Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Oh, heck yes. All signs of exhaustion instantly evaporate. Forget the nap; now I’m ready for dinner and dessert.
Me
Did you read my mind? I was just thinking I needed carbs and you.
Three dots appear and disappear while I hold my breath.
Hottie
Good. You’ll have plenty of both when I get home.
God. I’m so freaking lucky.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BECKETT
Sunday morning at my place looks a lot like a tornado hit our bedroom.
I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, drinking my first cup of coffee, and enjoying the morning. Elsie stands in her underwear, surrounded by a kill zone of rejected outfits. Beans has claimed a discarded pair of leggings as a nap spot, Mr. Snugglebutt and Pork are hiding under the bed, probably terrified they’ll get caught in the line of fire.
She’s gorgeous, even with her hair chaotic and her face twisted in pure panic as she wrestles with outfits.
“Sweetheart,” I murmur, biting back a grin. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Elsie jumps like she didn’t know I was watching. Both shirts hit the ground. She groans and buries her face in her hands. “Everything just looks so…” she throws her hands up in the air, “blah.” She exhales, rolling her eyes.
She looks so fucking adorable, I want to pin her to the wall and distract her.
Instead, I cross the room, kick a few fashion casualties out of the way, and wrap her in my arms from behind. Her hair smells like that fancy conditioner she uses, and her skin is soft as hell under my palms. I close my arms tightly, caging her against my chest.
“Relax,” I rumble into her shoulder. “You’re going to knock them dead. They’re going to love you.”
She leans back, tension slowly melting from her shoulders. I drag my nose along the edge of her wild hair and let my hands roam down her arms, slowly and heavily, pinning her tight to my chest. “There you go. Feels better, doesn’t it?”
She lets out a shaky breath and nods. Her skin’s as soft as velvet, and her body fits perfectly against mine, like she was engineered in a secret lab just for me. Fuck. I have to grit my teeth to keep from throwing her on the bed and kissing her until she forgets her own damn name.
I press my lips against the shell of her ear, feeling the delicate skin warm beneath my breath. "You don't have to impress anybody," I murmur, my voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "You're fucking perfect exactly like this."
She shivers against me, her bare shoulders prickling with goosebumps. "I'm mostly naked," she reminds me, glancing down at the cream-colored lace of her bra against her freckled skin.
"Exactly." I capture her earlobe between my teeth, giving it the gentlest tug before releasing it. "Just the way I like you."
Her wild, copper curls tickle my jaw as she turns her head, blue eyes sparkling with mischief despite her anxiety. "I doubt your parents will appreciate your girlfriend showing up half-naked."
It's the perfect opening. My heart hammers against my ribs as I reluctantly release her, crossing the room in three long strides to the bedside table. The drawer slides open with a soft scrape. "Probably not," I agree, my fingers closing around the small velvet box I've kept hidden for weeks. "But they won't care what my fiancée is wearing. They’ll be too busy planning our wedding."
Elsie freezes. For a split second, she just stands there in nothing but her lace bra and that wild halo of curls, staring at the little velvet box in my palm.
Holy fuck. My heart’s going a mile a minute.
I cross the room in three long steps and drop to one knee right in the middle of our battlefield of discarded clothes. I don’t even care if I look like an idiot. I’d do anything to make her mine.
She covers her mouth with her hands, blue eyes huge and shining.
“Elsie Berg,” I growl, voice rough as I flip open the box and hold it out to her. The diamond catches the light, damn near blinding, but nothing holds a candle to the way she’s looking at me. “You belong with me. Always. I want to spend every single day making you laugh, making you happy, making you come so hard you forget your own name. Marry me and let me keep you and Mr. Snugglebutt forever.”
She covers her face, but I see the tears shimmering in her eyes as she peeks at me through her fingers. God. She’s so goddamn adorable. “Are you serious?” Her voice cracks, all wobbly and soft, and it hits me right in the fucking chest.
“Dead serious, sweetheart.” I stay on my knee, heart pounding so loud it’s probably audible across county lines. “I want you as my wife. I want to wake up next to you every day. I want you to have my last name and at least six babies. Marry me, Elsie. Please.”