Holy shit, I’ve never been so nervous in all my life.
We’re in Hawaii—literal paradise—and I’m pacing the length of our hotel room like... well, an anxious bull. Because I’m not angry. Nowhere close. Just anxious.
“Okay, ready,” Scarlet says, stepping out of the bathroom dressed in a white string bikini.
And now I can add hard to the list. Because, holy shit, my dick’s trying to punch a hole in my swim trunks.
“Princess.” I bite down on my knuckles. “You look... wow.”
She twirls, showing off her cheeky cut of her bottoms. Pretty sure the white fabric shows off far more than it covers. “You like?”
Those two little words sending my mind reeling back to four weeks ago with her standing at the foot of my bed looking like a dream in her Blair Waldorf inspired lingerie. Loved her in that. Love her in this. Pretty damn sure I’ll love her in anything.
But the thing I’m really hoping to see her in is currently secured in a little velvet box, burning a hole in my pocket.
She runs her eyes down the length of my body, a saucy little grin curling her lips. “Oh, yeah. You clearly like. Now, let’s hit the beach.”
“Ready whenever you are.”
“Just gotta get my bag.” She proceeds to throw on a sheer cover up before throwing things into her beach bag—a water bottle, a scrunchie, sunblock, lip balm, a hairbrush, some sort of spritz bottle, and finally her e-reader. “Okay, let’s go catch some rays, Sunshine.”
“That was delightfully nerdy,” I say, sliding open our door. We lucked out, and they upgraded us to a beach-walkout bungalow. We even have a private lap pool.
“You must be rubbing off on me.”
I rub my hands together like an evil genius. “All part of the plan... more or less.”
“Now who’s the dork?”
“If I’m a nerd, you’re a nerd,” I say, riffing on the iconic line from The Notebook.
“C’mon, Wilder. We’re burning daylight.”
I snort. “It’s barely eight in the morning.” We’ve been here three days, and she’s been up with the sun every single one of them.
I keep telling myself today’s the day—today I’ll pop the question, but I keep losing my nerve. It’s not that I think she’ll say no. It’s that she deserves the best of everything and—fuck, I don’t even know that is.
If not now, when? My dad’s voice—or at least the way I remember it—filters through my brain, and I decide to say fuck it. Because he’s right. If not now, when.
I slide the box from my pocket and drop to one knee right in the middle of the sandy path. “Scarlet.”
“Yeah?” She whips around to face me. “Oh my god.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispers, fingers covering her mouth as tears fill her eyes.
“No, like, I love you. So much so, that the intensity of what I feel for you shocks me sometimes. You’re every good thing in this world. You make me a better man. You challenge me. You intrigue me. You complete me. And I know this might seem fast, but you’re it for me. I know it. I’ve known it for a while. You’re end game. The woman I want in my bed for the rest of my life. I want to share more than my name with you—I want to build a life with you. To start a family. I want you to be my forever. So...”
I carefully flip open the box revealing the ring I painstakingly selected after scouring her Pinterest board for days on end. It’s a radiant cut pink diamond nestled in a hidden halo on a diamond encrusted white gold band. It’s both modern and timeless and will look absolutely perfect on her slender finger.
Assuming she says yes. Please let her say yes.
“Will you do me the immeasurable honor of being my wife?”
“Yes!” she shouts, kicking up sand as she runs to me, tackling me to the ground. “A million times yes.” She peppers kisses all over my face and despite there now being sand in mouth, all I can do is smile.
“Love the enthusiastic reply, Princess.” I brush her hair away from her face and draw her lips down to mine, kissing her deeply, fully, like we aren't laid out on a resort walking path. Thank fuck it's adults only, so at least no children will be scared for life if they stumble upon us.