Page 45 of Pulse

“Oh my God.” Brooke’s trembling hand went to her mouth. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Pulse had a feeling she wouldn’t hold them back for long.

“I’m going to keep this simple because I’m a simple man,” Curly said, gazing up at Brooke with so much love and adoration that Pulse had to look away.

Of course, his gaze landed on Talia, who stared at the couple with an open mouth and a look of wonder. Curly continued speaking, and though Pulse listened, he watched the pretty lawyer he was fascinated by.

“I’ve had nothing. I’ve been no one. I’ve lived in fear, without hope or dreams. I lived in darkness for so long that I didn’tdare dream of seeing the sun again. I would do it all again in a heartbeat just to spend one minute with you, Brooke. You are everything.My everything.”

A single tear rolled down Talia’s cheek. She wiped it away with an almost angry slap that had Pulse’s lips twitching. She didn’t handle these types of emotions well.

Hell, who did?

“I love you, Brooke,” Curly continued. “You know how seriously I take those words. I love you and want to make you mine in every way possible. Will you marry me?”

A bird squawked from the trees behind them. It was the only sound besides the anticipatory breathing of the entire club.

Pulse turned back in time to see Brooke nod. Tears fell freely now, rolling down her cheeks and over her smiling lips. “Yes, Curly. Fuck yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Hell yeah!” someone shouted as cheers and whoops replaced the silence.

Curly stood in time to catch Brooke as she hurtled herself into his arms. They kissed.

And kissed.

And kissed as everyone clapped and shouted their congratulations.

When they finally came up for air, both were smiling so large their grins looked painful. Brooke hadn’t even checked out the ring yet but didn’t care about the jewelry. Curly could have wound a paperclip around her finger, and she’d be just as ecstatic.

“You lunatics enjoy the food,” Curly shouted as he swept Brooke off her feet and into his arms. “I’ve got something to take care of first.”

“Give it to her good, Prez,” Jinx shouted.

Curly strode toward the clubhouse, his mouth back on Brooke’s.

“All right, let’s eat!” Spec shouted over the cheers and applause.

Pulse chose a seat on the opposite side of the table as Talia. He ignored Spec’s raised eyebrow when he sat.

Damn, coupled-up people were always trying to pair off their friends.

Talia was his attorney. That’s it. The fact that she was a gorgeous woman who made him hard didn’t matter.

What mattered was what time he could escape and find a willing and random woman to suck his cock.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE FOURTH DRINK had been a mistake.

She should have passed on the third one too.

But watching two people so obviously in love get engaged had her requesting the third drink and then another.

How did they do it? Curly and Brooke made it look so damn easy. It hadn’t been all hearts and Cupids for them, but to watch them now, one would think they’d been specially designed for each other—two perfectly fitting puzzle pieces. They made being in a relationship look like the most natural thing in the world.

Talia genuinely didn’t understand it. The idea of merging her life with another sounded impossible. What would happen to her independence? Her job? What about her personality? The things she loved? Wouldn’t they all disappear or be dwarfed by her partner’s wishes and desires?

It had happened to her mother, leaving the once beautiful and successful dancer a shell of her former self. Granted, Talia’s father had been more of a colossal asshole than most men, but at one point, her mother had thought he was an incredible man. She’d looked at him once the same way Brooke looked at Curly. Then it all went to shit. Talia never found the risk worth it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t happy for her new friends, but she had little faith they’d be as happy in a few years as they claimed to be today.

Still, it would be nice to have a man want her. To gaze at her with love and lust like Curly did with Brooke. How long had itbeen since a man had that look in his eyes? The one that said he wanted to tear her clothes off and throw her on the bed?

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