Page 23 of Her Feral Biker

I shut my mouth then, finally having run out of words.

She watched me with somber eyes. “That was a big speech.”

“Biggest I've made in a while.”

“What would you do if I said no?” Her eyes twinkled as she looked down at me, though her breaths came fast as she snuggled deeper into my jacket.

A deep growl built in my throat. I beat it back with effort. “The local mafia don already thinks you’re my wife, so you know, no pressure.”

“Oh, none at all,” she agreed, leaning down and resting her lips against mine. “Of course I’ll marry you, Lake. I’d stay without you asking but this is…” She stopped talking for a moment, leaning back. Her chin ducked, her hair falling forward.

I caught her jaw in my hands, balancing the ring box in my fingers. “Princess?” I raised her face to find her eyes glossed in a sheen of tears. “Hey. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I brushed my fingers over her cheeks tenderly. “It’s okay. If there is too much pressure we don’t have to do this.”

She shook her head violently. “No, I want to. I really want to. I didn’t know that until just now. And… I love you.”

I swallowed over a giant lump of my own in my throat as my eyes prickled. “Damn, princess. I don’t think you’ve ever said that before.”

She shivered as I gathered her into my arms, pulling her down onto the veranda floor with me in a tangle of arms and legs. “We— where I grew up, we never said anything like that. I didn’t know how,” she whispered. “But with you, it felt right."

“Christ, princess. That’s the first thing we’re changing. Say it as often or as little as you need. No feelings hurt, I promise.”

I caught her mouth with mine as I slid the ring onto her finger blindly. It settled over her knuckle and then she straddled me, kissing me hard and fast until we were more than a knot of leather and soft, warm skin. Her cries echoed through the woodsas I made sure she saidyesplenty of times for the rest of the afternoon.