The Lover

by E. L. Todd

  I hadn’t put much thought into our conversation. I’d assumed she hadn’t noticed anything was out of the ordinary.

  “If you aren’t careful, she’ll figure out what’s going on.”

  “Trust me, she has no idea. The last thing she expects you to do is propose.”

  “You’re still messing with her head. I don’t want her to say no because she thinks you have a problem.”

  I laughed because it was absurd. “She won’t say no.”

  “Whatever. So what the hell was that about?”

  “What?”

  “Your weirdness. Why did you act like that?”

  I stepped back, wishing I had a beer to swallow this drama down. “Look, you dropped a bomb on me and Mom and Dad.”

  “Mom and Dad seem fine with it. In fact, they seem thrilled about it.”

  “Well, I’ve proposed to Pepper before, so it’s a little weird. I had the exact same conversation with Mom and Dad—at that very table. Sorry if I freaked out a little, but I’m also not sorry.”

  “You gave me your blessing.”

  “And you still have it. But it’s just weird…”

  He still wore the same pissed-off expression. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Because I can’t afford to have you acting weird around her and tipping her off. Or worse, getting her to think that being with me is a bad idea.”

  “Hey, I said nothing like that to her. In fact, I told her I was happy for her.”

  “But you seemed sad about it.”

  “I am sad,” I blurted.

  My brother stared at me, his eyes turning less angry.

  “I’m not sad that she’s going to end up with you. I’m sad that…I’m losing her. Now, she’ll have her own life with you…she won’t live across the hall from me. She’ll be remarried, so I’m not really her ex-husband anymore. I guess…it’s hard to let her go. She won’t need me anymore.”

  Pity entered his gaze. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “It is…but everything is changing. It happened so fast.”

  He closed the gap between us and came closer to me. “It did happen fast. And change is always hard…but you need to accept it, Colton.”

  “I do accept it. I am happy for her. It’ll just take some time to get used to.”

  “Colt.” He didn’t continue speaking until I looked at him.

  My eyes shifted back to his face.

  “If you aren’t ready for this, I won’t ask. I’ll give it some time. I want this to be a happy moment for everyone. Maybe I was insensitive when I asked, but once you gave me your permission to be with her, I thought that was it.”

  “But I didn’t expect you to propose so quickly. Last time we spoke, you acted like you might never get married…”

  “Well…I changed my mind.”

  “And why did you change it so drastically?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing under his breath. “Being apart from her made me realize how much I love her. It also showed me how supportive she is. She trusted me to do that with Layla trying to get in my pants every night. And she never tried to talk me out of going. She understood it was important to me, and she didn’t ask me to stay. I want a woman like that. I want someone who will always be supportive that way, who understands my need to do humanitarian work like that. She’s it, man. Why wait?”

  “That’s romantic, but did you think about other things? What about kids? You know she wants a family.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not there yet, obviously. But maybe I’ll change my mind about it. She changed my mind about marriage.”

  “Finn, you can’t marry her unless you’re willing to give that to her. Don’t propose unless you’re on board with that. You’ll just hurt her when you have the conversation later. I’m telling you, kids are important to her. It’s a deal-breaker.”

  He searched my gaze as he considered what I said. His eyes shifted back and forth as he internalized my statement. After what felt like an eternity of silence, he spoke. “I’ll do it. If it’s important to her, then we’ll have some kids. But she’s only twenty-six, so we have plenty of time together before we need to start popping them out. That’s a fair compromise.”

  I couldn’t believe he’d agreed so easily. My brother really wanted to marry her.

  “The only thing standing in our way is you—frankly. So, are you okay with this or not?”

  “Of course I am—”

  “Be honest with me, Colton. Because when she says yes, there’s no going back. I’m marrying her, even if you don’t like it. So, speak your truth now, or forever hold your peace.”

  I understood my pain came from a deep place in my heart. It was a personal feeling of loss, of losing something I’d had for so long. But I had to remember I’d lost her a year ago. I wasn’t losing her now…I already had. It was time to move on, to really let go. “Yes, I’m okay with it. Marry her.”

  He studied my gaze, looking for sincerity.

  “I mean it.”

  “Good. Now stop acting weird around her.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Well, do a better job.”

  “Geez, alright.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I can’t believe my heart-breaking, player brother is getting married.”

  “I’m not getting married. She’s got to say yes first.”

  “Dude, she’s going to say yes.”

  He shrugged. “You never know. Maybe I’ll ask, and she’ll realize she can do way better than me.”

  “Finn, you’re stupid. She’s head over heels in love with you.”

  He grinned. “She is, isn’t she?”

  I rolled my eyes again.

  “That woman will be mine for the rest of my life. Pretty exciting.” Now that the difficult part of the conversation was over, he finally relaxed and let his threatening demeanor dissipate.

  “Yeah…you’re a lucky man.”

  “I know I am.” He leaned against the back of the couch, still wearing a slightly boyish grin.

  “When are you going to ask her?”

  “Not sure. I haven’t decided when or how. I want it to be simple, just me asking her to marry me. She doesn’t seem like a woman who cares about fancy dinners or dramatic gestures. She seems like someone who prefers whispers, something quiet and from the heart.”

