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“I think I could allow that,” I countered, smirking in his direction. He grinned, raising a hand and flagging down Angus.
“Two glasses of the Midleton Very Rare,” he requested, and I dropped my gaze to the top of the bar, touched that he still remembered my favorite whiskey. In moments, we both had glasses in our hands, and he raised his, nodding in my direction. “To the future,” he offered.
I echoed his sentiments and clinked my glass with his, taking a long draw and enjoying the spicy burn as it cascaded down my throat. I watched him swallow his own drink, assessing him at every moment for any further sign of what he might decide to do next.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to choose. I’d spent all week thinking about it, and I was no closer to figuring it out then I was when I’d walked out of his penthouse with the taste of his seed still fresh on my tongue last week.
In a flurry of movement, he placed his drink down on the counter and stood up. He was already down on one knee with his hand reaching into his suit pocket before I recognized what was happening. When he pulled out a small blue velvet box, a tiny noise of surprise slipped from my lips unbidden at the sight of it.
He flipped it open, revealing what must have been a six or seven carat princess cut diamond solitaire engagement ring. The stone was flawless, catching the light and making my heart pound. The platinum setting was simple and elegant, letting the size and quality of the diamond take center stage.
It was perfectly suited to me. I couldn’t have chosen a better one myself.
“Shane,” I breathed warily.
“Ada Murphy, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I stared down at him on the floor, a bit taken aback. The entire bar had gone quiet. Actually, silent would be a better word. This was a very public declaration for any of the Murphys, but most especially me. I had a reputation, and so did he, and how I responded to this would speak volumes about both of our characters.
I cleared my throat, trying to keep calm and clearheaded. His eyes were warm and hopeful, rather than firm and expectant, as he searched mine.
Maybe there could be something to the two of us after all, but I had to be sure before I decided to give him my hand in marriage.
“I thought you said I’d have to ask you to ask me?” I questioned softly.
His lips curved up in a devious grin. His eyes grew dark with the memory of what the two of us had shared, as did mine, and only the soft rumble of his voice broke me from it.
“Only if you said no the first time I asked,” he answered. His tone was simple and easy, and I decided to just go ahead and press him on the issue that I was concerned about the most.
If I became Shane’s wife, I would need us to be equals, at least when others were watching.
“If I say yes, what would it be like?”
He stood up, moving closer to me and placing the ring box on the bar, right next to my drink. I stared at it as his hand caressed my side gently and then stilled as it pressed against my lower back. It was innocent in nature to those watching, but it didn’t feel that way to me. He leaned down as his fingers dug gently into me, his low growl causing my inner walls to spasm as though they had a life of their own.
“In public or inprivate?”
He already knew. I sighed with a bit of relief, allowing myself to drop a tiny bit more of my guard. He was talking in a tone that was low enough for only me to hear at this point. I didn’t look over my shoulder, but I knew the rest of the bar was watching us very closely as they tried to figure out what was going on with the Murphy’s reigning ice queen.
I wasn’t a woman known for having very many relationships with men. This was a rare moment for them to witness, and they all knew it.
“Both…”
“In public, you would be my queen.”
“Your equal,” I pressed, leveling him with a hard, intimidating look. He didn’t back down, and there was something in his expression that made my heart swell with hope.
“My equal,” he confirmed with a curt nod.
I stared at him, trying to assess him for any sign of dishonesty or manipulation, but I found none. He didn’t look away, gazing into my eyes as boldly as ever, and I realized that maybe he was telling the truth.
“You really mean that?”
“Every single word,” he vowed. There was an almost imperceptible tightening of his fingers on my back, and I nodded, needing to look away for a moment as the gravity of that vow fell on me.
There was another nagging question on my mind, and I needed to have it answered. As much as it was necessary for us to be equals when we were in the public eye, I wanted something very different went it was just the two of usalone.
“And in private?”
