“Don’t thank me. I’m not giving up just yet.”
She tried not to let her confusion show on her face as he dug into his pocket.
“Would it change things if I was more than just your boyfriend?”
Realization struck her as he pulled a small black box from his pocket, and she froze, standing as still as a statue as he opened it.
“Mina, will you marry me?”
A diamond winked from the box’s interior, but she could barely manage to tear her gaze away from his. His eyes were more gorgeous than ever, and his gaze melted something inside her, sending warmth flooding through her body. The butterflies that had plagued her when they’d first started dating were back in full force, fluttering like crazy in her belly. He was serious. This was really happening.
“Yes.” She threw her arms around his neck, letting his stubble rasp against her cheek as she buried her face in his shoulder. The unease that had settled over her when he’d asked his first question was gone. This moment felt perfect. This moment felt right. She’d known a few short weeks into their relationship that she never wanted to be with anyone else.
He hugged her back, squeezing her so hard that her breath rushed from her lungs in a gasp.
After a few moments Eric loosened his hold, allowing a few inches of space to separate their bodies. He pulled the ring out of the box, took her left hand and slid it onto her finger. “Just let me know when,” he said. “We’ll get married whenever you want to. I’m not going anywhere.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “You’re the only one for me, Mina.”
She touched the tip of her tongue to her lip, tasting where he’d kissed her. “I’d marry you right now if I could, but I think we’d better wait a little while. Karen will kill me if she doesn’t get to take any engagement photos, and I’m sure Jess won’t want to miss out on the chance to be a bridesmaid.”
“What, the poster doesn’t count as an engagement photo?” he asked, teasing.
She smiled as she remembered the first time they’d posed together. If it hadn’t been for that, they might never have fallen in love. She wriggled her fingers. “I’m pretty sure I have to be wearing the ring for it to count. Or at least, that’s what Karen will say.”
He grinned wickedly, drawing her close again and pressing his lips against the arch of her neck. “Whatever. Isn’t she too busy with all of her clients and those magazines to be bossing you around? Maybe I should take you to the courthouse right now.”
She giggled as his stubble tickled her neck. Maybe he was right – Karen’s photography business had virtually exploded over the past couple months – but with Garret finally gone, she wasn’t about to go anywhere until she and Eric took advantage of the empty apartment. “Wouldn’t you rather spend the rest of the afternoon here? I mean, now that we’ve got this place to ourselves…”
He swept her feet out from under her and lowered her onto the nearby couch, pinning her against the cushions and kissing a trail from her jaw to her collarbone. “I guess you’re right. We should celebrate getting engaged first.”
About the Author
Ranae Rose lives on the US East Coast and is an avid reader and writer who can’t resist a good love story, and the hotter the better. To learn more about Ranae and her books, please visit: www.ranaerose.com
Ranae loves to hear from readers! She can be reached at:
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Connect with Ranae on Twitter: Ranae_Rose
Other Contemporary Romances by Ranae
Taken Hostage
Glazed
Party Girl
Available from major ebook retailers, including Amazon.
For information on Ranae’s historical and paranormal titles, see www.ranaerose.com
Innocent Ink
Inked in the Steel City Book 2
Ranae Rose
eBooks are not transferable. This book may not be sold or given away. Doing so would be an infringement of the copyright.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are products of the author’s imagination and are in no way real. Any resemblance to real events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Innocent Ink
Copyright © 2013 Ranae Rose
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
CHAPTER 1
Karen walked into the Hot Ink Tattoo Studio clutching a manila envelope over her speeding heart. Crackle. One of the photos inside bent, and she swore softly as she pulled the envelope away from her body, desperately trying to smooth it back out. If she’d damaged the photos…