I close my eyes and hope that whatever the problem is, I can help get it fixed quickly.
Jake
Nervous doesn’t even come close to what I am feeling right now.
I have always been a fairly confident person, but today, I am a fucking wreck…
Chapter Eight
Stacey
I get to The Den just after six o’clock. We hit a little traffic during the journey back, so it took longer for me to get here than expected. The driver of the car service opens my door for me, and then retrieves my suitcase from the boot of the car. I thank him and wearily make my way to the front doors of The Den.
I find it strange that there are no security guys waiting out the front. Normally, when the place is open, there are two security guys waiting at the front doors at all times.
Maybe they are inside trying to help Jake with whatever the emergency is?
As I get to the front doors however, I find that they are locked.
What the hell?
Why are the doors locked?
I grunt and haul my suitcase around to the back entrance.
I don’t understand why the place would be closed?
Whatever has happened must be pretty bad for it to be shut.
Dread settles in the pit of my stomach. The few bad memories I have of this place always come back to haunt me when shit goes wrong.
As I feel anxiety building within me, I try the handle for the back door.
It’s open.
I wait at the entrance after opening the door and listen for any sounds. There’s nothing.
I look around the car park and see that Jake’s car is parked in one of the spaces towards the back. I shake my head, feeling a little silly that I am feeling so anxious. Jake is clearly here, and nothing bad is going to happen to me with Jake around.
I lug my suitcase inside and take a deep breath.
As I walk into the building, I let go of my suitcase and close the door behind me. I slowly make my way along the corridor and keep my ears pricked for any sounds.
All of a sudden, music starts to play softly.
I freeze as the opening lines of Miguel, “Adorn”, filters through the sound system.
What is going on?
I feel my face pull into a frown as I continue to move forward. I pass my office and peak inside, but there is no one there.
Huh.
I move around the corner of the corridor, making my way past the toilets, and I can see dim lighting in the main room. I keep walking and come to a halt when I see that the main room has been decked out in fairy lights. My mouth falls open and my eyes come to rest on a table in the middle of the dance floor. The table has been set for two, and there is a bottle of wine chilling in a cooler to the side of the table.
I slowly spin in a circle, taking in the breath-taking sight. It all looks so pretty.
When I turn back to face the table, Jake is stood beside it, looking devilishly handsome.
He is wearing his grey suit, which happens to be my favourite, and a black shirt with the top few buttons left undone. His hair is a little messy, like he has been running his hands through it.
I lick my lips hungrily as I assess him.
His eyes are fixed on mine and he starts to walk towards me. I move too, meeting him at the end of the dance floor. The sexual tension between us is evident, making my body sizzle with desire.
My body hums, something that it always does when I am around Jake.
He stops a few inches in front of me, with his hands in his trouser pockets.
“Hey,” he says softly as the song starts to play again from the beginning.
“Hi,” I say breathlessly.
All I want to do is touch him.
All I want to do is feel him, but I need to wait and see what all of this set-up is about.
“Jake? What is all of this?” I say as I gesture around the room. His eyes remain fixed on mine, burning into me.
“I missed you and I wanted to do something special.” Jake removes his hands from his pockets and takes both of my hands in his. My heartbeat accelerates from the contact. “Babe, I need to say some things to you.”
He stops talking and I gulp so loud that I am sure that Jake can hear it. A soft smile grazes his lips, making me feel more at ease. It can’t be anything too bad otherwise he wouldn’t be smiling.
“There is no emergency, as you can see. I just wanted to get you here, without you suspecting anything,” Jake says, making me feel more puzzled than before.
Suspecting anything?
I cannot take my eyes off of him. He is like a magnet. I am mesmerised by him. Jake slowly starts to sink to the floor, keeping hold of my hands, and my eyes widen.
Is this what I think it is?
My whole body feels like jelly, but somehow, I manage to stay standing.
Jake closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again. It is in this moment that I register that Jake is nervous. This is something that I am not used to seeing from Jake. He always exudes confidence, so I know that what is about to happen is a big deal to him, and his caramel centre’s burn into mine.
“Stacey, the day that you walked into my life, I knew that I would never recover. The moment that your lips touched mine, I knew that I was addicted. My feelings for you grow more powerful by the day. I know that at times things have been hard, but we have overcome the obstacles that we have faced. I know that we are stronger together than we are apart.
“We have made some amazing memories together, and I hope that we will make many more in years to come. You were always the missing piece of my life. You make me feel complete.
“I love you, Stacey Paris, and I always want you to be able to picture this moment, right here, right now. I always want you to remember that this is the moment that I asked you to be my wife.” I let out a gasp and tears are falling down my cheeks.
Jake reaches one hand into his pocket and produces a little blue, velvet box. I watch him open the box, using both of his slightly shaking hands, and the most gorgeous diamond ring is revealed. It is just one simple square-cut diamond, and the band is made of white gold. I feel my eyes go wide, and Jake takes one of my hands with his. My eyes travel back to him.
