Page 122 of Play Dirty
Hell, no one’s called me Stephanie in a decade.
I’m so mesmerized by his handsome face it takes me a second to realize he’s holding something in his hand.
It’s shiny.
A ring.
A ring?!
I blink in confusion.
“Marty, what are you… is that…?”
“I love you Stephanie Anne Marchand. I want you to be with me forever. Help me raise my kids. Build a life and a family together. I want to be there when you’re sad and slay all your dragons and love the hurt right out of you, until you’re whole again.”
“Marty.” My eyes puddle with tears—I’ve done a lot of crying today—and focus on the intense look in his eyes.
Our eyes and bodies are locked as intimately as humanly possible… and he’s holding out a ring.
“I’m a mess,” I whisper.
“Stop saying that. I love your mess. I loveyou. Marry me, Stevie. Say yes.”
“But what happens when someone finds an old video of me online doing something immature and teases the kids about it?”
“They’ll kick their asses because they love you as much as I do.”
“I don’t want you to do this out of guilt or because I gave Brenna that money.”
“I knew I wanted to marry you the first time we made love. I knew it when you left me. I knew it when I thought you might be dating ’Cuda. I simply realized I had todosomething about it when I found out you paid Brenna off.”
“I paid her because you needed your kids more than I needed the money.”
“But I need you more than anything. Stevie—say yes.”
“Don’t you want more babies?” I whisper when I can’t think of anything else to say.
He shrugs. “I’d like more, but there are options if we get to that point. Adoption. A surrogate. We’ll figure it out together. I have three perfect kids… and now you. What more could I possibly need?”
“Marty.” I hold out my hand and he slides the massive diamond on my finger. “It didn’t have to be this big…”
“It did.” He smiles. “Never undervalue yourself. You’re not broken. You’re not damaged goods—you deserve anything and everything I can give you. Together, we can have it all.”
I drop my mouth to his, kissing him. Urgently. Passionately.
Trying to show him everything I’m feeling.
For him.
About him.
With him.
Our bodies move together in perfect unison, like no time has passed since the last time we made love. Maybe because it’s just a blip in the grand scheme of the rest of our lives.
“You’re so beautiful, Stevie,” he whispers, bringing my face back down to his.
We kiss and touch and grind, until a powerful orgasm rocks me from head to toe. I feel him tense inside me and then we’re lost in a whirlwind of pleasure and lust and love.
