His Ransom 6

by Aubrey Dark

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “You can’t surprise me without a blindfold?”

  “Sure I can. But what fun would that be?”

  I let out a mock sigh and leaned forward to let him tie it on.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Jake asked.

  The world was dark. I bit my lip and enjoyed the way Jake’s breath caught when he noticed. That was one of my favorite parts of being blindfolded—listening to his breath.

  “Well, if the last two times you’ve blindfolded me were any indication,” I said, “you’re going to be strapping me into a rocket ship that goes into suborbit around the Earth. All under the pretext of trying to cure my fear of heights, of course. And then you’ll drop me off in Italy.”

  “Ooh, that’s a good idea,” Jake said. “Not quite.”

  The car drove on. Eventually we stopped, and I heard the hum of the crowds around us as we walked over a sidewalk. The silk dress gown swished around my ankles. I smiled against the cool evening air.

  “I’m getting pretty good at walking around with a blindfold on,” I joked.

  “This way.”

  Jake’s hand pressed against my lower back, guiding me forward. A key jangled and a door slid shut. Then the floor lifted up and I nearly fell over.

  Jake caught me easily, laughing as I flung my arms over him to keep from falling down.

  “You could have told me we were going to be on an elevator,” I said.

  “No I couldn’t,” Jake replied. “If I’d told you, you would never have come on. And I’m helping you get over your fears, right?”

  “Sure,” I groused, half-grinning under the blindfold. The elevator cranked upwards. It must have been an old elevator, because the creaking and groaning of the machinery made goosebumps pop on my skin. I was glad when the elevator finally jerked to a halt.

  “Alright, are you ready?”

  “Ready.”

  He took off the blindfold as we stepped forward. I gasped.

  “Oh my gosh. Jake, it’s beautiful.”

  It was the whole city of Paris, laid out before my eyes. I shivered as a gust of cold air blew across the iron grating. It was then that I looked down.

  “What?!”

  “You didn’t notice?”

  I spun to face Jake.

  “Is this for real?” I asked, looking around the deck. Jake came and put his arm around me as I gazed down in awe. My heart was pulsing, but I couldn’t help but feel giddy looking at where I was.

  “We’re on the Eiffel Tower,” I whispered. “We’re at the very top.”

  “Are you scared?” Jake asked.

  I blinked. Then I looked up at him.

  “You know what? I’m not that scared.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I think between all of your crazy stunts with the helicopter, and then with the plane… I think maybe I’m cured.”

  I stepped closer to the railing. The side wasn’t open; there was a metal grate. But I stepped right up to the edge and looked down. I gasped at how high we were.

  “Okay, maybe not cured,” I said. “Maybe not completely cured. Semi-cured.”

  My heart still fluttered from being up so high, but I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up from fright. That was a step in the right direction.

  “Is this the surprise you told me about?” I asked. I gazed out over the city with all of its lights twinkling. I could see the street lights reflecting off of the river nearby, shimmering with so much beauty it almost hurt to look at.

  “Not exactly,” Jake said. “Here, let me give it to you now.”

  I turned around, and — oh God. Oh my God.

  “Jake?”

  He was kneeling on one knee, a nervous smile on his face. And in his hand—it couldn’t be real, oh Lord, it couldn’t be—he was holding a diamond ring.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Jake?” I took a single, uncertain step toward him. It wasn’t the high heels throwing me off balance this time, or the vertigo.

  “Lacey, I know what you’re thinking.”

  “Do you?” I didn’t even know what I was thinking. I was dizzy from all of the crazy thoughts screaming around my mind. This… this was Jake in front of me, bending down on one knee. I couldn’t imagine that he was really doing what it looked like he was doing.

  “I know this is a little soon, but just let me talk, alright?”

  I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice not to shatter. I stood in front of him, my hands twisting together. He cleared his throat nervously. Was he nervous? Why was he nervous? I was the nervous one.

  “Right before we left for Paris, we had an argument.”

  I looked into Jake’s eyes. They shone kindly at me.

  “You told me that you felt like you didn’t matter. That I would be fine without you,” he said.

  I shook my head, tears burning at the back of my eyes.

  “And I realized then that if you did leave, if you ever left, I don’t know what I would do. In my whole life, I never met a woman I could talk to—truly talk to. When you showed up, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have you by my side every morning. To spend the day making art with you... making love to you… both at the same time…”

  Through the haze of tears, I giggled. I thought of the painting we had done together—making love on the canvas. I’d wanted him so badly then, I’d wanted him to want me. And now, here he was.

  “Lacey, I want you with me. I want to spend our nights and days together. I want to travel the world with you and I want to settle down with you. You have brought me such happiness already. Say you’ll stay with me.”

  My head was nodding, but my tongue wasn’t working and I could barely stammer the words:

  “Yes. Yes, of course!”

  I smiled as tears streaked down my cheeks and flung my arms around Jake.

