“Kinsey, you’re such a little bitch,” he teased, his smilewidening, and he released my waist. “Guess I better get down here again, huh.”And with that, he went back down on one knee, taking my left hand—the correcthand. “Kinsey …”
“Yes.”
“Not yet!” He laughed, and cleared his throat. “Kinsey—”
“Yes.”
“Yadon’t even know what I’mgonnasay!”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you bethe man. Say what you’re going to say.”
“Thankyou. Now, Kinsey McKenna, you havebeen my best friend since I was still in diapers.” I giggled, and he raised awarning brow. “Watch it. You want this, don’t you?”
I nodded, raising my other hand in my best oath-givingstance. “I swear I won’t interrupt you again.”
He sighed, unable to dull that excited twinkle in his eye.“Anyway, I have loved you since then, ever since your parents forced you ontomy lawn. I have loved you through childhood, all the way into adulthood. I haveloved you when things were perfect, when things were bad, and when thingsweren’t things at all, and I don’t plan onstoppin’any time soon. So, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, will you do me thehonor ofchangin’ your name to Kinsey Kinney?”
I laughed, tilting my head back to look at our ceiling.“Seriously, do you honestly not hear how incredibly stupid that sounds?”
“Nah.” I dropped my eyes back to his. Those beautiful,perfect eyes. “It sounds perfect.”
Kinsey Kinney. It didn’t quite soundlike peanut butter, glued to the roof of my mouth. It didn’t stick. Both partsdidn’t run together to create that irritating, delicious sound.
But it did have a certain ring to it. A cute little flairthat I could rock, if it meant being his wife.
Mrs.Patrickinney.
“I guess I can learn to live with it,” I said, thevibration in my voice being the only telltale sign of my excitement.
“So, you’re saying yes?”
“I mean, we might as well, right?”
He nodded, both corners of his mouth curling. Two dimples.“Exactly what I wasthinkin’. What else is there?”
With his own adrenaline-shaky hands, Patrick took theliberty of sliding the beautiful, not-so-gaudy ring onto my finger—a perfectfit, no adjustments needed—and he stood to consummate the engagement with ahard kiss on the mouth. Fervent with twenty-nine years’ worth of friendship,firsts, and love that brought us to that moment.
His hands buried in my hair, grabbing and tugging; my handsaround his neck, biting at his lip, coaxing his mouth open. It was my firsttime kissing my fiancé, and while he was the same Patrick with those same eyesand dimples, it was different somehow. Another change, but this change broughtus closer together. This change was a step forward to solidifying the bond ofour souls.
I pried my lips from him for a shred of air, only servingas encouragement for him to pepper his lips along my jaw and toward my neck.
“You know what I think?” I asked, my knees breaking down toputty under his skilled mouth.
His muffled response sent a shock straight to the part ofmy body that would have been screaming for his hardening erection, had it beengiven a voice, and I moaned on its behalf.
“We should, mm …” My eyelids fluttered, losing my train ofthought, with little thanks to his gentle nips along my collarbone.
One of my hands brushed lightly over his tormented groin,restricted by jeans that suddenly appeared tighter than they were, and heresponded with a throaty groan.
I imagined him wrapping my legs around his waist, usingthose handcuffs I had grown to appreciate in the months since we revived themost epic love story River Canyon had ever seen. I imagined being naked, bound,and helpless. Teased by a tongue so familiar with my body; it knew just when tostart, when to stop, just to keep me teetering on that proverbial edge longenough to make me beg.
I fantasized, standing there in the living room, leaningagainst his hard body for support. I imagined the things he would do to me, tocelebrate, and then … he stopped.
My eyes fixated on him, mouth gaped open, as I watched himgrab our coats from the banister leading upstairs. “Patrick, you’ve got to be—”
“Sorry, babe. Got a little carried away, and as much as I’dlove to make myself right at home between those legs and sing to you all nightlong, we have dinner plans.”
He handed my coat to me, and adjusted himself in his jeansbefore throwing his own coat over his shoulders. Mischief and guilt mingled inhis eyes, an apologetic smile curled one corner of his mouth. One dimple.
