Page 180 of For Better or Hearse
“I wanted to give this to you the night I left,” he says hoarsely, hands shaking. “I may or may not have carried this with me for the last two weeks.”
She doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry or scream bloody murder. She wants this, but…
It’s too early. Too soon.
And yet, she’d still say yes.
In every universe, yes.
He stares at her, amused. Reverent. “I’m going to open the box, Bigfoot.”
“Okay,” she whispers, clasping her hands at her chest. Ready or not, here it comes.
Brows furrowed, his attention exquisite and stern, he does.
“Oh my god.”
She inspects the box, what’s inside, for a long time. Eyes too hot, throat too tight. And yet love fills her.
Pearl earrings. But not just any pearl earrings.
Her teary gaze lifts. Nathaniel watches her anxiously.
She gives a watery laugh. “They’re black,” she says, awed.
Gorgeous pearlescent black pearls. Pearls that screamAsh. That will always remind her of who she actually is.
He leans down, finding her mouth, and whispers against her lips. “Just like your pretty little soul.”
She kisses him then. Kisses him like there’s no tomorrow, like the universe is smirking down at her in thatI told you soway. And she’ll accept it. No more fighting it. She drags Nathaniel closer, her tongue smoking over his. In response, he digs his fingers into her hips, shifting her until they’re flush, until all she can feel are his tall bones and brooding muscles.
When they pull apart, she doesn’t release him. She can’t let him go. “I’ll wear the fuck out of them.”
“Good.” He considers her, his expression growing serious. His voice is choked, damp. “They’ll have to tide you over until I buy a ring.”
She nods. “Yes.”
This time, there’s no ache, no fear in her chest. It’s a light, brilliant and blooming. It’s not a sigh, it’s an exhale. Letting go, letting it out.
Time doesn’t wait.
And neither will they.
One year later
“All these leg muscles I’ve built up on these damn hikes of yours,” Ash huffs as she climbs the steep, rocky terrain of the mountain. Stones crunch beneath her clomping boots. “Going to use them to snap your neck one day.”
Smirking, Nathaniel glances over his shoulder. His sun-bronzed skin is rosy from exertion. He looks like a sexy GQ model in hiking gear. “Best way to die. Your legs around my face.”
Ash rolls her lips against a smile. Adjusts the straps of her backpack, hefting the weight inside.
Nathaniel stops and turns. Eyes simmering with emotion, he reaches for her, pulls her into his arms for a brain-melting kiss.
“I’m sweaty,” she says, though her protest is weak. It only takes a heartbeat for her to go pliant and melty against his ridiculously hard body. Apparently, she’ll never stop swooning for her Very Tall Asshole.
“I love your sweat.” Amusement dances in his pale-blue eyes. “It’s very kissable. I never know where my lips are going to slip.”
“Mmm. We have a deadline,” she murmurs, as his mouth sweeps over her overheated skin.