“This may not be the ideal place to propose to you, but this is where I first met you, and in that moment, my whole life changed. You changed me, Stace. You are my perfect everything. Stacey Marie Paris, will you marry me?” Jake’s voice breaks, and I feel like I am going into meltdown.
He looks at me with anticipation, waiting for my answer.
I can’t speak.
My throat feels like it is about to close up.
I swallow and blink a few times, taking in everything from this moment. Jake’s expression starts to look worried and I mentally curse myself for making him wait. I realise how he must be feeling, and I quickly want to put any doubts about my answer out of his mind.
I move down, so that I am on my knees in front of him. I cup his face in both of my hands and feel a smile spread across my face. Tears are still falling from my eyes, but they are tears of happiness.
“Yes,” I say quietly. In fact, I say it so quietly that, for a moment, I am not sure that Jake has heard me. I repeat my answer but make my voice louder. “Yes, I will marry you, Jake.”
Jake lets out the breath that he has been holding and then he grabs me. He places a kiss on my lips and I wrap my arms around his neck. I feel him grin against my lips and I pull my head back to look at him. He looks deliriously happy, and I know that I am mirroring his look.
He moves his hands and body away from me slightly, and he takes the ring out of its box. I stare at his movements, hardly daring to blink in case I miss anything.
He takes hold of my left hand and then slowly places the ring on my third finger. He kisses the back of my hand when the ring is in place and then he looks back to me. I feel like my heart is about to burst with all of the emotion that I am feeling.
“I love
you,” Jake says, his eyes brimming with tears.
“I love you too,” I manage to choke out.
This moment is definitely going down as the most perfect moment of my life.
Jake
She said yes.
She said fucking yes.
I don’t think that I have ever felt so relieved at someone’s answer before.
I can’t wait to make her Mrs Jake Waters.
Chapter Nine
Stacey
I wake up to the feel of Jake’s arms wrapped around me. I smile and snuggle closer to him as the events of yesterday come rushing back to me.
The way that Jake proposed was special.
Special to me, and special to us.
He couldn’t have made it anymore perfect.
I look at the ring on my finger and I have to stop myself from shouting out with excitement.
I am engaged.
Me.
Engaged.
Engaged to the most handsome man that I have ever had the fortune of laying my eyes on. The ring is perfect for me, and he is perfect for me. I feel so lucky to have found him.
There is absolutely nothing that can bring down my mood today, and God help anyone that attempts to.
“What are you thinking?” Jake asks, startling me.
“I thought that you were still sleeping?”
“I was until a moment ago.” Jake wriggles down so that he is eye level with me. “Good morning, Mrs Waters-to-be.”
Oh my God! Mrs Waters! Mrs Stacey Waters! I love the way that sounds.
“Morning to you too, handsome.”
“So, come on, tell me what thoughts were running through that beautiful mind of yours.” Jake starts to kiss my neck and I struggle to concentrate on the question that he has asked me. I let out a small groan and I feel Jake’s lips curve into a smile against my skin. “I’m sorry, am I distracting you?”
“Yes.”
“My apologies. I’ll stop,” Jake says, pulling his lips away. I frown at him in frustration, but all this does is make him laugh.
“No fair,” I say, pouting like a stroppy teenager.
“All in good time, babe.” He smiles at me and I can’t help but soften towards him. He knows me far too well. “Come on. Thoughts.” I am a little surprised that he so desperately wants to know what I was thinking about.
Maybe he thinks that you are having second thoughts and he just needs a little reassurance?
If that is why he wants to know, then I need to shut down that line of thinking.
“I was just thinking about how perfect last night was.” My hands reach into Jake’s hair and I give a gentle tug. The growl in the back of his throat hits me straight at my core, making me wet with desire for him. His tongue traces my bottom lip and then he places a light kiss on the end of my nose.
“I’m glad that you liked it,” Jake says, grinning at me.
“I didn’t just like it, Jake. I loved it. It was the best moment of my life.” I am fully aware that I sound like a soppy romantic, but I don’t care. Sometimes being a soppy romantic is called for.
“I am going to go and make some breakfast,” Jake announces before leaping from the bed.
“Why?” I whine.
“Uh, because it is morning, Stace. Generally, people have breakfast in the morning.”
“Ha ha, very funny wise-ass,” I reply sarcastically. “What I mean is, why are you doing that now when we could be working up more of an appetite?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him and he laughs.
“Oh, don’t worry, you will be more than hungry by the time I have finished with you, but that’s after breakfast,” Jake says, raising his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner.
“Well, then who am I to argue,” I reply, conceding defeat.
Jake gets out of bed and pulls on his jogging bottoms. He goes to leave the bedroom, but not before giving me a cheeky wink. I laugh and throw a pillow at him. I hear him chuckling down the hallway, the sound making me wish that I had grabbed him and pulled him back into bed just now.
