arching blindly beneath his. “Fuck – I… Oh, god, I
love you,” he rasped, his body going rigid and a low, harsh groan
of ecstasy tearing from his throat. “Love you so much, my Marion,”
he muttered stupidly into her ear as his weight collapsed on his
forearms.
Thirteen
Her
heart stopped for a brief second before plunging into ice cold
reality. He didn’t love her like that, she told herself. Further,
it was a shitty way to joke around, even if she of all people knew
better. She gave his shoulder a hard shove, both to get him off of
her and for saying something so utterly stupid.
“Oof,” he said with a boyish grin. “You
could have just asked politely.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes now. “When have I
ever asked politely for anything?” she joked, pulling the covers up
over her and turning onto her side. She was a mess and she needed
to clean herself and her bedding, but it would be poor form to run
immediately to the shower.
“Mm,” he replied, “one of the many things I
adore about you.”
‘ Adore,’ not ‘love.’ See?
“Funny,” she said awkwardly, not knowing
what to say, now.
“Marry me.”
Now her eyes flew to his face, expecting
more jokes despite the lurch in her chest. She couldn’t read him
now, however. There was a little smile there, but – she couldn’t
fucking read him. So she did what was safest.
“Fuck you.” With a scowl, she kicked the
covers off and got up, stomping to the bathroom without looking
back.
Grayson blinked. That wasn’t quite the
answer he expected. Then again, he hadn’t exactly planned on
proposing marriage. What the hell was he thinking?
Well, he wasn’t thinking, he guessed. He
didn’t need to think. He fucking loved her. God damn, but he loved
her. Sure, he’d known that for some time. But now he knew she was
absolutely the perfect woman for him. There was never going to be
another Marion McKellan. So, yeah, he wanted to marry her.
“That settles it,” he muttered to himself
before hauling himself up out of bed and bee-lining to the bathroom
after her.
The shower was already running, so he let
himself in. “What the hell kind of answer is that?”
“What the hell kind of joke is that?” she
snarled from the other side of the glass.
“It’s not a joke,” he said, kicking the door
closed behind him.
“Then it’s even more bullshit.” Her voice
was oddly tight and he watched as she stepped under the spray, face
tilted up to the water. Something was wrong, really wrong.
“What the fuck, Mare? What is it? If you
don’t love me, then fine – tell me.”
She gave a bitter sounding laugh. “And then
what?”
He refused to believe she didn’t love him
right back. She wouldn’t have risked their whole friendship like
this if she didn’t feel something strong enough to make it worth
it. “Then I’ll know you’re lying. And I guess I’ll have to pursue
you until you say yes.”
He heard her sigh, watched as she went
still, the water beating down on her luscious body. Damn, but he
was already getting hard for her again. He was about to say ‘fuck
it,’ barge into the tiny stall, and seduce her into saying ‘yes,’
when she spoke.
“I spoke to Olivia at the party.”
“Lucky you,” he said with a snort. What the
hell did his sister have to do with any of this?
“She told me.”
“Told you what?” he asked .
Marion let out an aggravated huff and turned
off the water. She opened the door and faced him directly. “She
told me about your parents. You know, about how you’re expected to
marry someone soon, and someone ‘respectable’?”
Grayson’s face must have looked as clueless
as he felt, because she rolled her eyes and snatched a towel from
the rack, wrapping it around herself. He shook his head. “O-kaay,”
he said. “Then this whole marriage proposal thing should be
perfect, right?”
“Oh, yeah - right. Another way to thumb your
nose at them, I suppose,” she snapped, leaning over to towel
love you,” he rasped, his body going rigid and a low, harsh groan
of ecstasy tearing from his throat. “Love you so much, my Marion,”
he muttered stupidly into her ear as his weight collapsed on his
forearms.
Thirteen
Her
heart stopped for a brief second before plunging into ice cold
reality. He didn’t love her like that, she told herself. Further,
it was a shitty way to joke around, even if she of all people knew
better. She gave his shoulder a hard shove, both to get him off of
her and for saying something so utterly stupid.
“Oof,” he said with a boyish grin. “You
could have just asked politely.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes now. “When have I
ever asked politely for anything?” she joked, pulling the covers up
over her and turning onto her side. She was a mess and she needed
to clean herself and her bedding, but it would be poor form to run
immediately to the shower.
“Mm,” he replied, “one of the many things I
adore about you.”
‘ Adore,’ not ‘love.’ See?
“Funny,” she said awkwardly, not knowing
what to say, now.
“Marry me.”
Now her eyes flew to his face, expecting
more jokes despite the lurch in her chest. She couldn’t read him
now, however. There was a little smile there, but – she couldn’t
fucking read him. So she did what was safest.
“Fuck you.” With a scowl, she kicked the
covers off and got up, stomping to the bathroom without looking
back.
Grayson blinked. That wasn’t quite the
answer he expected. Then again, he hadn’t exactly planned on
proposing marriage. What the hell was he thinking?
Well, he wasn’t thinking, he guessed. He
didn’t need to think. He fucking loved her. God damn, but he loved
her. Sure, he’d known that for some time. But now he knew she was
absolutely the perfect woman for him. There was never going to be
another Marion McKellan. So, yeah, he wanted to marry her.
“That settles it,” he muttered to himself
before hauling himself up out of bed and bee-lining to the bathroom
after her.
The shower was already running, so he let
himself in. “What the hell kind of answer is that?”
“What the hell kind of joke is that?” she
snarled from the other side of the glass.
“It’s not a joke,” he said, kicking the door
closed behind him.
“Then it’s even more bullshit.” Her voice
was oddly tight and he watched as she stepped under the spray, face
tilted up to the water. Something was wrong, really wrong.
“What the fuck, Mare? What is it? If you
don’t love me, then fine – tell me.”
She gave a bitter sounding laugh. “And then
what?”
He refused to believe she didn’t love him
right back. She wouldn’t have risked their whole friendship like
this if she didn’t feel something strong enough to make it worth
it. “Then I’ll know you’re lying. And I guess I’ll have to pursue
you until you say yes.”
He heard her sigh, watched as she went
still, the water beating down on her luscious body. Damn, but he
was already getting hard for her again. He was about to say ‘fuck
it,’ barge into the tiny stall, and seduce her into saying ‘yes,’
when she spoke.
“I spoke to Olivia at the party.”
“Lucky you,” he said with a snort. What the
hell did his sister have to do with any of this?
“She told me.”
“Told you what?” he asked .
Marion let out an aggravated huff and turned
off the water. She opened the door and faced him directly. “She
told me about your parents. You know, about how you’re expected to
marry someone soon, and someone ‘respectable’?”
Grayson’s face must have looked as clueless
as he felt, because she rolled her eyes and snatched a towel from
the rack, wrapping it around herself. He shook his head. “O-kaay,”
he said. “Then this whole marriage proposal thing should be
perfect, right?”
“Oh, yeah - right. Another way to thumb your
nose at them, I suppose,” she snapped, leaning over to towel
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