Bend
Page 35
I’m having a hard time catching my breath. Jay is mine. He’s going to stay with me, no matter what. And there’s not a part of me, not even a tiny fraction, that has doubts about what to tell him right now. Because nothing has ever felt more right than the thought of spending the rest of my life with this man.
Still, the temptation to mess with him is too strong. So I frown with mock concern and ask, “Would you object if I hyphenated my last name like Paige did?”
Sighing, he lets his hand that’s still holding the ring fall to the bed. “You can do whatever you want as long as you let me censor your iTunes playlist on a regular basis. How about that?”
I wrinkle my nose at him. “That’s kind of a deal breaker, Jay.”
Grunting with annoyance, he tosses the ring aside and climbs onto all fours on the bed, putting on his best dark and menacing expression as he advances on me. Laughter gurgles out of me as I flop over and scramble to get away, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me back.
Rolling over on my back again, I kick halfheartedly at the restraint, giggles still bubbling up from my chest. And when he moves to cover my body with his, I jerk my hands up to block him, but he grabs them and pins them to the bed on either side of my head.
I suck in a sharp breath as I take in the expression on his face. He’s got that look, like he’s starving and I’m the first scrap of food he’s seen in days.
I close my eyes and arch up into him as his mouth finds my throat, lightly biting a trail up to my ear. My lungs feel overfull with air, and as his teeth graze my earlobe, a high-pitched moan escapes me.
“Yes or no?” he says, his breath fanning hotly on my ear.
I bend my neck as far as it can stretch, nuzzling my face into his hair.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Jay.”
“And continue to be my best friend?” He pushes himself up, lets go of my wrist to drag his thumb down the side of my face and across my bottom lip.
“With lots of benefits,” I agree, the corners of my mouth tugging up in a smile.
His eyes intense and serious, his voice quiet, he states more than asks, “Forever.”
With a nod and burning eyes, I swallow down the knot in my throat and say, “And always.”
To Penelope Douglas. When I joined that mommy meet-up group six years ago, I was just hoping to regain some sanity by getting myself and my baby out of the house more. I didn’t expect to meet and bond with someone who loved to read—and write—the same kind of books I did. Thank you for your friendship, for putting up with my whining, for always encouraging me, and for getting mad when I want to quit (sorry for making you mad so much). Your help with this book every step of the way has been invaluable. Love you, BFF!
To my very dear friend, Alison Kent. I gave you this story to read, thinking the best I could hope for was that you judge it on its own merit. Your enthusiastic response blew me away, and the book would have suffered without your sage opinions. Thank you for always being someone I can turn to when I need to vent, when I need business advice, or when I just need a laugh. My life would be so much poorer without your friendship. Love you, lady!
To my friends, Homa and Holly, for taking the time to answer my questions in your areas of expertise. I really appreciate it!
To my husband. You married a woman who reads and writes romantic stories but who doesn’t have much patience with romance in real life. I know that’s confusing and sometimes frustrating to you...but I love you, anyway! Thank you for always trying to get me to motivate and for making all of this possible with everything that you do for our family. I can’t—and don’t want to—imagine what my life would be like without you.
To my daughter. Thank you for making me laugh and for lighting up my life. Sorry there’s kissing in my book and that I’ll probably never allow you to read it.
Kivrin Wilson is a mother, wife, unabashed cat lady, avid reader, Netflix binge watcher, proud introvert, and a passably good cook. She grew up in Norway, but she’s lived most of her adult life in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she currently shares a roof with her husband, their daughter, and two young male cats who behave very much like teenage boys and of whom she shares too many photos on Instagram.
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Copyright © 2016 Kivrin Wilson
Cover Design © 2016 Kivrin Wilson
Interior design and formatting by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs.
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
ISBN-13: 978-1530734900 ISBN-10: 1530734908
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright Notice