I watch her face carefully, trying to read her facial expression and body language for any hints on how she feels about the situation. Even if Carter isn’t at the dinner, Mom and Dad will most likely tell him of the engagement right after. If she’s regretting the entire plan, she doesn’t give any indication.
“I was also thinking we could do an engagement party. You haven’t seen your friends in a while, so we could fly them in for it. Your family, too. Really whoever you want. It’s how we could announce to the rest of New York society our intentions to marry.”
Her eyes light up. “Really? I’d love that. A fancy Manhattan event all about me? Sign me up.”
I chuckle. This woman. I love how she’s not afraid to say exactly what’s on her mind. “I’ll look over my calendar to pick a date.”
When she looks up at me, her large eyes filled with excitement, I can almost trick myself into thinking she actually wants to marry me. Almost. Her smile is wide and bright and so fucking beautiful it makes my heart hammer in my chest. “I’ll be there.”
“I think I’m going to go to bed,” I announce, fighting a yawn as I push the knit blanket from my lap. Beck and I had settled in to watch some TV and relax after a busy day of getting back to Manhattan. Well, I relaxed, spacing off while sketching in my notebook while the TV played in the background. Beck however worked on his laptop and phone the entire time. I’d tried telling him he could go to his office to work, but he’d insisted on staying in the living room with me. Not that I’d put up much of an argument after that.
Beck’s thumb brushes over the inside of my ankle as his eyes stay scanning whatever is on his laptop. During one of his business calls he’d grabbed my feet that’d been resting against his thigh and began to rub them, all while his phone was on speaker and he talked business with one of his investors.
I don’t think he even realized how tender the moment was, how much it meant to me.
“I was wondering if you were going to doze off on me,” Beck responds, looking at me from over his laptop screen. I carefully set my sketchbook between us. For the last thirty minutes I hadn’t drawn a thing because the feeling of his strong thumbs pushing into the soles of my feet was enough to almost put me to sleep.
“I was definitely close.”
"I’ll probably head to bed soon, too.” His laptop snaps shut as he stands up, stretching his arms above his head. A small amount of skin peeks out from above the waistband of his joggers, giving me a glimpse of his hardened oblique muscles I’m so damn turned on by.
I stand up, neatly folding the blanket I’d been using even though I know the house cleaning staff will redo it tomorrow. “Thank you for you know, hanging out,” I get out awkwardly.
Hanging out? What the hell is wrong with me? Beck isn’t the type of man to ever use the word hanging out.
I’m even more mortified by my words when he doesn’t respond at all. Sheepishly, cursing myself for my juvenile choice of words, I swipe my sketchbook from the kitchen and beeline for the stairs. “Goodnight!” I yell, not bothering to look behind me. All I want to do is go to sleep and pretend I didn’t thank the man for hanging out with me like we were making friendship bracelets or gossiping away like a group of teenage girls.
My feet barely hit the first stair when a strong arm snakes around my waist. Beck pulls me against his hard body, his lips right next to my ear. There’s a loud smacking sound as my sketchbook falls to the ground.
“And where do you think you’re going?” He nips at my neck angrily.
My mouth opens and shut as I try to form words. I’m still reeling from the embarrassment of my word choice earlier and now he’s taken me by surprise by locking me in an embrace.
“G-going to bed,” I stutter.
“Your bed is no longer upstairs.”
“It’s not?”
Beck’s large hands grab me by the waist as he spins me to face him. “You’re my fiancée,” he growls. “The only bed you’ll be sleeping in is the one in my room.”
I’m stunned, unable to think of a response to him. I hated the thought of going upstairs to an empty bed after having the luxury of feeling his warm body next to mine last night. But it didn’t stop me from accepting that was how it was going to be. At least that’s how I thought it’d be, but the angry look in Beck’s eyes tells me I must be mistaken.
“Get whatever you need upstairs right now and then meet me back here. I’ve had the taste of having you sleep next to me. As long as you’re under this roof, there’s no going back. I want to be able to reach across the mattress and run my fingers through your hair. I want to wake up and be surrounded by the smell of you. I want to wake you up with my mouth on your pussy, to see how close I am to getting you to come on my tongue before your eyes even open. There’s so much more I want to do with sleeping next to you every night, but it starts with you getting the stupid idea out of your head that your place is in any other bed but mine.”
I’ve never met someone who can say the sweetest yet dirtiest things all in one speech. It’s a talent, the way he can make me melt into a puddle at his feet with his lust-filled words.
“You have two seconds to turn around and get whatever the hell it is that you need before I say fuck it and throw you over my shoulder. I’m pissed at you for even thinking that you wouldn’t be joining me in bed tonight. If you don’t move fast baby, I’ll be pulling you back to my room and making you pay for it.”
I yelp, turning around and running up the stairs as fast as my legs will take me. My clit throbs at his words. His threats have never once actually felt like a threat. They’ve always felt like a promise. And for some twisted reason, I can’t wait to take my time up here. To make him wait. I want to see how long it takes for him to come looking for me, how solid his patience is.
“I’ll be a minute!” I yell as I run down the hallway to my room. I’ll be way longer than a minute. He doesn’t have to know how eager I am to climb into bed with him and feel his strong arms around me all night, but first, I want to tease him a little.
As soon as I’m in my room, I slam the door and turn the lock. I don’t know if he’ll come upstairs and look for me, but it’d be fun to see his reaction—his threats—if he were to come upstairs and find the door locked.
I’m tearing through my drawer of lingerie, when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see a video call coming in from Winnie. I’d tried calling both her and Emma earlier to tell them the news of the engagement, but neither had answered.
I swipe to answer the call immediately. The moment I see both my best friends’ heads jammed together to fit in the camera view, my heart swells. I can’t freaking wait for our engagement party if it means I get to see them.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Emma scolds, grabbing the phone from Winnie and holding it so she’s the only one in view.
I smile. God, I missed her.
“Well, Beck and I got stuck in the middle of nowhere Colorado in a snowstorm after a business meeting. I had spotty service there.”
Emma gives me a beaming smile. “Oh my god, did you guys have to bone to stay warm?”