Page 48 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

His reaction was immediate and priceless.

“Hang on…” he stammered, eyes going wide, color blooming across his cheeks as he reached out quickly, his palm closing gently over her hand to stop her.

“Tell me that in the bedroom.”

“Jamie!”he hissed, utterly scandalized. He looked as if he were balancing on a wire—halfway between panic and desire, and she couldn’t help but laugh softly at the sight.

She finally relented, stopping her playful advance. Tilting her head, she studied him, trying to read the expression behind his flushed face. “What?”

“You’ve gotta stop.”

“You don’t want to?”

“I never said that…”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Jamie’s voice had softened, uncertainty flickering beneath her playful exterior. She watched as Kenneth hesitated, his gaze locking onto hers with a seriousness that made her breath hitch. Slowly, he reached past her. Her pulse quickened as his arm brushed against her, warm and steady. He didn’t break eye contact, even as his fingers closed around something on the end table.

The box.

Time stilled.

Her breath caught as he leaned back holding the small velvet box in one hand. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and he swallowed hard, emotion swelling in the space between them. She saw something flicker in his eyes—hope, fear, love—all layered together in one raw, breathtaking moment.

“I want more,” he said quietly.

Jamie’s heart thudded so loud she was sure he could hear it. Every ounce of teasing melted away as she stared at him, wide-eyed, lips parted in stunned silence. Her chest ached with the sheer force of feeling welling up inside her.

Jamie wasn’t sure what she expected when he started talking—but it wasn’t this.

Not this level of intensity. Not this kind of vulnerability.

He wasn’t just talking about a moment, a kiss, or a touch.

He was talking abouteverything.

She blinked up at him, startled by the weight of his words. The quiet way he said them only made them hit harder.

“More what?”

“More between us.”

Her chest tightened, a ripple of unease fluttering through her. Her heart was already beating a little too fast, and now she felt her throat closing. What did he mean? Had she done something wrong? Had she not been enough?

“How much more? I’m trying to do everything I can to make you feel special, but if there’s something more you need and I’m not doing it – it’s because I haven’t thought of it. Maybe you should tell…”

She was panicking. The words rushed out before she could catch them, the fear in her voice rising with every syllable. She didn’t want to fail him. Didn’t want him to feel unfulfilled or overlooked or unloved. It was her worst nightmare—that somehow, despite everything she poured into this, it still wasn’t enough.

And then... he smiled.

That soft, disarming smile that always stopped her heart mid-beat. The kind of smile that reached his eyes and made her forget how to breathe.

Her voice faltered. Fell apart in the hush between them.

“Jamie, I don’t think there is more you could do, sweetheart,” he said gently, his tone like velvet, wrapping around the edges of her frayed nerves. “I want more out of our relationship because I want you to love me someday –like I love you.”

And then he opened the box.

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