  “Put it on first,” he said, holding out the ring.

  I tried to breathe in enough air as he slid the golden circle over my finger. It was snug for a moment, and then—

  “There.” He lifted my hand and kissed the ring finger. The diamond sparkled brightly even in the moonlight, reflecting the shimmer of the stars in the sky and the river and in Jake’s dazzling green eyes.

  “The future Mrs. Jake Carville,” he said.

  “Lacey Carville,” I echoed, testing the sound of my new name. It felt strange, very strange. But good, too.

  He kissed me and I leaned into him, letting the dizziness overtake me. The air whipped my hair and gown and I felt like I was falling, falling headlong into the most wonderful adventure of my life.

  We walked to the stairs.

  “No elevator?” I asked.

  “We’re not going too far down,” he said.

  I twisted the ring on my finger as we stepped down the stairwell. The metal steps clanged noisily under my heels. Jake held me up as we made our way to the floor below us.

  “I have one last surprise,” Jake said. He was grinning widely, his teeth white in the moonlight.

  “I don’t know if I can handle another surprise,” I said. “But as long as you promise me it’s not skydiving—”

  “It’s more of a surprise party,” Jake said, pulling me forward.

  Party? I took two steps down onto the next level and stopped dead in my tracks.

  “Surprise!”

  I brought my hands up over my mouth, but I don’t think anything could have hidden my shock.

  My whole family was there, and Steph, and Lucas. My mom was wearing a chic blue dress, and my dad held her hand in his, standing tall and proud in a gray suit.

  And then there were my brothers, Tim and Connor. They were all dressed up. I’d never seen Connor in a suit before. Behind them, tables were filled with candles. The light from the flames flickered over their faces.

  I squealed and tottered forward in a daze to hug them. Tim and Connor caught me first, and then my parents piled into the mix. It was one big mess of a fam
ily, and I was so happy I cried.

  “Lacey!”

  “I can’t believe it!”

  “Congratulations, little sis,” Connor said, his face twisting oddly.

  “You guys all knew about this?” I asked.

  “Well, I guessed it a week ago,” Lucas chimed in. “I told him he should propose in Paris. I never dreamed he would rent out the damn Eiffel Tower—pardon my French.”

  “Your boyfriend flew us all out here,” my dad said, hugging me shoulder to shoulder. “And then he popped the question to me and your mom. And we gave him our blessing.”

  I bit my lip, holding back the stream of joyous tears.

  “Now let’s eat!” Jake said. “I’m starving!”

  The plates filled up with roast duck and shallots sauteed in white wine. Everybody was laughing and talking. I almost forgot that we were standing on top of the Eiffel Tower a few times. Whenever I looked out through the grating, though, I was reminded of how far up we were.

  A couple glasses of wine later, I let myself drift away from the stories of childhood in Iowa. I put my hand up against the rail, letting my fingers wave in the air so far above Paris.

  “It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

  Jake was behind me, whispering in my ear. I smiled, and I leaned my head back against his chest. Always, he would be there for me. Always, he would wrap his arms around me and keep me safe and warm.

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing my family here.”

  “They could only stay one night, they said. Farm business doesn’t stop, I suppose. But I was glad to be able to make it work.”

  “I only wish…” I stopped myself, uncertain about how Jake would take the idea.

  “What do you wish?”

  “I wish your brother could be here. I wish your mom could meet my mom.”

  Jake swallowed. I felt his heart beating against my back.

  “I know it’s impossible,” I continued. “I know it’s too dangerous. But… still.”

  “My brother, my mother…” Jake said. “I would never have met them without you, Lacey. But more importantly, I think that you helped me to realize what I was missing.”

  My eyes raised to his, a question lingering unspoken in the air.

  “I missed being part of a family.”

  “Do… do you want to stay here? To live in Paris with your mother and brother?” I pressed my lips together and scanned the skyline. It was beautiful, yes. But it wasn’t home.

  “No, no. Lacey. I mean you.”

  “Me? What about me?”

  “I want to start a new family. With you.”

  I turned to face Jake. He looked at me with eyes so full of love that I could hardly bear to meet them. His hand pressed against my back warmly, drawing me closer. He kissed the top of my head and rested his cheek against me.

  “Jake, you are the most talented, wonderful man in the world. And I would go anywhere to start a family with you.”

  Jake lifted my chin with his cupped hands and drew me into a warm kiss that kept out all the chill of the night air.

  Epilogue

  She was standing next to one of the waiters when we came down the elevator to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. My breath caught when I saw her: that blonde woman I’d seen leaving our hotel room. Jake must have noticed my expression.

  “Lacey, you met Marianne at the party, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice halting. I needed to ask him about it. Now was not the best time, but I couldn’t wait any longer. “And—”

  “She’s been coming over to help me plan the proposal,” Jake said, before I could get another word out. “Her husband works for the city council, and it’s almost impossible to get nighttime use of the Eiffel Tower.”

