“You look beautiful, sötnos,” I whisper into her ear.
“Thank you.” She meets my gaze in the mirror. “You’re looking pretty sharp yourself,” she tells me, turning in my arms. I lean in and drop a chaste kiss to her lips. “Don’t mess up my makeup.”
“I won’t.” I smirk at her. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Let me just grab my clutch.” She walks back into the bedroom and over to her suitcase. I watch as she slips her phone, ID, and what appears to be some lip gloss into it before walking back over to me. I link our fingers together and escort her out to the elevator, and down to the lobby. I have a limo waiting outside to take us to the restaurant across town.
“You’ve really outdone yourself,” Julia tells me as I hand her a glass of champagne inside the limo.
“Just wanted to have a special day and night with you.”
“It’s been the best day ever,” she says. I sure hope tonight is the best night she’s ever had.
“I’m glad you think so, sötnos.” I drop a kiss to her cheek, not wanting to mess up her lip gloss before we make it to the restaurant.
“Right this way, Mr. Karlson.” The maître d greets us right away, escorting us back to a semi-private balcony that looks over the city and water. They’ve decorated it for us—flowers and twinkling lights are everywhere. I’ve also arranged for a photographer and videographer to be hiding in the wings to capture everything tonight.
“Thank you,” we both murmur to his back as we follow him down the hall. I squeeze Julia’s hand in mine as we walk. I’ve kept my nerves at bay all day, but just now they’re setting in. What if she says no? What if she thinks this is all too soon? What if she isn’t ready for this step?
“Here’s your private table, as requested, Mr. Karlson. Your server will be with you in just a moment.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, then turn to Julia. “Before you sit down, do you want to check out the view?”
“Yes! It’s gorgeous up here. And it looks like we’ll have a great view of the sunset if we push off ordering.”
“We can watch it,” I tell her. She’s playing right into my plans of proposing at sunset tonight. Our parents, along with my grandparents and sisters, are all at tables just off the balcony. They’ll move in behind us when given the nod to do so from one of our servers, so they can watch.
We stand at the edge of the balcony, looking out over the city. I stand behind Julia, her back to my front, with my arms on either side of her and resting on the railing.
“It’s just so beautiful,” Julia murmurs as she leans her head back on my shoulder.
“You are,” I tell her and she laughs.
“Charmer,” she teases.
The sun is starting to set, so I give the sign to our server to alert our family and the photographer and videographer I’m ready.
“Sötnos, you know I love you,” I gruffly say into her ear. I drop my hands from the railing and onto her hips as I turn her in my arms so we’re facing each other. “You pushed your way into my life last year and didn’t let me tell you no for long. Thank you for showing me what it’s like to be loved unconditionally, and what it’s like to love someone else without reservation. A wise man told me recently that when you meet your soul mate, you just know it, and the day I met you, I just knew I wouldn’t be able to resist you for long.”
I grab Julia’s left hand and sink down onto my knee. I pull the box that’s been burning a hole in my slacks pocket for the last hour or so, and open it for her to see the diamond ring I picked out this past week.
“Julia Ivy Soaps, will you marry me?”
“What?! Yes!” she cries out, tears sliding down her cheeks as she pulls me to her. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her up as our lips crash together. I can vaguely hear the cheers from our family members as they come closer.
We break apart and I rest my forehead against hers. “Jag älskar dig, sötnos,” I whisper between us.
“Jag älskar dig,” she repeats as more tears slide down her cheeks.
It’s then she notices the noise our family is making and looks over to see her parents standing a few feet away. “M-my parents!” she gasps.
“I wanted everyone important to us to be here,” I tell her as I set her back on her feet. “I tried hard to get Jill here, but she couldn’t make it work, so she’s on FaceTime with your mom.”
She looks around at the small crowd, more tears sliding down her cheeks as she moves closer to them. Her parents wrap her up in a hug, expressing their congratulations to the two of us. Her mom holds up the phone so she can quickly talk to Jill, and Matt reaches out a hand to me. I place my hand in his, and his grip is strong, just as I’d expect it to be.
He pulls me into a hug and slaps my back. “I expect you to take care of my baby girl.”
“Of course,” I promise, and I know he hears the sincerity in my voice as he pulls back.
“I didn’t have any concerns, and don’t let me have any regrets, either.”
“Never. She’s the most important person in my life. I’d never do anything to hurt her, sir.”
“You’re a good kid, Beckett. Welcome to the family. But don’t expect this to change anything out on the ice,” he says with a smirk.
“I’d never expect it to, Coach. On the ice, you won’t be my father-in-law, you’ll be my coach. Outside of the rink, well, that’s a different story.”
“Glad to see we’re both on the same page,” he says just as Julia comes back to the two of us.
“How are my two favorite men?” she asks, walking directly into my arms.
“Great. How are you, baby girl?” Matt asks her.
“On cloud nine. I had no clue this was all going down tonight. I was definitely surprised. And for you and Mom to be here, just made it all the more special.”
“I’m happy for you,” he tells her before leaving us alone.
“Love you,” she whispers to me as she pushes up on her toes and plants a kiss against my cheek, just under my ear.
