Page 21 of Auctioned to the Billionaire

“I don’t want to do it here,” he says, his voice soft yet firm.

“In… your house?” I tease, my brow lifting.

He laughs, a deep, rumbling sound that makes my heart skip. “Not in the hallway.”

“Oh, uh-oh. Is this going to be one of those super serious conversations? Because I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” I tell him, trying to keep my tone light. But my stomach does a little flip as he continues up the stairs, tugging me along behind him.

When we step into his bedroom, I blink. His room is massive—modern, with a clean, masculine vibe that screamsHugh.I’ve been in here before, but tonight, it feels different. There’s a tension in the air, like the walls themselves are holding their breath.

“Bedroom? Hmm… Maybe Iamready for this talk,” I say, waggling my eyebrows at him.

He laughs again, but there’s a flicker of nerves in his expression. “I’m not trying to get you back into bed,” he says with a sigh. “Well, not right this second.”

I grin. “That sounds promising.”

“I hope so,” he mutters, mostly to himself, as he releases my hand and strides toward the closet.

“What are you rifling around for?” I ask, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorway. I’m trying to keep the mood light, but his serious tone is starting to make me nervous.

“There’s a few things that we need to talk about.”

“Such as?”

“First, I paid off that loan shark. He won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“Hugh! You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did. No one is going to threaten my girl.”

“Thank you,” I say softly, taking a step towards the closet.

“Then, I have something I want to ask you,” he says, his voice muffled as he digs through a shelf.

I pause, my heart thudding in my chest. “Okay,” I say slowly, suddenly feeling like I’m on the edge of something big.

He emerges from the closet holding a small black box, and my breath catches.

“Hugh…”

“I know this is fast,” he says quickly, walking toward me, his expression both intense and vulnerable. “But I also know that I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

I blink, my throat tightening as he drops to one knee in front of me.

“I love you, Letty. I’ve loved you since the day you walked into my office and told me I was too uptight for my own good.”

I let out a choked laugh, tears springing to my eyes. “You were.”

He grins. “And you’ve been driving me crazy ever since—in the best possible way. I don’t want to waste another second without you by my side. So…” He opens the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring that catches the light like a little piece of the sun.

“Will you marry me?”

The air leaves my lungs in a rush. This is happening. Thiscan’tbe happening.

“I…” I falter, my hands flying to my face. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure?” He asks, choking back a laugh and I nod, feeling the blush stain my cheeks.

“Yeah, I mean, you just bought me from an auction house a few days ago. People will talk about you marrying your assistant.”

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