  “Is that why she was there at the hotel room?”

  Jake’s face fell at the tone of my voice.

  “Oh my God. You thought—”

  I shook my head helplessly.

  “I didn’t know—”

  “She was helping me with the paperwork! We tried to keep it secret, but there was one night when she needed a signature immediately… I thought she had missed you when she left. Lacey, I’m sorry.”

  My skin turned warm. A rush of relief flooded me. And guilt, that I had thought Jake would do anything with another woman while he was on a trip with me.

  “I didn’t want to be jealous,” I said. “I didn’t want to be one of those possessive girlfriends…”

  “Oh, Lacey. You possess me completely. Be as possessive as you want.”

  “Really?”

  “As long as I get to be as possessive as I want.” There was a sly glint in his eye.

  “What are you going to do to me, once you have me?” I teased.

  “Well, first thing, I’m going to tie your wrists together…”

  “Shhh! Okay, never mind! Not while my mom’s nearby!” I craned my neck back to see where she was. But it was only Steph and Lucas standing within earshot. She caught my eye.

  “Congrats again, you two,” Steph said.

  “I never thought I’d see the day,” Lucas said. He clapped Jake on the back.

  “It might come for you someday soon, just wait and see,” Jake said, a grin on his face.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Lucas said. He glanced sideways at Steph, and I noticed a strange look on her face. When Lucas stepped away, I took her by the arm.

  “What’s up between you two?” I asked.

  “Between who?” Steph asked.

  “You and Lucas.”

  “Nothing! There’s nothing between us. Why would there be anything?”

  “I don’t know.” I frowned, confused. “I thought, the way you were looking at each other…”

  “I wasn’t looking at him at all, okay? I don’t know what he’s looking at, but—”

  “Alright, alright!” I held my hands up and laughed. “I thought I noticed a little something between you two, that was all.”

  Steph breathed in deeply, flaring her nostrils. Then she bit her lip.

  “Yes, you’re right. There’s more.”

  “What? Steph!”

  “I’ll tell you later, okay? It’s seriously weird. But right now, you should enjoy your proposal and Paris and… and not even think about me!”

  Her cheeks were flushed pink, and Steph wasn’t the type to blush easily, so I let it go. I would pry into her and Lucas some other time. She was right. I should be enjoying myself in this moment.

  As Jake and I walked out from under the Eiffel Tower to see the stars, I sighed with happiness. He was going to be a part of my family.

  And despite the craziness of the past week, I was excited to be a part of his family, too.

  The Eiffel Tower lit up with twinkling lights, and a group of street musicians began to play a song, a classical waltz.

  Jake turned to me and bowed. I took his offered hand, and he pulled me into his arms. He began to waltz majestically, turning me in circles. I laughed and stepped along, letting him lift me off the ground through the turns.

  I was getting a bit dizzy, and I saw my dad dancing with my mom off to the side. Lucas held a hand out to Steph. And Connor and Tim were galloping around us all in a parody of a polka.

  Jake twirled me, lifting me up into the air, and my gown fluttered in the wind. He brought me back down into a dip and then kissed me.

  “My future wife,” he whispered, his lips grazing mine.

  “My future husband,” I whispered back.

  Jake gathered me into his arms and we danced slowly. The lights around us twinkled in a blurry night fog. It was like we were dancing in the middle of a painting.

  And this was a painting I wanted to keep working on… forever.

  Thank you for reading His Ransom Part Six!

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  Want to learn more about the surgeon Rien? Grab my novel, Mine

  !

  People wear masks. I cut them off.

  She doesn't know it, but she's already mine.

  They all are.

  They cry. They scream. They beg for their lives.

  Truth of it is, they're all wearing masks. Even me.

  I'm just the only one who's not afraid to look at what lies underneath.

  ***

  My hands are tied behind my back. Even if I could get loose, I'm locked inside the plastic surgeon's library.

  He's in the next room.

  Killing someone.

  And if I said I wanted him to let me go, I'd be lying.

  Author's Note: This is a dark romance novel with mature themes that might make some readers uncomfortable.

  MINE is available now on Amazon!

  __________________________________________________________________

  This is PART SIX of the HIS GIFT dark erotic romance series

  Find out how Lacey and Jake got here with the whole series!

  His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 1)

  His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 2)

  His Gift (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 3)

  His Ransom (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 4)

  His Ransom (A Dark Billionaire Romance Part 5)

  For more dark romance grab a copy of my first novel, His today!

  I never meant to be here: tied up in bed next to a serial killer.

  When I followed him home, I was just playing Nancy Drew. Trying to find out his secret. His kiss was intoxicating, and I thought he was harmless.

  I was wrong.

  Nancy Drew never ended up in a basement, handcuffed to a radiator, teased to the edge of insanity, begging to be let go.

  Soon, I stopped begging to be let go.

  Soon, I started begging to be HIS.