Seducing Lauren(84)
He clears his throat, his eyes fall to my lips as I lick them, then he finds my gaze again. “Your touch brings me to my knees, and I know that I’ll never, ever get enough of you.”
He drags his knuckles down my cheek as he gazes down at me with so much love in his eyes, my breath catches and I can just watch him, struck dumb.
“Being in love with someone is an unconditional commitment. To love someone isn’t just a feeling, it’s a decision that you make every day, no matter what happens. It’s a judgment. A promise.”
He backs away, lays the umbrella on the ground, and falls to one knee, taking my hand in his.
“That being said, I’m asking you here, in this place that means so much to you, to marry me. Be my wife. My partner. I love you, Lauren, today and every day for the rest of my life.”
He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out folded papers and a black box, flips it open, and holds them up to me. “This is a prenup. I don’t want anything but you, sweetness. Be mine, always.”
Tears fill my eyes as I fall to my knees before him. I take the papers from his grasp, and rather than read them, I keep his gaze locked on my own as I tear them apart and toss them into the water below.
“My heart isn’t just mine, you know. It belongs to you too. It always will, Ty. I don’t need a prenup. I trust you with all of me. Of course I’ll marry you.”
He smiles down at me as he places the gorgeous, round diamond solitaire on my finger, then scoops me up into his arms, rising effortlessly to his feet and spinning in a circle, kissing me firmly.
“I love you so much, sweetness.”
“I love you too.”
He nuzzles my nose as he sets me on my feet. “It’s a good thing you said yes. Jilly’s already put my house on the market.”
“Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”
“Hopeful, my love.” He picks up the umbrella, tucks my hand in his, and pulls me to his side, guiding me back toward home. “Very hopeful.”
It’s Jillian’s turn for Love Under the Big Sky!
Turn the page for a sneak peek at
New York Times bestselling Kristen Proby’s latest in the Love Under the Big Sky series
FALLING FOR JILLIAN
Available February 2015
from Pocket Books!
JILLIAN
What is it about master bathrooms that make people hem and haw? I glance down at my watch and offer the couple from Ontario a wide smile as they browse through the multimillion-dollar home near the ski resort on Whitetail Mountain. In all my years in real estate, it’s always been the master bathroom and closet that people get hung up on.
You’d think it would be the kitchen, and sometimes it is, but invariably, they want to take a second or even third look at the master suite.
“This home is beautiful,” Mrs. Langton says with a smile. “I love it. What do you think?”
Her husband smiles and nuzzles his wife’s ear with his nose, making my stomach turn. “You know I’ll buy you any house you want, my love.”
She laughs and takes another look around the great room as we descend the staircase, our footfalls echoing through the empty space.
“Out of all of the homes we’ve seen, this is my favorite. The view is fantastic. And we’re just down the road from the resort.”
I glance out the wide picture windows that overlook Whitetail Lake below and wince. The snow is coming down harder than it was this morning, so getting off this mountain in my little Honda sedan isn’t going to be easy.
“Does that mean you’ve finally decided?” Mr. Langton asks his wife.
“I think so.” She claps her hands and bounces on the balls of her feet. “We’d like to make an offer on this house, Jillian.”
“Fantastic,” I reply and shake their hands. “I’ll get the paperwork ready this evening and we can meet at my office tomorrow.”
“The weather sure has decided to get nasty,” Mrs. Langton comments as we make our way outside and I lock the door to the mansion behind us.
“They’re calling for a storm,” I reply. “We had a mild fall, but it looks like winter is going to be a doozy.” I glance longingly at the sturdy 4x4 rental that the Langtons are about to climb into.
I really need to replace my car.
“I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” I wave them off as they pull out of the circular driveway and head up the mountain toward the cabin they’ve been renting at the resort.
And now I get to make my way down this mountain in my two-wheel-drive Honda with no studded snow tires.
Fantastic.
I wasn’t exaggerating when I told the Langtons that we’d had a mild fall. Until about two weeks ago, we hadn’t had any snow that stuck around for more than a day or two, and that’s unusual for early December.