Page 57 of Hard Deal

“Hey, sexy lady.”

Imogen jumped and pressed her hand to her chest. “You scared me. I thought I was early.”

A lazy grin spread over Caleb’s lips, curving up toward the black leather mask covering the top half of his face. His broad shoulders were encased in a fitted tuxedo jacket, the satin lapels gleaming in the early evening light. “Baby, you’re right on time.”

He held a hand out and she took it without hesitation, need and desire rocketing through her at the touch. It was incredible how quickly he could fire up her body these days. It was like he’d found the key to her pleasure centre and could punch the code in with lightning speed.

“What are we going to do if we get caught?” she said with excitement, rather than fear. His desire was catching and she’d found herself becoming addicted to the thrill.

“Don’t you worry about that,” he said, squeezing her hand as he led her into the stables. “I’ll keep you covered.”

“You never know who might be spying.” She nudged him with her elbow. “What if some sticky beak is trying to take our photo?”

“I’m not sharing,” he growled.

He twirled her around and backed her up against the wall, hands hard at her hips. She loved that he was demanding and in charge when it came to sex. He pushed her boundaries and managed to make each time feel like the first. It was exhilarating, and despite some initial fears that they might burn out as quickly as they’d started, she lusted after him even more now than she had a year ago.

But it was more than lust. The nights they spent on the couch eating pizza and watching Netflix were just as enjoyable. He cooked for her often, frequently surprised her with dinner reservations or plans for a weekend away—but more important, he never held back in telling her how much he adored her, how much he wanted her.

There were no secrets between them. His laptop was always open and had no password—not that she’d ever snooped. She didn’t need to. Because secrecy didn’t lurk in the shadows of their house, and doubt didn’t linger like a poison in her mind. She trusted him with all her heart.

“I love you,” she blurted out.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Were they ready for that? They hadn’t talked about it yet, but the word had been bouncing around in her head for a few months now. Saying it felt right, like kicking off a pair of heels that had been restrictive and painful. It relieved the tension inside her, released a wave of warmth that penetrated her all the way down to the marrow of her bones. Honestly and completely.

Maybe he wasn’t ready, but she was.

“I know we haven’t talked about where this is going or anything yet, and I don’t know if you agree but I guess I needed to say it out loud because I’ve been thinking it for a while now,” she babbled.

Caleb didn’t move, didn’t flinch. His bright blue eyes burned intently into hers—like he was looking right into the heart of her. Stripping her back, breaking her apart.

“Don’t stay silent,” she whispered. “Please.”

“I think you dropped something.” He pointed to the ground.

“What?” She shook her head, her eyes searching around their feet but all she could see was dirt. “If that’s your way of distracting me it’s—oh.”

Caleb held a ring in front of him. The simple white gold band held a diamond that looked almost too big to be real, but the way the light fractured inside it told her it was as real as the earth beneath her feet.

“Imogen Melanie Hargrove—” He dropped down to one knee. “I love you, too. And thanks very much for stealing my thunder.”

Tears pricked her eyes, making her vision swim. A wet drop fell onto her cheek and rolled toward her chin.

“Great, and now you’re crying. This is not how I thought it would go down.” His tone was warm and teasing. “We don’t do anything the right way, do we?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know!” She brushed the tears away with the backs of her hands. “I thought you were bringing me out here so we could get busy.”

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled. “Always thinking about sex.”

“Thanks to you.” She grinned. “Now ask me the freaking question.”

“Imogen Melanie Hargrove,” he tried again, pausing to clear his throat. “It would make me the happiest man alive if you would spend the rest of your life getting busy with me.”

She laughed through the tears and shook her head. “Really? That’s what you want out of this relationship?”

“I want it all, baby. I want to have you in every position. I want to wake up every morning next to you so I can see how adorable you look with your face smooshed into the pillow. I want to sit on the couch and yell at the footy with you.” He grinned. “I want to see you wear every colour of the rainbow. And I want to do it until we’re old and grey.”