  My brother might know her better than I did. “That’s a good idea.”

  “I also want her to be surprised. That’s important to me.”

  I chuckled. “She’ll definitely be surprised, man. She’ll have no idea it’s coming…”

  “As long as you don’t fuck it up.”

  “I said I would keep my mouth shut, alright? When did you get the ring?”

  “A few days before I showed you. I looked online for a bit before I found a store nearby that carried the ring I wanted. I picked it up, and the rest is history.”

  “It looks expensive.”

  “You think I’m going to have my wife wear anything that isn’t expensive?”

  “Pepper doesn’t care about that kind of stuff.”

  “I know. But I want her to look down at that ring every day and love it. And I want every guy who looks at her to know there’s a powerful man behind that ring.”

  “Who knew you could be so romantic…”

  He chuckled. “Definitely not me.” He straightened then dropped his hands to his sides. “I’m glad we got this straightened out. It’s a big deal. A lot is about to change.”

  Our old wedding photos would have to go into storage, and we would have to move on with our lives. Our marriage might turn into a secret we never spoke of. When they had kids, they probably wouldn’t want their kids to know Pepper had ever been married to me. But it was time to move on, to find our new places in this world. “Yeah, it’s about to change for the better.”

  21

  Pepper

  “His parents were totally fine with it.” My empty glass sat in front of me, needing a refill. “I tho
ught it might be a little weird, but it felt oddly normal…like that’s how it should have been from the beginning.”

  “That’s sweet,” Tatum said. “Maybe the reason you were with Colton was to find Finn. Maybe that was the big man’s master plan all along.”

  “It’s cool that they didn’t make a fuss about it.” Stella had her hair in a slick ponytail, looking a lot like Ariana Grande with her dark skin and petite frame. “That’s not a normal situation, but they kept an open mind. They sound like cool parents. Their son was there with his boyfriend, and their other son is sleeping with their former daughter-in-law. That’s quite a barbecue.”

  “True.” I didn’t have a family, so I cherished Colton’s parents even more. Even though they had a slip-up with Colton, they were good people. They stood by their sons no matter what. And they were always so proud of Finn and all of his sacrifices. Whenever Finn spoke to his mother, he turned into a respectful mama’s boy—which I found adorable. She’d obviously earned his respect. “I’m gonna get a refill.” I slid out of the booth and walked to the bar. I’d headed over right after work, so I was in my skinny jeans, booties, and a long blouse with a gold necklace. Since I kinda worked in fashion, I had to look nice all the time, but there were definitely days when I wished I could wear scrubs like Finn. “I’ll take a cosmo.”

  “And I’ll pay for it.” A guy I didn’t recognize as a regular appeared at my side. Tall, handsome, and friendly, he kept a respectable distance between us. “A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be buying her own drinks.”

  “That’s awfully nice of you.” Since the bartender was working on my glass, I stayed at the bar, feeling this man stare at me hard. When I was unattached, I didn’t get hot guys chasing after me, but now that I was settled down, they were somehow attracted to me. “But I should tell you, I have a boyfriend.”

  “Having a boyfriend doesn’t make you less pretty.”

  “That’s subjective.”

  He held his beer in his hand and glanced at the TV. “You watch baseball?”

  “I love baseball. Mariners fan.”

  He smiled. “Are you sure you want to keep your boyfriend?”

  Finn was the love of my life, the man I couldn’t live without. “Yes.”

  He scooted closer to me, making the area around us heated when he crossed an invisible line. “Let me tell you something about men.” His arm moved around my waist.

  Whoa…

  “They are all the same. They all want one thing—”

  “Yes, I can tell.” I pushed his arm down and noticed the heavy smell of booze on his breath. “You know what? I’ll get my own drink—”

  “Listen to me.” His arm moved around my waist again, and he tugged me toward him. “My ex-girlfriend just left me for her boss…some arrogant prick who drives a Jag…and I’m not as trusting as I used to be.”

  This guy was totally hammered—and it was Tuesday. I wanted to cut him some slack because he was clearly heartbroken, but I didn’t appreciate being groped like a doll. “Enough with the touching, alright?” I pushed his arm off. “I know you’re going through a hard time so I’ll give you a free pass, but do it again and—”

  “You’ll what?” He grabbed me and yanked me into his side.

  The bartender spotted trouble, so he grabbed his bat from behind the counter.

  I didn’t need his help. “Don’t touch me, asshole.” I slapped him across the face.

  He stepped back with the hit, his eyes burning into a raging storm. He turned back to me, bloodlust in his gaze.

  That was my moment to run, but I’d learned never to turn your back on an enemy. I was afraid if I turned away, he would attack me from behind. So I gripped the counter and prepared to be punched in the face by a guy who weighed more than two hundred pounds. I shouldn’t pity him, but I still did. A woman had ruined him—and he would regret his behavior tomorrow.

  Then he made his move.

  I grabbed his beer bottle and prepared to slam it into his head.

  “I don’t think so, asshole.” Finn came up from behind me, spun the guy around by gripping his arm, and then slammed him down into the bar. He pinned his arms against his head and squished his cheek against the counter. “Call the cops, Freddie.”

