His Obsession(54)

“Don’t you feel possessive towards me?”

“I almost started a fight with two men I considered friends because they were talking to you. I feel possessive more than you’ll ever know. Lucas and Sean were trying to show me my possessive side. Up until you I never thought it was possible to be that connected with someone. I hate dropping you off at college. I want to give you everything, but I don’t want to leave you alone.” He never thought being open with her about this side of him would be so liberating.

“Do you really love me?” she asked.

“Yes.” He reached into his pocket taking out the little box. “I did have a perfect plan to give you this. I was going to take you to an Italian restaurant, and we’d eat and have wine. I’ve told your father I was going to ask you. I thought there could be a better time to ask. I think the time is now.”

Taking a deep breath, he opened the lid. “Ursula Mills, will you do this old man the honour of becoming my wife?”

She stared at the ring, then at him with more tears glinting in her eyes.

“I was hoping for longer time for my speech to be perfect,” he said.

She grabbed him, pressing her lips to his. Stephen pulled away to stare at her. “Is that a yes?”

Ursula nodded her head. “I don’t need a fancy speech. This is perfect.”

He took the ring out of the box. She gave him her finger, and he slid it on. A perfect fit. The beast inside him calmed more when the ring was on her finger.

“I want you to take me to your club,” she said. Stephen had every intention of taking her. He didn’t want to, but he knew they had to go.

“I’m taking you with me tonight. I’ve got to go to Possession to talk to the men. James wants to see this file and meet you properly. I feel better knowing I’ve put a ring on your finger.” He stroked her knee wanting to do so much more. She smiled at him. Her eyes were still red from her tears. Stephen hated the distance between them. “I know you’re still angry with me at the moment. I shouldn’t have kept this part of me from you. I hope you know and understand why I kept it away from you.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” She looked past his shoulder. The tears swelled in her eyes. He noticed her playing with his engagement ring on her finger. “I want to be angry at you. You’ve proposed, and I’m so happy at the same time.”

“Please, don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

“I consider myself to be very liberated in my reasoning. I accept a lot, but I don’t know why you would hide this from me. I’ve been more open with you than anyone. You met my family, and I’ve given you more of myself to you.” She moved off his lap. Stephen turned to her.

He felt like a total bastard. She’d been nothing but honest with him while he’d kept a great deal from her. “I didn’t believe in what my club was about until you walked into my life, and I didn’t think you’d accept a man who feels possessive towards you. I thought I’d be able to hide it from you.”

“What? Why? I know there are a lot of women who don’t want a man to be there, but I’m not like them. I like knowing you’ll be there. Your possessive nature is part of who you are, Stephen. I wouldn’t want to change you. Even if you are a pain in the ass.”

“The clubs have been going for years like I told you. I inherited them. Being a Knox means I have an obligation to keep them running, and I’ll have to pass my information onto my son one day. There is the age gap between us, and I didn’t want to give you any more causes to doubt our relationship.”

“You have a son?” she asked.

“No.” At the mention of a son, he imagined Ursula swollen with his child. She would look so sexy. An ache hit him square in the chest at the thought of getting her pregnant. He shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant unless they could get past this. “The only person I have is you,” he said.

“What do I need to wear?” He sighed knowing they weren’t going to get much more talking without her knowing more about his club.

“You can come like you are,” he said.





Chapter Sixteen





Ursula sat in the passenger’s side of his car as Stephen pressed the security code and identification into the board at the side of the gate. The silence in the car was deafening. The ring on her finger felt heavy. She’d agreed to marry him without seeing this side of him because she loved him. There was no way she could live the rest of her life without him in it. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. Her decision had to be the right one.