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Getting down on bended knee, Rafe said, “Well, first I’d have to marry you.”
Chapter Five
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
Not that long ago, Jane would have jumped at the chance to marry Rafael Bennett. Hell, she would’ve hog-tied the big bastard and dragged him to the altar if he’d given her even an inkling of any such intentions over the past decade and a half.
But he hadn’t.
So she hadn’t.
And for sixteen years, they’d somehow gotten stuck on a merry-go-round of ding-dong-ditch.
But with sex.
Brain-melting, breath-stealing, turning-limbs-to-jelly, can’t-walk-straight-for-days sex.
He’d visit her, she’d visit him, but neither ever stuck around beyond morning coffee and maybe a quickie. Usually not even that. And yeah, okay, maybe Rafe had a point back in May. Maybe she was the one who ran out on him more often than not, but what indications did he ever give that he wanted her to stay?
None.
Now she stared at Rafe where he knelt on the floor of his bedroom, looking up at her with his smouldering dark blue gaze and the hint of a grin tugging at his sensual lips, trying to decide if she should kiss the infuriating man or punch him in the throat.
Nowhe wanted to marry her? After everything that had happened?
Nooope.
Jane moved off the bed just in case her damned hormones began championing the kissing idea, because then she’dhaveto punch him on sheer principle. “I am not going to marry you,” she said, wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans.
Rafe sighed. “I said you wouldn’t like it.”
“Then why mention it?” she snapped, anchoring her hands on her hips and shaking her head at him, still completely gobsmacked he would even make the suggestion. “Seriously? Is this your version of a joke? Because it’s not funny.”
Getting to his feet, he frowned at her. “It’s not funny because I’m not kidding. Marry me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “How about because I was jilted yesterday? Or I set fire to my wedding dress today? Too soon, Rafe. Way too soon.”
“It’s never too soon to put the past behind you, Jane,” he said, resting his hands on her shoulders.
The only thing stopping her from rolling her eyes at him was the sincerity in his expression as he gazed down at her. Unfortunately her cynicism found another way to express itself. “Yeaaah, no. I’m going home now.”
Thankfully Rafe didn’t stop her when she unlocked the door and escaped into the hallway, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he gently closed the door behind her and didn’t follow her back out to the living room.
“Good timing,” Charlie said as Jane entered the room. “We were just getting ready to leave.”
“Leave?” she said, taking note of the various family members littered around the room and the piles of accompanying luggage. “Why?”
“The girls have school tomorrow,” Toby said, bending down to kiss her forehead. “And I’m interviewing people all day Monday. Rebecca has decided she’s not coming back to work when her maternity leave ends, so I need a new office manager.”
“No more Slave Driver?” Jane said, using the nickname Toby’s staff had given the woman who’d run his business with an iron fist for the last five years.
Toby chuckled. “Afraid not,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Take care, sweet pea.” Then he tilted his head and stared at her stomach. “May I…?” When Jane nodded, he stroked one huge hand over her baby bump and smiled. “Congratulations, Janie.”
“Hey, I’ll take some of that action,” Charlie said. When his twin stepped away, he crouched in front of Jane, bringing his face level with her stomach. “Don’t give your mother a hard time, okay, kid? Save that shit for your dad.” He stood and kissed her cheek. “Oh, and we’ve started a betting pool, FYI,” he added, then hefted three backpacks over his impossibly broad shoulders and marched towards the front door.
