“How far is it from Brooklyn?” I ask.
“About an hour and a half,” he says. “Little over an hour by train from where you work. It’ll be worth it though.”
“That’s a long commute to do every day,” I say.
“We’ll work it out. And if we’re tired one day, we can always stay overnight at my parents’ place. They’d make great babysitters too for our future kids. You do want kids, right?”
My heart races again. “Yes.” I thought maybe I’d get a proposal first, but…well, it seems he’s being practical and really thought this through. I hope I like the house he picked. What if I don’t? No, I’m just going to make the best of it. This is a romantic grand gesture on his part, and I will appreciate it for what it is.
After a while of driving, he says, “You’re awfully quiet.”
“Just thinking.”
“I hope I wasn’t too presumptuous.”
“No, it’s wonderful. Really.”
I stare out the window, marveling as we reach a part of New York I’ve never seen before, driving down windy tree-lined roads with stone walls, past horse farms and the occasional old house. Finally we get to a lake, which is circled by a community of houses, one- and two-story cottages with large decks overlooking the lake. This was probably a summer retreat at one time, and now people live here permanently. I spot several small rowboats near driveways and by the lakeshore, along with kids’ bicycles. It’s so quaint and picturesque. The sun shines off the lake, the green leaves of the tall trees forming a frame around it. I can’t believe we’re really going to live here. It’s so gorgeous.
Jack parks in the driveway of a two-story white wood-shingled house up on a small hill. He takes my hand. “This is it.”
“It’s beautiful! I bet the view is spectacular from up there.” I point to the deck on the second story.
He guides me up the front steps to the house and pulls out his key. “The furniture came with the house. You can update it if you want.”
My eyes tear, my throat tight. I still can’t believe he did this. “Okay.”
He unlocks the door and waits for me to go in first. I step inside and he joins me. Wow, it’s—
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices yells as they pop out of their hiding places.
I startle, my hand flying to my mouth, eyes wide. It’s our family. They’re all beaming at us.
Jack whispers in my ear, “Surprise, it’s a rental.”
I drop my hand and turn to him. “What’s going on?”
He grins. “Pranked you. Really had you going there that we were gonna live way out here in the boonies.”
I slowly blink, my heart still racing from the surprise. He did have me going there. I thought he was making a grand gesture, but instead it’s some kind of party for the long weekend. I try to smile but can’t manage it. I thought—
“Hey, Riley, what’re you celebrating?” Sam asks with a wide smile.
I lift one shoulder. “The end of summer?”
“Maybe something else,” Sam says, inclining his head toward Jack.
I turn and Jack’s down on one knee, holding up a diamond engagement ring with a round diamond in the center. I slap a hand over my mouth, covering a sob.
I nod, tears streaming down my face.
Jack smiles. “Let me ask you first.” He takes my hand. “Riley Walsh, love of my life, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. My perfect match. I waited my whole life for you, and I hope to spend the rest of my life by your side. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
My heart thunders, the adrenaline from earlier making me shaky. I don’t know if I’m going to cry or shout for joy. I’m just so overwhelmed. “Yes,” I manage.
He slides the ring on my finger and rises to his feet, pulling me into a tight hug. Cheers, applause, and whistles sound all around us. I do cry then, my face buried against Jack’s chest.
He strokes my hair. “Did I go too far? I thought you’d be smiling more.”
I sniffle. “I’m just so happy and surprised.”
He pulls back to look at me, smiling tenderly and wiping the tears from my cheeks. “You know my proposal had to be with a prank.”
“You only prank the ones you love.” He always says that.
His eyes are warm on mine, his voice low. “Exactly. And I owed you a big one after our fake marriage and the incident we’ll never speak of in public, but this time I wanted our families to share in it from the start.”
There’s some deep rumbling, probably from his brothers wondering about the incident, but Jack goes on, ignoring them. “This is our engagement party. I rented the house, so we’ve got it all weekend. Your stuff is already packed in the trunk of the car.” He picked up the rental car from his parents’ house, which means he must’ve done all of this ahead of time while I was at work yesterday.