“Love you, too, sötnos,” I tell her as I capture her lips with my own.
“When did you pick this out?” she asks, holding up her hand as we both admire the ring on her finger.
“The other day, when Alice and Bea took you out shopping for the day. We didn’t play golf all afternoon, I spent the first hour or so at the jewelry store.”
“You did good. I love it.”
“I’m glad,” I tell her, kissing her forehead. “Thank you for saying yes.”
“I wouldn’t dream of saying anything else.”
“Well, that’s good to know.” I laugh. “Shall we eat?”
“Yes, I’m starving,” she tells me. While we were celebrating, the wait staff moved in and added a large table that would hold all of us, so we could eat and celebrate together.
Once we’ve all placed our orders, the photographer pulls us aside so we can take a few posed shots, and to get a few up-close shots of Julia’s ring. We return to the table and join the conversation that’s flowing freely between all of our family members.
“So, have you guys thought of a date?” Bridget asks.
“No, we’ve not talked about this at all, Mom. He completely caught me off guard.”
“How sweet,” Mormor says.
“It was the best ending to a great day. He surely built it up, and I still never caught on until his little speech against the railing.”
“Well, you guys have time to make those kinds of decisions. No need to rush things if you don’t want to.”
“As soon as we have some time to process all of this excitement and talk things over, we’ll pick a date and location, so everyone can start making plans,” Julia tells everyone.
“As much as we’d love for you to get married here, we’ll gladly fly over to the States if you want to get married in your hometown,” Mom says.
“I’m not ready to eliminate any locations yet. I’ve loved my time here, so give us a few weeks to mull th
ings over and decide where we both want to get married. I promise once we do, y’all will be the first people we tell.”
The questioning stops when the wait staff brings our plates. Once everyone is served, we all dig in. The conversation flows, along with the champagne and other celebratory drinks, as we celebrate our engagement with our family.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Julia
We walk through the hotel room door, high on life and a little tipsy from all the champagne we drank in celebration. I’m still blown away that we’re engaged! I get to marry this man, the one I’m so head-over-heels in love with.
The door clicks shut behind us and Beckett’s arm snakes out to wrap around my waist. “Come back here, sötnos.” He practically growls as he pulls me close. “I’ve been dreaming about fucking you all night. I’ve been thinking of peeling this dress off of you since you slipped it on,” he says, kissing my exposed neck.
“Yes.” I moan as he turns me, pinning me against the wall. I slide my hands up his chest, feeling the rigid sinewy muscles that are underneath his suit. I slip a finger into the knot of his tie and pull it loose, then continue up until my fingers are wrapped in his hair. I’ve always loved the longer shaggy look on him. His lips find mine, and he ravishes me against the wall. Beckett’s hand slips behind my back, finding the zipper, and he slowly lowers it. My dress slips off, pooling on the floor at our feet. I step out of it, kicking it out of our way.
“Fuuuck, sötnos,” he says, looking me up and down. I’m standing in front of him in my bra, thong, and heels. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, and I’m one lucky man.”
He flicks the clasp on my bra, sending it to the floor with my dress. He bends down until we’re at eye level. “I’m going to worship you tonight,” he says before his lips descend on my skin. Starting with my nipples, he nips at them, then soothes the sting with his tongue. He moves fluidly between the two, showing equal attention to both before moving down my torso as he drops to his knees. His tongue swirls inside my belly button, causing me to arch my back as I seek more contact from him. “Is this pretty little pussy ready for me?” he asks as he coasts his fingers over my sensitive mound.
“Yes!” I cry, as he finds my clit. He pulls my thong to the side, exposing me to him. His head dips in and his mouth hovers just over my center.
I push my hips forward, greedy for his touch. Greedy for whatever release he’ll give me. “Patience, sötnos.” He chuckles against the inner part of my thigh.
“I don’t have much patience right now,” I whine.
He licks my center. “Is this what you wanted?” he asks, a smirk filling his lips as he leans back and looks up to me.
“Yes, do that again,” I tell him boldly. He does, but follows it up by sucking my clit between his lips. My hands return to his hair as I hold him exactly where I need him. His hands wrap around, cupping my ass cheeks, as he devours me with his mouth. I ride out my orgasm against his tongue. “Yes!” I cry out once again as my body goes rigid in his hands.
Beckett stands up, keeping me pinned against the wall. Once I’m steady on my feet again, he drops his slacks, followed by his boxer briefs. He kicks them aside, joining my clothes. “Take off your thong but leave the heels,” he instructs as he also removes his dress shirt, undershirt, and tie. “I’m going to fuck you against this wall, hard and fast, then take my time with you in bed.”
“Yes, please.” I moan. He grips my leg, pulling it up and around his hip.
“Hands on my shoulders,” he commands as he grips his cock and lines it up with my center. One thrust, and he’s fully seated inside me. Both legs are now wrapped around his waist as he fucks me hard, his hips rapidly thrusting up while his cock hits deep inside me.
“You feel so fucking good, sötnos,” he whispers against my neck as his lips ghost across it. “Are you ready to come on my cock?”
