Page 17 of Daddy in Disguise

“No more headache?”

“None.”

“And you’re not too tired?”

“No.”

“And you promise to tell me if you don’t feel well?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s play.”

11

Sparrow

When he says those words, “let’s play,” a surge of excitement runs through my body. For the last few days, he’s insisted on keeping me at arm’s length, no matter how much I tried to tempt him. But when I woke up this morning, I was done waiting.

“I’m going to take it easy on you,” he says, circling me like a hawk, his voice nothing more than a purr. He stops behind me and slides one hand over my shoulder, over my breasts and brushes it over the center of my body before bringing it back to my chest. He grips the flimsy fabric covering me and pulls it tight. I gasp from the friction of the lace between my legs. “Do you think I can rip this, little bird?”

“You can do anything you want,” I moan, closing my eyes.

He chuckles in my ear. “Do you want to make a bet?”

“What do you want?”

“Your body, your soul.”

“You already have those.”

He keeps tugging the bodysuit, increasing the contact of the fabric against my skin.

“Then how about your hand in marriage?”

My eyes pop open and my gaze lands on a velvet ring box in front of my face. Carter loosens his grip on my body suit, letting the lace fall out of his hand. I miss the feeling of it brushing against my body but the sight of him on his knees in front of me is worth it.

“What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m asking you to marry me.”

“But we’ve only been together for a matter of days.”

Carter stands, grabs my left hand, and slides the ring down my finger. “And now I’m telling you to marry me. I was being nice by making it seem you had a choice.”

I laugh because even though the situation seems bizarre, it makes sense. The ring on my finger is gorgeous, a simple round solitaire on a gold band. It fits perfectly.

“Carter.” I have no other words to say because I’m still stunned. One minute he’s ripping off my lingerie and in the blink of an eye, he’s proposing.

He steps toward me, one or two shuffles of his feet, before his hands settle on my hips. “I love you, Sparrow. I’ve been in love with you since I first set eyes on you. I don’t need to ask you to marry me because being your husband is inevitable. But I still need to hear you say the word.”

“Yes.” The word falls from my lips without the slightest bit of hesitation or second thought. When he smiles, my chest warms and butterflies spring to life in my belly.

His head dips and lowers until he brushes his lips against mine in a soft, fleeting kiss. He backs away, but my hands reach for him, fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt, and pull him back. I pop onto my tiptoes and kiss him hard, teasing his lips apart so I can slip my tongue into his mouth. So I can claim him as mine. He responds hungrily, devouring my lips with his own searing kiss, making my knees tremble. The warmth inside of me transforms into a blazing fire. My hands reach for the buckle of his belt, eager to touch him but he slaps my hands away.

I can’t help my pout when he breaks our kiss and backs away.

“Not yet, little bird,” he chastises me. “You might have gotten this evening started but I’m in charge now.”