Page 71 of Bulletproof Weeks

She pushed him back into the pillows. “Do you have any idea what you’re in for, Mr. King?”

“I’m ready for whatever you got.”

She showed him under a canopy of leaves with dappled sunlight kissing their skin. In a secluded c

ove, she covered him with her body, offered him her heart, and accepted that she might not know exactly what was coming next.

This man that she’d never dreamed would be a part of her life had changed her on a fundamental level. She didn’t have to be alone any longer. She took him inside her body and loved him as completely as she knew how.

He rose to meet her, his mouth dragging over belly to ribs, breast to neck. He held her tight and surged inside of her, his hardness to her softness until her cries broke over the spring. She held tight, her arms around his neck and strong shoulders, his to her waist and a slow trail of fingers up her back.

As the sweat cooled and her heart stopped racing, she fell back into the quilted softness of their makeshift bed. He stretched out beside her until they were a tangle of legs and arms and she was settled against his chest.

“Wow.”

He laughed. “Definitely wow.”

She propped her chin on her hand and drew random designs along his chest from freckle to freckle, the flash of her ring luring her into repeating the pattern. “This ridiculously gorgeous ring means there’s no way we can keep this a secret, you know?”

“No. I’m tired of secrets.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “What do you think about making an announcement at the festival?”

“You’re not messing around.”

He shook his head. “This way we have the power over the info. It will probably be leaked before that. There always seems to be someone that’s willing to call in an anonymous tip to the press.”

“And you’re really okay with this?”

“The real question is, are you? Once this is out, the press is going to go nuts. Mostly good, but they’re definitely ruthless when it comes to the social media hamster wheel.”

She inched up his chest until she could get to his mouth. “How handy, I’m completely ready for this.”

Twenty-Four

“Coming through. Watch out. What part of pave the way do you people not get?”

Bella laughed and waved. “Over here.”

Nic had her arms up with a frosty glass of beer in each hand. “Holy crap, girl. This place is even more packed than last year.”

Bella took the beer from her and gave her a quick hug, then Adam who came up the rear. “Thanks. I couldn’t get away.”

“No problem. I can see why.”

The Barn, which it had been officially christened, was wall-to-wall people. Zeke and Logan were pulling double duty tonight with a final set there, and then again in two hours with the full band on the main stage in the park. It was the last night of the festival and everything had been…uneventful.

She hated to even think the word, let alone say it out loud. She and Logan had tiptoed through each pre-show event, and concert, waiting for even an Aimee sighting. Nothing so far.

She glanced back at Sarah who was diligently scanning faces and pretending to work the room. As usual, she was there for Bella’s sake only. But even Sarah seemed more restless and short-tempered.

They’d informed Roth Defense that Logan was going to make an announcement about their engagement. The news had gotten out to a few of the music papers, but nothing huge. After tonight, that would all change.

Oddly enough, Roth was all for the public announcement. The investigation had come to a halt. Aimee Collen had gone off-grid, supposedly spending the summer in Paris.

According to the reports Logan got, Aimee had been spotted at a few exclusive parties, but for the most part, she’d been keeping a low profile. There were rumors that she’d hooked up with a Russian hockey player.

Bella hoped to God that was true. She didn’t want to push their problems off on anyone else, but when it came to someone as unbalanced as Aimee, it was inevitable. Either their news would be met with silence, or she would come at them with a vengeance.

For once in her life, silence sounded like bliss.

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