“You did a lot of planning to make this spontaneous for me.”
“Well-planned fun makes for the best pranks.” He strokes my hair back and kisses me. “We’ll have a good life together, Ry, I promise. Lots of fun times ahead. Maybe one day we’ll bring our kids here to see where we got engaged.”
I cry a little more and nod. He pulls me in for another hug.
“Give us a minute,” he tells the watching crowd. “Surprise engagement party needs a bit of recovery time.”
I lift my head. “I’m fine. Thank you all for coming.”
“I got your song,” Alison says, hitting a remote.
The hard beat of a popular club song grinds out, and I get a flashback to Jack and me grinding on the dance floor. My cheeks burn. That was with a few drinks in me in a dark club, not surrounded by family.
Jack grins at me. “Come on, let’s see those moves.” He holds my hand and twirls me around. There’s no way I can grind in front of everyone. “Sam, let’s see your moves too.”
Sam and Alison join us with a laugh. Then Mr. and Mrs. Rourke join in, doing a rather formal waltz, which I guess encourages my parents, who join in with their own waltz.
My God, my parents are dancing to club music.
I laugh and then I dance, relaxed and happy, surrounded by the people I love as the man I love keeps me close.
Much later, after enjoying a never-ending supply of delicious dishes prepared by Alison’s restaurant and desserts prepared by a local bakery, our guests filter out, heading back home.
Connor stops to kiss my cheek. “I can’t help but feel like I’m responsible for this occasion.”
I laugh. “You did help me win Jack back.”
He grins. “He would’ve tried to win you back if you hadn’t. Jack in love is a pathetic thing.”
“Hey!” Jack protests. “We were both equally pathetic.” He winks at me.
Connor smiles. “Congratulations again.” He shakes Jack’s hand and slaps him on the back before turning to go.
“Good luck with your college class!” I call.
He lifts a hand. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”
Aww, he’s nervous about holding his own in a college class after being out of school for so long. I think it’s great. He’s taking a business class because he wants to learn more to play a bigger role in his family’s business. He’s supposed to step up as second-in-command soon.
After the door shuts behind Connor, I turn to Jack. “So tomorrow we’re fishing on the lake. What did you have in mind for tonight?”
He leers at me. “You have to ask?” His eyes gleam and then he lunges for me. I squeak and run toward the bedroom upstairs, which is where we both want to spend the rest of the night.
Just as I reach the bedroom, he grabs me from behind, nuzzling into my neck, his beard scraping against me, making me shiver. “Give me a minute, okay?” I ask, breathless.
“Does this involve lingerie? I packed all your good stuff.”
“Maybe.”
He releases me and gives my ass a pat as I head over to my suitcase. I open it and find both my sexy and sensible panties. Looks
like he left it up to me what I felt like wearing. I wheel the suitcase into the bathroom with me so he’ll be surprised.
I emerge a few moments later, wearing only my white lace bikini panties with little ties on the sides.
He’s lounging on the bed in black boxer briefs. I take a moment to admire his broad chest and the sculpted muscles that I know are partially from work and partially from early morning workouts. His dark brown hair is tousled in a sexy way, his lips hinting at a smile. “You got exactly three, no, two seconds to get in this bed.”
“Or what?”
He grins devilishly. “Or I pounce.”
I slowly make my way to him. He grabs me and hauls me on top of him. “So saucy.”
I smile. “No one has ever called me saucy.”
“I love these little ties,” he says, idly playing with them. “Sexy fiancée. Finally we can fulfill our destiny as husband and wife.”
My eyes are hot. Sometimes when Jack gets serious, it does that to me, just so expressive and sincere. He kisses me tenderly and rolls me under him.
My hands roam the hard muscular planes of his back. The kiss escalates, his leg sliding between mine with the most delicious pressure. A low ache has my hips rocking into him. I moan deep in my throat, needing more.
