Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“My God!” she gasped.
“Yeah. It wasn’t hard to find the little shits doing the damage when they turned up cut to fuck and back,” he laughed.
“That could have been me!” she said.
“Could’ve been.”
“And you would have just let me cut myself up like that?”
“Yes. I warned you not to try to escape. I knew that if you did, you’d not get far and would be begging someone to come out and help you out of that cruel little minefield.”
“Shifters do some really fucked up stuff,” she told him, reaching for the handle to get out of the car.
“So do humans. I know a crazy chick that hauled guys down to a river and daisy-chained them together like a mess of fish on a string one time.”
“That’s bonkers. If I were you, I’d stay away from a woman like that.”
“I would, but she’s too good in bed. She can’t get enough of me.”
“Well, in that case, you best learn to put up with the insanity.”
“I have. I love her kind of madness.”
“I love you too. Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
Fergus leaned over and kissed her cheek, and they got out to go into the diner, ordering the same meal they had the first time they’d come there. Eimear excused herself to go to the jacks just as she had the first time, giving him a bit of a chuckle. When she returned, their order was already placed. They ate quickly. She seemed as eager to get back on the road as she was.
It was the first time they’d been back to the cabin since he’d taken her there as his captive. He’d resisted offering to take her back for quite a while as he was afraid the memories there might not all be so great for her, but she’d broached it a while back and didn’t seem put off by it at all. It was what gave him the idea to ask her up for the little getaway he had planned this weekend.
They made good time, pulling in well before dark. They’d have plenty of time for drinks down by the water, and it was a little cooler here in spring than it had been when they had come down in the summer the first time. They dropped their bags in the house and went for a little walk around the property before popping back in for glasses and wine. It was still early, but he was eager to get their weekend started.
“It feels a little weird being back here,” she said, looking out over the water.
“Bad weird?” he asked.
“No, just strange, I guess. I really like it here, despite what happened before. It’s a beautiful place, and not all the memories are bad,” she said with a smile.
“I certainly hope not,” he told her. “I guess we could always make some new memories.”
“I suppose we could,” he told her, uncorking the wine and pouring each of them a glass.
Fergus looked down at the gravel and then sat down his glass on the little table between their chairs. Bending down, he pushed his fingers through the gravel, drawing her attention down toward him to see what he was doing. He raised up his hand, holding what he had found up for her to see. She looked at it curiously, not really catching on for a moment.
“Eimear Rose Flanagan, would you be willing to marry this bear of a man?”
Her eyes lit up as realization sat in, and she began nodding, sitting her wine glass down and dropping to her knees to join him on the ground. With her hands on either side of his face, she kissed him and smiled at him but said nothing.
“Listen, I don’t want to put any pressure on you or anything, but I still haven’t heard a yes,” he told her.
“Oh! Yes. Yes!” she squealed happily.
Fergus slipped the ring on her finger and she held it out, admiring it as she tilted it to and fro. She was all smiles as she moved back up into her seat and he moved back into his. He smiled over at her, taking her other hand in his and holding it across the table for a moment.
“I’m glad you accepted,” he told her.
“Well, I had to, didn’t I?” she replied.
“You did,” he replied, knowing exactly where this was going. “It was an offer you couldn’t refuse.”
She laughed and they sat there, drinking their wine and just being content to be as the sun set behind the trees of the natural park on the other side of the lake.
Later, back in the cabin, they got ready for bed. Eimear walked around the master bedroom, admiring the hand-carved furniture, and checking out everything.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve really been in the room for more than a few seconds. You never let me in it when we were here before, and then your brothers were in here.”