Page 68 of Off-Limits Bad Boy

Her lips part, but no sound comes out.

“I've fought this feeling for too long, thinking I didn't deserve you or that you were off limits. And you were, for a while. But here, now, I can't pretend anymore.” The words are calm, measured, and confident, exactly how I’m feeling now.

“Emma, I love you. More than I thought possible. And if you'll have me," I pause, ready for her response, “I want to spend the rest of my days proving that to you.”

Her hand tightens around mine, and I can see her pulse fluttering in her neck.

“Will you marry me?” I ask, ready to start this new chapter in our lives together. I’ve never felt so sure of a decision in my life as I do about this one.

“Kade...” Her voice breaks and I shift.

“It’s alright, I can wait,” I say, and she laughs, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She brushes them away, giving me an amused, faux angry look.

“Way to ruin the moment, ya jerk.”

I shrug. “If you’re going to be good at something, be the best at it.” I chuckle and she laughs.

“Yes,” she says. “My answer is yes.”

I exhale, relief flooding through me, so potent it's dizzying. I didn’t doubt she’d say yes, but that doesn't ease the feeling of putting it all out there like that.

My hands are steady as I slide the vintage, white gold ring onto her finger—a perfect fit, like us. Her eyes never leave mine, the emotion in them shining like the sparkle of sunlight on the waves around us.

“Really?” I ask, teasing her again, even though I feel a very real awe that she’s choosing me.

“Really.” She laughs, stepping in close and winding her arms around me. She tilts her head. “I like you at this height. Maybe you need to be in this position more.”

“If you’d like,” I say, winding my arms around her. And she’s right; we fit perfectly together. But she playfully pushes me away, then takes my hands as if to pull me to my feet. I stand, pulling her into an embrace so tight I can only hope it might merge our souls. She molds against me, her warmth seeping into every corner of my being.

“Kade,” she whispers, her breath a caress against my neck as her lips touch my skin.

“Emma Riley,” I say, “You’ve just made me the luckiest man alive.”

She laughs as we linger in the hug, lost in one another until there's nothing but us and the pulse of the sea below. Everything else fades away.

When we finally spiral down the lighthouse stairs, hand in hand, the truth hits me. She’s going to marry me. The wind greets us with a playful tug as we step outside, the taste of salt thick in the air.

“Look at you, Mr. Smiley,” Emma says, her voice light and teasing.

“Can't help it,” I say, squeezing her hand as my heart does somersaults in my chest. “You've just agreed to marry a guy like me.”

“A guy like you?” She arches an eyebrow, stopping to face me, a mischievous glint in her sky-blue eyes. “No, Kade. I agreed to marry you. The guy who proposed to me in the lighthouse I’ve been dying to tour for years.”

“Oh, so if I proposed elsewhere, you would have said no?” I ask.

“Oh my gosh, Kade,” she says, bringing her palm to her forehead.

“I think we’re having a fight,” I tease, pulling her in to kiss her hand that’s still on her forehead.

“You are such a pain!”

“Guilty as charged,” I say, pulling her closer.

“Just don’t forget, Kade,” she says, poking my chest.

I’m quick to cut her off. “How can I forget him? He’s me?”

She shakes her head, laughter in her eyes. “I'm the one who makes you smile this big.”

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