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“If you’ll excuse me.” I slip away from the dinner table with Connor on my heels.

We make our way through the hallways until we reach the guesthouse at the far end of the mansion. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I confirm no one else is tailing us before going inside and shutting the door behind us.

The room is dark save for a dim lamp illuminating a plush sofa adjacent to the fireplace. I turn to face Connor as he leans against the wall beside the door, folding his arms across his broad chest.

“Engaged? Couldn’t you have led with… I don’t know… us being a couple or something?” I ask.

He pushes off the wall and takes a step towards me, his eyes glinting in the dim light. “Don’t you like the idea of being engaged to me, Blue?”

I shake my head, my heart pounding. “Do you really mean it? Or is this just another game to you?”

He closes the remaining distance between us, his hands coming up to my face. His thumbs brush over my cheekbones, and I shiver at his touch.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be. Just say the word,” he says.

“Stop saying that. Just tell me what you want. For once.”

His gaze locks with mine, intense and unwavering. “I want you. Plain and simple. I want to nag you about your coffee consumption. I want to be the man you can lean on. I want to be the man who gets to hold you, to kiss you, to call you mine. I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms and fall asleep every night, knowing you’re right there beside me. I want to build a life with you, Blue. A real life, not just stolen moments and secret rendezvous. I love you. I have for a long time. And I want to be your husband.”

He said it. He said the words.

“Marriage is a big step,” I say.

Marriage is a huge step, one I never imagined taking so soon, especially not with him. Okay, I admit that's a lie. I did imagine what it would be like.

Connor’s eyes soften. “It is.” A small smile plays at the corners of his lips. “But when you find the one, you know it. And I’ve never been more certain of anything. You challenge me and fascinate me. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. You’re the one I want to spend forever with. The one I want to build a future with, to grow old with. You’re my everything, Blue.”

His words wash over me, leaving me breathless and aching with longing. His eyes shine with a sincerity that makes my knees weak.

I lean into his touch, my heart racing. “I want that, too. More than anything.”

“Then say yes. Be mine, officially. Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved, every single day for the rest of our lives.” His thumb traces the curve of my lower lip, his gaze intense and filled with longing.

Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I playfully poke his chest. “Well, you still need to get me a ring, mister. Can’t have people thinking I’m not spoken for.”

“Oh, trust me, that’s the easy part. Getting you to say yes was the real challenge.” He leans in, his lips brushing against mine. “And now that I have, I’m never letting you go.”

Unable to contain myself any longer, I throw my arms around his neck and crush my lips to his. I pour every ounce of love and desire I feel for him into that single, perfect moment.

He responds instantly, his mouth moving hungrily against mine as he backs me up against the wall. His hands roam over my body, igniting sparks everywhere he touches.

When we break apart, Connor kneels in front of me.

“What are you doing? I ask.

“I don’t have a ring.” His fingertips graze the waistband of my jeans. “But I can do this.”

He unbuttons my jeans and shoves them down along with my panties. I step out of them, feeling exposed and vulnerable,yet I let him hook one of my legs over his shoulder and place kisses on my inner thigh.

Another kiss, higher up, and another.

His mouth is hot, his stubble scratching my sensitive skin. His free hand shifts underneath my shirt to grope one of my breasts roughly before pinching the nipple hard enough, making me whimper.

By the time Connor’s mouth finally reaches the apex of my thighs, I’m trembling with need. His tongue delves into my wet heat, and I cry out, fingers twisting in his hair to keep him there.

His tongue teases my folds, feather-light touches that make me ache for more. I squirm against the wall, breath coming in ragged gasps. His fingers sink inside me, crooking to find that spot.

“We could get caught.” The realization should shock me, but instead, it only intensifies the coil of heat in my belly.

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