“Yes.” I whimper as he hits my g-spot just right with the tip of his cock. “Fuck me harder,” I tell him before his lips capture mine in a searing kiss.
He does just that, driving into me even harder against the wall. Our bodies are both covered in a sheen of sweat as he works us over. We’re a mixture of frantic thrusts and colliding lips amongst our shouts of pleasure as we both barrel towards our mutual orgasms.
“That’s it, baby. Come on my cock,” he tells me as my walls start to flutter around him. One of his hands somehow finds its way between us and strums my clit as he thrusts hard into me. That’s all it takes and I crest over the edge, coming hard until I see stars. I collapse forward, putting all my weight into his arms, but he’s able to hold me up as he thrusts through my orgasm until he finds his own. He comes on a shout before sinking his teeth into my neck.
He stills, keeping me pinned to the wall, as he comes hard inside me. I can feel as his cock swells, and jet after jet of hot cum fills me. This angle has everything feeling so different than it does in a bed. He’s deeper, and able to hit my sensitive areas differently.
“Are you strong enough for me to set you down yet?” he asks, sliding his lips over to mine.
“I think so,” I say against his lips. He slides out of me and I immediately miss the fullness from his cock. He lowers me to the floor. Thankfully, my legs are working, and I can hold myself up without his help.
“How about a shower before bed?” he suggests.
“Sounds perfect,” I tell him, kissing his chest before we head for the bathroom.
I lay in bed, wrapped in Beckett’s arms, naked and sated. I stare at my engagement ring, still shocked from the events of this evening. I can’t believe that we’re engaged and getting married!
“Do you have any thoughts on where you want to get married, sötnos?” Beckett asks.
“I really don’t. I’m not tied to the idea of it having to be back home. That would obviously be easier for my side of the family and our friends, but that still requires your family to travel and vice versa if we have it here in Sweden. We’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, so in the end, we just have to pick the place that makes us both happy.”
“I’m happy as long as I get to marry you. We could go to Vegas, for all I care. You just tell me when and where to show up, and I’ll be waiting at the altar for you.” He kisses the top of my head.
“Let’s sleep on it for a few weeks. There’s no rush, is there?” I ask, realizing Beckett might not want to have a long engagement.
“No rush, and no reason to push it off. I’d just suggest we not pick a date during hockey season. Otherwise, we won’t be able to take a honeymoon right away.”
“And we’d risk that you’d miss our anniversary every year,” I point out.
“That too.”
“How does July first sound?” I ask. I have no idea what day of the week it falls on next year, but it would give us time after the season ends, yet not be too far into Beckett’s summer months off.
“Sounds good to me.”
“That’s just under a year away. I think I can plan a pretty kickass wedding in that amount of time,” I say confidently.
“I know you can. Do you want to go and look at any venues here before we fly home? Then you can look at some back home and compare and decide in a few weeks.”
“That’s a great idea! I hadn’t thought of that yet. Now it sucks even more that you’re not coming home with me.”
“Well, I’m here to help,” he says with a laugh. “We should be able to call a few in the morning and set up times to go look. Heck, I’m sure the concierge could set them up for us if we give them a list. Which reminds me, I’m going home with you. I called and changed my flights. I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to be.”
“Beckett, you didn’t have to do that,” I protest. “You need to spend time with your family.”
“I need to spend time with you,” he insists.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, sötnos. I’m already away from you enough as it is during the season, I don�
�t want us apart during the summer as well if we don’t have to be.”
“Okay,” I say as a yawn hits me hard. “We can discuss it more in the morning. For now, I’m ready to sleep.”
“Goodnight, sötnos.”
“Goodnight, fiancé,” I whisper into the silence before I fall asleep.
I wake up the next morning, happy and still on cloud nine. I look at my left hand, still in shock we’re actually engaged. I think it’s going to take me a few weeks for it all to feel real to me. I don’t know how I managed to meet such an amazing man, who I now get to call mine forever.
I roll out of bed, sore from all our shenanigans last night after we returned to our room. Being fucked against the wall is something we’ll have to try again. It was seriously hot. After finishing my business in the bathroom, I wash my hands and brush my teeth. I can only laugh at how crazy my reflection looks in the mirror. My hair is a complete mess, but I have a glow across my skin.
“Good morning, sötnos,” Beckett greets me as he slides one of his big hands across my naked torso.
“Good morning, fiancé,” I say, smiling at him in the reflection of the mirror.
“Did you sleep well?” he asks, dropping a kiss to my shoulder.
“I did.” I rake my fingers through my hair as I attempt to tame it. I finally give up and just pull it all up into a messy bun on the top of my head. “Do we have plans today?” I ask, as he steps away and toward the toilet.
“Nope. I left today open. Figured we’d either not want to leave the room or that you’d want to go out exploring with your parents.”
“I’ll text my mom and see what their plans are for the day.” I leave him to wash his hands as I go in search of my clutch from last night where my cell should be. Once I locate it, I pull it out and find a missed text from my mom waiting on me.
Mom: We wanted to invite you two lovebirds to brunch, if you guys are awake and ready to be out and about.
The Hardest Shot: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 7 Page 18
