Page 72 of A Sudden Response

Not hot liquid, Joe realized with horror, but tears. She wascrying, she realized with disgust. She never cried. It was a useless waste of energy and something she never allowed, but now, in front of all the guys she’d worked with for the past twelve years and half the town by the looks of it, she couldn’t seem to stop crying. She hadn’t cried in years, not since she was a little girl and now, it seemed that all those tears she’d saved up wanted out.

“Oh, shit,” one of the men breathed, “he broke Joe.”

“Shhh, Joe, shhhh. It’s okay, baby,” Eric said softly as he stood up and cupped her face, gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs, but that only cleared the way for more tears.

“Don’t cry, Joe,” Eric said, sounding like his heart was breaking.

“I’m not crying!” Joe snapped, but of course, she was.

Oh, god, she was crying and people were taking pictures!

She would never live this down.

“Then, what would you call the tears running down your beautiful face?” Eric asked, cracking a smile as he brushed his lips against hers.

“Rain?” Joe suggested with a sniffle.

That earned a chuckle as he kissed her again. “Are you planning on putting me out of my misery anytime soon?”

“What?” Joe asked, wishing that she could shut off the damn tears, but there didn’t seem to be a shut-off valve.

“I asked you to marry me, Joe,” Eric reminded her.

“Untie me and I’ll give you an answer,” Joe promised him.

“That’s just not going to work for me, Joe. I’m afraid I’m going to need an answer,” Eric said with a sad shake of his head and a heartfelt sigh that had her lips twitching.

“What if I give you the wrong answer?” she asked, unable to help but smile as she watched him.

“Then, I guess I’ll just have to keep you strapped to that board until you give me the right one,” Eric said, cupping her face in his hands.

“Oh? And what’s the right answer?”

“That you’ll marry me and make me whole, Joe,” Eric said on a reverent whisper.

“And if I don’t?” she asked, her voice breaking as joy like nothing she’d ever known before surged through her body.

“Then, I’ll just have to stuff worms down your shirt until you say yes.”

“I’ll just make you eat them,” she pointed out.

He chuckled softly against her mouth. “Marry me or I’ll have my big brother beat you up.”

“He’s a pushover,” Joe felt obligated to point out.

“Fine,” Eric said, smiling. “Marry me and I’ll finally get you that steak dinner I promised you.”

She pretended to think it over for a minute before asking, “Can I have an appetizer with it?”

“Will you give me children?”

“Maybe,” Joe said, trying not to grin hugely at the thought of having his babies.

“Then, maybe,” he conceded slowly.

“And dessert?”

“Will you put out at least five times a week if I do?” Eric asked as his eyes narrowed on her.

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