Page 20 of The Price of a Promise

I could have him ruined.

Eli wasn’t exaggerating.

And no matter how much I wanted to pretend his interest didn’t matter to me, I still needed to figure out just how serious he was.

CHAPTER SEVEN

AXEL

CORA: Where are you?

AXEL: I’m waiting outside for you babe.I’ll come get you.

I pocketed my phone, my heart racing so fast I felt like I might tip over face-first into the sidewalk.This was the best I could come up with—an impromptu date night on the heels of the biggest, loudest no I’d ever received in my life.I still hadn’t properly recovered from that abysmal meeting with Allan, but I didn’t have time to process.

I needed to make Cora my fiancée.Immediately.

I hoped my swagger hid the wobble in my knees as I paced outside the building on Park Avenue.I’d sent her the address with no context, with barely enough cash on me to cover what would probably end up being the most expensive drinks in the city.But this lounge was worth it, a place I’d stumbled upon entirely by accident thanks to the friend of a business school classmate not too long ago.And whatever money I didn’t spend on drinks I was giving to the server upstairs as a payment to capture this proposal in pictures and video.

Now all she had to do was say yes and the rest of our lives could begin.

The Meridian Lounge was the perfect mixture of upscale fancy and sultry moodiness.It seemed like the same blend as what Cora and I had to look forward to, as well.Trendy.Put together.Arousingly glamorous yet still approachable.Right smack dab in the middle of Manhattan.

I spotted her stepping out of the rideshare at the corner.Her toned legs glistened, which meant she’d used the shimmer lotion for this evening.Jesus, I loved it when she used the shimmer lotion.All my anxiety dissolved as she swung her smoky eyes my way.No other woman in the world could be more gorgeous, more perfect, than my Cora.My throat squeezed with emotion as she walked toward me, a velvety black coat pulled tight around her, that too-expensive-to-be-real pink goatskin bag dangling from the crook of her elbow.

“You just gonna stare at me all day?”she teased.

I pulled her into my arms, relief flooding me.She was my woman.Now and forever.I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten lucky enough to find her, but life had brought her to me.Fuck, I was going to start crying before I even got near to proposing.

“Axel, are you okay?”she pulled back to look at me.I cleared my throat, wondering if she could see the sheen of tears in my eyes.

“Yeah.Totally fine, babe.”I pressed a soft kiss to her lips, cupping her heart-shaped face in my hands.“I can’t wait to show you this place.”

I took her hand, double-checking discreetly with my other hand that the ring box was still in my pocket.I led her into the cavernous lobby of the building, following gold-flecked signs readingMeridianon the pillars between the door and the elevator.Another couple joined us on the ride up, but we barely noticed them.All I could see was Cora.I held her gathered against me all the way to the thirteenth floor.The doors slid open, revealing abstract zebra print rugs and gauzy amber lighting.The lounge was packed with all levels of cool—hipsters and trendy businesspeople alike, leaning together on low wooden benches and minimalist wire-framed wing chairs.

Cora let out a low hum of approval as I led her through the attractive fray.“Now this is a lovely spot.”

“I knew you’d love it.”I pressed a kiss to her cheek and opened the door for the terrace.It was a chilly evening, but the fire of our love and commitment would keep us warm.Besides, celebratory drinks lay on the other side of this proposal.We’d be toasty in no time.

“Should we get drinks?”Cora asked.

“In a minute.”The uninterrupted vista of the downtown skyline commanded our attention.Even after living here for five years, it still took my breath away.I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to being a resident of New York, after being stuck in the hills of Kentucky for most of my life.Some days I could see Manhattan through the veneer of my childhood aspirations, where even the traffic jams exhilarated me.

“Oh, Axel.”Her voice came out a reverent whisper as we tucked ourselves into a plant-lined corner overlooking the city.Tall space heaters dotted the terrace, which made the cold night bearable.“This is beautiful.”

Not quite as stunning as the view from her father’s office, though I didn’t want to bring up how I knew that.The murmur of other patrons on the terrace faded away as my anxiety returned.It was now or never.My mouth went dry.I touched the outline of the small ring box in my pocket.

“It doesn’t compare to how beautiful you are,” I said and nudged her.

She smirked, catching on to my too-corny-to-be-real vibe.“Are you trying to pick me up with that line?”

“Only if I wanted you to head straight for the door.”I looked back toward the bar, searching for the server who’d I’d slipped a hundo in advance.I caught his eye and jerked my head.He shot me a thumbs up and headed our way.Looking back at Cora, I said, “I know better than to compare you to a bustling metropolis.”

“I guess for some people, city-to-human comparisons do the job,” she mused, gaze sweeping out over the glowing night horizon.

“Some people are turned on by bridges.Sometimes inanimate objects are hot, if you’re into that.”I swallowed hard, shouting at myself to get the show on the road.I shoved my hand into my pocket.Just fucking do it.Stop talking about this weirdo shit.

She threw her head back and laughed.“Like how I’m turned on by your leather jacket?”

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