Page 63 of Be My Valentine

“You haven’t said yes to me yet. I wish I could do without your approval, but the law won’t let me. It’s a hassle, isn’t it?” He said as he began to run his hands down her legs, wrapping them in caresses. Suddenly Mark stood up and pulled her up from the chair, Kate suddenly found herself tight in his embrace; she knew he would kiss her as soon as she lifted her head to him.

“If you don’t love me, Kate, I’ll personally open the door for you, but if you feel anything…” He murmured to her with his lips sunk into her hair.

“Something?” she repeated in a rough voice filling with Mark’s scent “I feel everything, for you. You twist me, the love I feel for you destroys and saves me at the same time. I don’t understand…”

She lifted her face and Mark captured her mouth, eager, impatient, uncontrolled. He realized he was holding her until it almost hurt, so he loosened the embrace and circled her face with his hands, continuing to torment her lips, insatiable.

Kate clung to the back of his head and ungently sank her hands into his hair, almost scratching the skin with her nails; she wanted him desperately, completely irrationally. He was in her arms again and nothing else existed.

It was she who pulled away with difficulty.

“From now on you must tell me everything, no lies, no silences, no subterfuge; whatever it is, I don’t want to hear you say you did it for me. I want you to talk to me, not go behind my back…”

“I get it.” he interrupted her “I promise; there’s only one thing I’ve already done, without telling you.”

“Oh God, Mark, what have you done this time.”

“I warned you as soon as you walked in, I had one thing to ask you, and one thing to tell you.”

“What. Have. You. Done.” Kate spelled out, casting him a sidelong glance.

Mark stroked her cheek softly with the back of his index finger, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and stood looking at her in silence, as if seeing her for the first time.

“You’re so beautiful, my love, especially when you start to fight with me, like now with that dirty look. You’re even more exciting, you’re always exciting.” He grabbed her bottom and pushed it against his own pelvis. Kate gasped.

“I booked a room,” Mark murmured in her ear, “I’m literally going crazy.”

Kate was catching fire, but she resisted. She stopped a millimeter from his lips.

“You didn’t answer me.” She reminded him.

“Neither have you, love. I’ll ask you again: will you marry me?”

Kate kissed him with all the passion that was swirling inside her.

“Yes.” She told him in between kisses, running down his chest furiously, without taking her hands off “Yes I will marry you, Mr. Arrow.”

Mark smiled upon hearing himself addressed like that, pulling away without letting go of her grip on his waist. He reached across the table and picked up the ring.

Kate’s fingers trembled with excitement as Mark pushed the platinum band onto her ring finger.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed as she looked at him “it’s… it’s… it’s too much!” She looked almost guilty.

Mark laughed and picked her up just like a bride.

“I did pick a bigger one, your mother stopped me.”

“My mother?” Kate widened her eyes an inch from his face “You went behind my back again!” She tried to wiggle out of it without much conviction: she loved that ring.

“I’m a horrible man, I already told you that.” but Kate read an infinite sweetness in the look she lost herself in “And now you’re going to hate me even more.” he held his breath watching her blink questioningly “You won’t have much time to move into my house and organize the apartment the way you want.”

“Why?” She asked in a hushed voice.

“Because your college tuition has been paid off. You’ll take your gorgeous ass to campus, but at night,” he admonished her with mock sternness, “I want you in bed with me.”

Kate let out a squeal of happiness and wrapped her arms around his neck, covering him with kisses.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She waved her legs like a little girl and Mark almost struggled to hold her back, she looked like she really wanted to take flight, as he had wished for her earlier.