He shifts down my body, his teeth closing over the tie on one side of my hip and tugging it free. I shiver. This man knows my body and gets me to the heights of ecstasy, sometimes in a slow torturous route and sometimes in a heart-pumping ride that overwhelms. I never know which I’m going to get. And he doesn’t take direction. I like him taking control more than I thought I would.
He kisses along my hip and then skims a hot trail of kisses across my stomach to the other hip, where he tugs that tie loose with his teeth too. He rips the panties away from me. “These might be more fun than your sensible ones.”
“Glad you…oh, Jack!” My voice hits a high note as he kisses firmly between my legs and then sucks. He gentles as he sets my legs over his rounded shoulders. My breath stutters out. I slide a hand into his hair, and our eyes meet for an electric moment. His have a wicked gleam that make my fingers tighten in his hair in anticipation. That gleam could mean a slow or fast ride. Both overwhelm me; he overwhelms me in the most exquisite way.
And then he dives in hungrily, and I’m lost, my hips arching to the rhythm he sets, a fast tumble to oblivion. I’m breathing hard, all of me coiling tight and hot. His fingers join the action, stroking me on the inside. I release my hold on his hair, my arms thrown to my sides, my head arching back. And then I break, a hard rush of pleasure rocking my body helplessly against him. He slows the pace, bringing me slowly back to reality until I go limp.
He shifts away, and I smile to myself. What a wonderful, wonderful man. He goes for the condom and returns to me, fitting himself between my legs and slowly pushing inside.
And then it’s a slow, sweet ride as he gazes deeply into my eyes. Emotion clogs my throat, something’s changed yet again. We’re starting our future together. His eyes shine with love, and I’m sure mine are the same.
“Jack.” One word said with so much love.
“Ry.”
He increases the pace, his eyes locked on mine, bringing me to ecstasy once more. He joins me a moment later, giving me his weight. I hold him, closing my eyes, lost in the glow of true love. I’ve never loved another man the way I love him. It’s a powerful thing. I never knew I could feel so much, so deeply. I’ll tell him as soon as I regain the power of speech.
He strokes my hair back, gazing into my eyes. “I love you so damn much,” he says gruffly.
I smile drowsily. “Love.”
He chuckles. “I wore you out, didn’t I? You’re so fun.”
I feel the need for payback. He wrung me out emotionally earlier with the surprise engagement party and wrung me out physically on our first night as an engaged couple. There must be something I can do. My brain is mush.
He kisses my cheek. “Be right back.” He heads out for the bathroom down the hall.
A few minutes later, he returns, throwing me a cocky smile. “You recovered enough for speech yet?”
I push my sweaty hair out of my face. “Before all the excitement of today, I was working up the nerve to tell you something.”
His smile drops as he gets back in bed, rolling to his side and propping up on an elbow. “Tell me.”
I roll on my side, take his hand and press it to my stomach. “I’m pregnant.”
He tackles me, pinning my hands to the mattress. “Nice try! And not a chance. First of all, your prank timing is way off. You can’t prank right after a prank. Too obvious. Second, I have never once forgotten the condom, except the very first time, which barely counts because it was just one thrust.” He grins at my burst of laughter. “A fact that you’ve complimented me on.”
I try to keep a straight face. “Maybe there was a condom failure.”
He nips my lower lip. “You’re the worst liar. You’re gonna have to work a lot harder to pull a prank on me.”
I smile. “I’ll think of something.”
He nuzzles into my neck. “Think hard.” He kisses his way up to my ear. “One day you’ll be pregnant, though, right? When you’re ready.”
I suck in air. “Are you ready?”
“After the wedding, but yeah. I love you. I want everything with you.”
My eyes tear up. I can’t help it.
His eyes go soft. “Aww, Ry.” He rolls to his back and pulls me on top of him, stroking my hair. “I had no idea you were such a softie. That’s the third time today you got all teary because of something I said.”
I sniffle and lift my head. “Can you blame me? The most wonderful man in the world proposed marriage and just told me he can’t wait to have babies with me. My heart is bursting, my ovaries are dancing, and my tears are flowing!”
