Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Across the room, Ada laughed at something Hannah said. The slender column of Ada’s throat made my cock twitch for some reason. How could I find that graceful curve so erotic? The lights glittered in her hair, turning the brown strands amber and gold when she turned her head. She wore a simple black tank top, nothing fancy, but on her it looked better than the flashy outfits some of the other women had squeezed themselves into. She was beautiful without trying. Real in a way that made everything else feel like cheap imitation. At least, to me.
My hand slipped into my pocket, fingers closing around the small object I’d been carrying for three days now. Waiting for the right moment. Was there ever a right moment for a man like me to do something like this with a woman like her?
Ada’s gaze found mine across the room, and she smiled, that private smile she saved just for me. A band around my chest loosened slightly. I nodded toward the hallway, and she excused herself from Hannah with a quick hug.
I pushed off from the wall and met her halfway, taking her hand without a word. Her fingers curled around mine, warm and familiar.
“You okay?” she asked, having to raise her voice slightly to be heard over the music. “You look like you’re plotting an escape.”
“Maybe I am,” I said, my mouth close to her ear. “Come with me?”
She squeezed my hand in answer, and I led her away from the main floor, down a hallway where the music dulled to a more tolerable level. We passed a couple pressed against the wall, too absorbed in each other to notice us. The farther we walked, the quieter it got, until we reached a small alcove near the emergency exit. A single light bulb cast everything in amber glow, creating a pocket of stillness amid the chaos.
“Better?” Ada asked, watching my face carefully.
I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. My hand was sweating around the ring in my pocket. What the hell was I doing?
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” She reached up to touch my face, her thumb brushing my cheekbone. “You’ve been quiet all night.”
I caught her hand, pressing it against my face for a moment before letting it go. Now or never.
“I’m not good at this shit,” I started, then winced at my own eloquence. “I mean, I don’t know how to say things right. About stuff like this.”
Ada’s brow furrowed slightly, concerned. “You don’t have to say anything fancy with me. Just talk.”
I nodded, took a breath. My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to escape. “Before I met you, didn’t care what happened to me. I’ve lived my whole adult life in a completely different world and suddenly, I got… sent to another fuckin’ planet.”
Her expression softened, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah. I can see how the transition would be a shock.”
I took a breath and swallowed. “I don’t have anything. If not for the club, I wouldn’t even have a home.” I pulled the ring from my pocket, my palm damp with sweat against the cool silver. Just a simple band with a small diamond. “I don’t know how to do this, but I know I don’t want a life without you in it. I got the vest for you sayin’ you’re my old lady, but I wanted you to have this too.” I held out the ring between us, feeling more exposed than I had at any point during my prison sentence. “I’m still learning how to live out here. But I’m better with you.” I swallowed hard, forced myself to finish. “I want to be yours. Officially.”
Ada’s eyes widened, filling with tears that caught the dim light. For a heart-stopping moment, she was silent, and I prepared myself for rejection. Then she whispered, “Yes,” so softly I almost missed it.
“Yes?” I repeated, not trusting my ears.
She nodded, a tear spilling down her cheek as she smiled. “Yes. Of course, yes. More than yes. I’m honored, Jag.”
My hands trembled slightly as I took her left hand in mine. The ring slid onto her finger, a little loose but not enough to fall off. Not perfect, but it worked. Kind of like us.
“I don’t have much to offer,” I admitted, still holding her hand. “Just me. And I’m kind of a fixer-upper.”
Ada laughed, the sound bright even in the dim hallway. “You’re exactly what I want, Jagger Kross. Rough edges and all.” She looked down at the ring, then back up at me. “I love you.”
I pulled her to me then, my arms circling her waist as hers wound around my neck. When I kissed her, I tasted salt from her tears and something sweet that was uniquely Ada. Behind us, the muffled sounds of the party continued. But in our corner, there was just us. Me and her. The future I never thought I’d have.