  Freddie already had his phone against his ear. “I’m on it.”

  My heart was still pumping hard with adrenaline. I’d thought I was about to get my nose broken or, worse, get knocked out cold. But this hero came out of nowhere and saved me. I stepped back and spotted my untouched drink on the counter. I downed the entire thing.

  “You alright?” Stella asked, appearing at my side with Tatum.

  “Yeah, I’m fine…” I kept staring at the guy as he tried to fight Finn off, but he couldn’t move an inch. Finn was way too strong, even though he didn’t weight as much. I shouldn’t feel bad for the guy, but I did. I knew what it was like to do something stupid in the heat of heartbreak. I’d never assaulted anyone…but I’d been pretty low.

  Stella rubbed my arm. “If Finn weren’t here, we would have had your back.”

  “I know,” I said, still watching Finn keep the guy down.

  Finn finally turned to me. “Baby, go sit down.” His tone was clipped because he barked out the order rather than made a request. He looked at me for a few seconds before he returned his attention to the drunk man he was overpowering.

  I didn’t disobey.

  The three of us returned to our table.

  Stella kept studying me. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “You’re oddly calm,” Tatum noted.

  “I guess I feel bad for the guy,” I said. “He said his girlfriend left him for someone else… I know how that feels.”

  “You better not feel bad for him,” Stella countered. “Heartbreak and booze don’t give him the right to do that.”

  “I know,” I said. “But think about how low you’d have to be to act that way. It’s sad.”

  “I’m surprised Finn is so calm,” Tatum said. “He didn’t even punch the guy. He just restrained him.”

  “He’s used to chaotic situations,” I said. “He probably didn’t think twice about it.”

  The cops came in a moment later and put the guy in handcuffs. They talked to Finn and the bartender for a while before they escorted the drunk guy out of the building and into the squad car.

  Finn joined us a moment later, no longer calm and pragmatic about the situation. He went straight for me, slid into the booth beside me, and cupped my cheeks with his palms. Indifferent to my friends sitting across the table, he rested his forehead against mine. “You alright, baby?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He rubbed his forehead against mine before he kissed the corner of my mouth. “I would have killed him if he touched you.”

  “Thanks to you, he never got the chance.”

  He kissed my forehead then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close into his side like he was still protecting me. He rested his head against mine as he looked down at the ground. “I love you.” He didn’t care about the two people listening in on the conversation. Like we were the only two people in the world, he wore his heart on his sleeve.

  “I love you too.”

  He pulled away and slid out of the booth. “I need a scotch after that…” He left the table and returned to the bar, his tight shirt showing off all the muscles of his body. His jeans hugged his ass as he walked away.

  I turned back to my friends.

  Stella’s jaw had dropped, her eyes bulging wide. “Oh. My. God.”

  “He’s so in love with you,” Tatum said. “That was so sweet…”

  “That man knows how to love a woman,” Stella said. “Geez, you’re lucky.”

  I felt like the luckiest woman in the world every night of my life. “I know…I am very lucky.”

  Instead of treating me like a fragile piece of glass, Finn loved me like everything was normal. The only difference was the devotion in his eyes, the way he hugged m
e a little harder, kissed me with a little more passion.

  His hands sometimes shook when he touched me, when his fingers grazed my hair or touched my skin. Buried between my legs with a cock as hard as steel, he slid in and out of me like he craved me, but his attention to my eyes showed that he wanted more than just my body.

  He wanted my soul.

  With my legs wide apart and my ankles locked together against his back, I gripped his shoulders and felt him sink deep inside me, feeling me in a way he’d never felt another woman before. He was so thick and I was so wet, so we slid together without an ounce of friction. My body craved his so much that I didn’t want to release him every time he pulled out.

  “Baby.” His hips slowly rocked into my body, his pelvic bone rubbing against my aching clit. Our moisture slid past each other, and he was so hard, he was about to burst at any moment, giving me another load that would sit all night long. “I would never let anything happen to you.”

  My hands palmed his chest and slowly rose toward his shoulders. When he looked at me like that, I felt like a supermodel with my hair perfectly spread out across the pillow. With beautiful eyes and flawless makeup, I was sexier than a porn star. In reality, I looked nothing like that, but he made me feel like I did. “I know.”

  He pressed his forehead against mine, his cock pushing deep inside me. His voice came out as a whisper. “I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

  My thighs squeezed his hips as the surge of longing overcame me. It wasn’t his rock-hard body, his tattoos, or his excellent lovemaking that made me want to come. It was the way he loved me, the way he was so vulnerable with me. “I know…” When my thighs squeezed his hips, my pussy squeezed his length.

  “Because you’re my baby.” His mouth moved to my neck, and he kissed me, his hot breaths trailing over my skin like warm breezes. He licked my sweat then breathed against my ear. “Because I love you.”

  I became so tight, there was no going back. I couldn’t release him, and the force made me buck against him with an orgasm so piercing that I could feel the heavens inside me. My hands gripped him hard, and I moaned as I listened to him pledge his love to me. My body exploded in a fireworks display, and I convulsed against him, having the best climax of my life.