He laughs. “I didn’t know I could make your ovaries dance. New high on the lover scale for me.”
I laugh too. “They’re doing the cha-cha.”
He kisses me and hugs me tight. I sigh, melting into his embrace, surrounded by love.
Don’t miss the next book in the series Rogue Angel, where Connor stumbles into a forbidden romance!
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Rogue Angel
Becca
That one night stand with Hot Builder Guy was not in the plan.
Completely unlike me but, in a moment of weakness, I was drawn in by his piercing blue eyes, his charming smile, and his spectacularly muscled everything.
It was a mistake.
Only the next day he wants my number and I start thinking maybe this thing has potential. Maybe it wasn’t a mistake.
And then I see him again in the worst possible place and realize this can never work. There are rules about this—for good reason—and I don’t dare cross the line.
Connor Rourke is off limits.
I don’t know how much longer I can resist temptation.
Excerpt
Becca
A large hand lands on my shoulder, jolting me. My date made it here after all! I turn with a bright smile that remains frozen in place as my stomach drops. It’s my ex looking tanned and relaxed, his light brown hair artfully mussed. What is Oliver doing here? He hated this place, called it a hole in the wall. He only likes hipster bars with fancy food. And he’s brought a woman with him. She’s beautiful. Dammit. Long dark brown wavy hair, dark eyes with long lashes, busting with curves, and clinging to his arm like he might make a getaway if she doesn’t. And me sitting here all alone. This would be a great time for a trap door to open and swallow them both. He’s got to be here to gloat. Oliver knows this is where I like to hang out. It has everything I need—drinks, good music, and close to my apartment. Crap. I probably shouldn’t have posted a pic on Insta about my fave Friday night hangout last week while waiting for bummer date number six.
Oliver smiles, but it doesn’t reach his brown eyes. “How’re you, Becca?” His voice d
rops to a sympathetic tone. “Are you here alone?” He glances over my shoulder, where a couple of women are sitting, chatting animatedly. Why couldn’t I have a guy by my side when Oliver decides to make an appearance?
I straighten my spine, determined to brazen this out. “What’re you doing here? It’s a bit of a hike from the city, isn’t it?” He lives in Manhattan. I have the sinking feeling he’s here just to show off Miss Curvy to me. I clench my jaw, every muscle tense. I’m not so abundant in the curve department, though they are there. I’m more long and lean. Oliver once asked me why I bother wearing a bra. Asshat.
My gaze collides with piercing blue eyes guy, who’s just returned from the restroom. His brow furrows slightly like he’s trying to suss out the situation. I probably have panic written all over my face. I can’t let Oliver think I’m pathetically alone in a bar on a Friday night because I was stood up by a random guy from eLoveMatch. I just can’t.
I remove my sweater and purse from the stool next to me and smile at Mr. Blue Eyes, who’s now only a short distance away. “Saved your seat, honey,” I say cheerfully, desperately hoping he’ll get the message.
The guys he’s been sitting with look at me strangely. Sweat trickles down my spine.
Mr. Blue Eyes takes the offered seat—there is a God!—and turns to Oliver. “Hey, I’m Connor. And you are?”
Oliver stiffens. “I’m Oliver, Becca’s ex. This is Rose.”
Rose bares her teeth in a tight smile. I glance at the guys Connor was sitting with and they’re watching us curiously. Oh God, please don’t give me away.
“Nice to meet ya, Becca’s ex and Rose.” Connor slips an arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple. My skin flushes hot, my heart thumping hard. I don’t know if it’s Connor’s proximity or the bizarre situation. He smells wonderful, like the ocean and sexy man. He’s much bigger than me too—taller with wide shoulders—and I love that I actually feel petite. I’ve felt statuesque since sixth grade. (Old nickname Lady Liberty after the nearby Statue of Liberty. Kids can be so cruel).
Rogue Rascal (The Rourkes, Book 9) Page 17