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“Timber, I can’t do this.” She pushes against my chest and the hollow of my heart aches.
“I’m so sorry, I should have been there.” I press my forehead to hers but I can still feel her tense body trying to reject me.
“It’s fine. Someone came to help us.” She looks away and I can’t take it.
“No.” I take her chin in my hand and turn her to face me. “I should have been there when you woke up this morning. I shouldn’t have gotten scared and left.”
“What were you so afraid of?” I can see the outline of hope in her eyes and watch as she cautiously stops trying to move away from me.
“I’ve never done this before, never felt this much before. I don’t know what I’m doing and I know I screwed it up but you have to stay. I could see the idea in your head even before you got out of the car. You want to get away from here, and I don’t blame you.”
“Timber, I—”
“I’ll follow you,” I say, cutting her off. “If you want to leave, I won’t stop you, but I won’t leave you again. I know this castle is in the middle of nowhere and I don’t have much to offer other than money. I’m quiet and grouchy, but there’s nothing I love more than seeing your presence fill these cold rooms.”
She softens against me as I place a kiss on her cheek.
“You’ve come in and scared the hell out of me with how much I need you. You’ve turned everything I had upside down and the thought of you being miserable here made me run away this morning. I don’t want to hold you back and I don’t deserve you. But goddamn it, I won’t let you out of my sight ever again and if that means moving to the city and following you around like a dog, then so be it.”
“I was so mad and hurt this morning when I woke up. After all the promises you made me last night you just disappeared. How do I know you won’t do it all over again?”
“Because I can’t put either of us through that again.” I get down on my knees in front of her and peel the wet denim off her feet. I toss it aside and curse myself once again for letting her out of my grasp. “I was a fool to convince myself I could let you go. But there’s some kind of magic you’ve brought to this castle and suddenly we’re all awake.” I take the small box out of my pocket and open it while I stay on my knees. “My heart beats because I’ve fallen in love. I’m alive because of you.”
She gasps as I open the box and reveal the diamond ring nestled inside.
“Holy cow,” she whispers, putting her hand over her mouth.
“I know this may seem sudden but you don’t understand what you’ve done to me. When I heard you’d left today I thought I’d lost it all and I vowed to never let that happen again. So that’s what this is, Pippa. It’s my vow, my promise to never ever leave you again and to always take care of you. To keep you, and cherish you, and love you. Forever.”
“Timber.” More tears well in her eyes as I slip the ring on her finger.
“You don’t have to answer yet, and you don’t have to say it back. I love you, so let me prove to you that I’m telling you the truth. Let me gain your trust and your love while I give you all of mine.”
Before she can answer I’m off my knees and pulling her into my arms. I might not give her a chance to answer me, but her legs wrap around my waist and her fingers dive into my hair and that’s good enough for me. When her mouth opens and her tongue searches for mine, I know I’ve got her at least interested in the idea of being mine forever.
Maybe Simon didn’t intend for me to go this overboard on doing something nice for her, but I have two speeds: fast and fucking fast. I know myself and my own mind well enough to know when I want something to go for it. I had planted my own seeds of doubt last night while holding her in my arms, but I won’t allow that to happen again. Pippa is the one for me and in the time we’ve spent together I’ve fallen in love with her. Everyone here could see it except me, and although it might have taken me a hot second to catch up, I’m here and I’m not moving.
I lay her down on the edge of the bed with her ass hanging off just slightly. I don’t break the kiss as I reach between us and grab the edge of her wet panties. I give them a hard tug and the material snaps at her hips, baring her pussy for me. I kiss down her body, kneeling on the floor, and hold her ass there with both of my hands. I lick the slick seam of her puffy lips and taste the now familiar tang of her desire on my tongue.