I sigh with contentment and go to the ensuite to use the toilet and assess my appearance in the mirror. My face is flushed, my lips are swollen, and my hair is going to be a nightmare to try and get a brush through. I attempt to tidy it up as best as I can and then I brush my teeth. I splash some cold water over my face and look down at my ring finger. The ring really is stunning. I couldn’t have chosen better myself.
Jake gets me, and he knows exactly what I like.
I can’t believe that I have found my soulmate, in every aspect of the word.
What I had with Charles seems foolish compared to what Jake and I have together.
I walk back into the bedroom with a smile on my face as Jake enters with a tray consisting of coffee and toast.
“I know that it’s not exactly the ideal breakfast for a newly engaged woman, but there isn’t much shopping in,” Jake says, looking and sounding apologetic.
“Things really have gone downhill since I have been away,” I tease.
He places the tray on the bed and comes over to me. He pulls me into his arms and I nuzzle into him. His chin rests on the top of my head and I close my eyes, feeling more content than I ever have before.
“I can’t wait for you to be my wife,” he whispers.
“Me either.”
“Well, in that case, let’s set a date.”
“Seriously?” I ask, my eyes springing open as I pull my head back to look at him.
“Yeah. Why should we wait? I want to call you Mrs Waters sooner rather than later,” Jake says, astounding me.
“But doesn’t it take months to plan a wedding?” I ask, my eyebrows raised.
“You do know me, don’t you, babe?” he says with a mischievous look in his eye.
I laugh. “I do, yes, but a wedding usually takes a while to plan, Jake. I don’t want us to rush it.”
“It won’t be rushed. There are plenty of people that I can hire to make it the wedding of your dreams. What do you say?” Jake looks so excited and I can feel my heart flutter at his urgency to marry me.
“You’re a hard man to deny, Waters,” I say, making him grin. “When were you thinking of?”
“Next week.”
“Next week?” I screech at him. He can’t be serious. “Jake, there is no way that we can arrange everything for next week.”
“Want a bet?” he asks me. I am unsure whether he is joking or not, but my gut feeling tells me that Jake is being deadly serious.
“Impossible,” I say in a challenging tone. “There’s the venue, the dress, the guests to invite, the reception. Do I need to go on?”
“You forgot cars, music and flowers,” he says making me widen my eyes with shock. He starts to laugh at my reaction. “Stace, I am fully aware of what goes into a wedding. I have thought about nothing else since I decided to ask you to marry me.”
Jake literally blows me away.
Just when I think that he can’t shock or surprise me anymore, he does.
“Really? I think that maybe, on this occasion, you are being just a tad optimistic about getting everything done.”
“Leave it with me.” With that, Jake lets go of me and leaves the bedroom. I stand, frozen to the spot for a few moments as I try to gather my thoughts.
A wedding next week?
He really is insane.
Jake
Stacey really does underestimate me at times.
I have been in my home office for an hour and I have already secured a venue and arranged cars for our wedding. It’s amazing what you can achieve when your name is Jake Waters. I don’t like to use my name to get what I want, but on this occasion, I am making an exception.
I am about to phone Martin and ask him to plan the reception when Stacey enters my office. She looks incredible, even if she is only wearing leggings and a loose-fitting jumper. She walks over to my desk and perches on the edge, facing me.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
�
�Planning our wedding,” I answer. “I have booked the venue and the cars so far.” Her face really is a picture at this point. Her mouth has fallen open and her eyes look like they are about to pop out of their sockets.
“I need you to choose what flowers you want, and you need to book a day to go wedding dress shopping. Oh, and I was about to call Martin as I thought that he could arrange the reception for us––”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Stacey says, holding both of her hands up in front of her. “Jake, I think that you may have actually lost the plot.” She looks flabbergasted and it is taking all of my willpower not to burst out laughing at her. “I don’t suppose that you would mind telling me what day we are getting married on?” I can hear a touch of sarcasm in her tone, but I choose to ignore it.
“Next Friday.”
“Uh huh. And where is it that our nuptials are taking place, exactly?”
“At the Bowden Hall.”
“You’re not even joking, are you?”
“Nope.” I reach my arms out and pull her off of the desk and onto my lap. “I told you that I want you as my wife, Stacey. You are mine, and I want the whole world to know it.” I may sound possessive, but I don’t care. She is mine, and she always will be.
She puts one of her hands on my cheeks and lightly rubs her fingers up and down.
“You amaze me, Waters.” I can see tears glistening in her eyes and it makes my insides flip. She has been the only woman to ever make me feel like this, and I will never let go of that.
“Why thank you.” I place a quick kiss on her lips. “Now, we have a lot left to organise, so we need to get a move on. No interruptions.”
“Not even just a five-minute interruption?” she teases.
“You know as well as I do that it won’t just be five minutes.” I raise one eyebrow at her and she pouts at me. God, her pout is so sexy that it sends signals straight to my cock.
Fuck, I’m going to be a goner if I don’t distract myself from her.
“But as your wife to be, shouldn’t you cater to my every need?”
The Complete Perfect Series Page 66