Page 84 of The Keeper

Dane carried me bridal style into the bedroom and gently set me on the edge of the mattress before stepping into the closet. When he emerged, he had one hand behind his back and an uncharacteristically nervous expression on his face.

“I thought when I did this, I’d have some grand speech prepared. Wouldn’t be sleep-deprived and emotionally wrung out.” He lowered himself to one knee before me, suddenly looking almost bashful. “But hell, baby. When have we ever done things the conventional way?”

I pressed a hand to my mouth when he pulled a small velvet box from behind his back, opening it to reveal a stunning emerald-cut sapphire ring flanked by diamonds.

“Bought this a few weeks after we met,” Dane admitted. “Carried it with me for two years, hoping I’d find you again so I could tell you I never wanted one night. I want them all.” His voice grew husky with emotion. “Marry me, Amelia Piper Kelly. Be my wife and my Ol’ Lady.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I nodded frantically, choking out, “Yes. God, yes.”

For the first time in weeks, Dane’s face broke into a genuine smile, dimples and everything. He slid the ring onto my finger before capturing my mouth with his.

I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. A moan slipped past my lips as his hands skimmed down my sides, and I broke away, panting, “Make me yours, Dane.”

My back hit the mattress with a bounce, and I pushed myself up onto my elbows, watching with hungry eyes as he stripped off his kutte and shirt.

The dim light from the bedside lamp cast shadows across the muscled planes of his torso, highlighting every ridge and valley. He turned to toss the clothes onto the dresser, and I drank in the full expanse of ink covering his broad back.

I’d seen glimpses of the intricate tattoos before, but never like this—never with the knowledge that this beautiful, dangerous man was all mine.

“See something you like, baby?” he asked with a cocky smirk, his hands moving to his belt buckle.

“Yep. Everything,” I replied honestly, too far gone to lie or play coy.

He chuckled darkly as he worked his jeans and boxer briefs down over his muscular thighs. My mouth went dry as his hard length sprang free, eagerly jutting up against his abdomen.

Dane crawled onto the bed with predatory grace, caging my body beneath his larger frame. His skin was hot against mine, and I could feel the barely restrained power in his muscles as he hovered above me.

Slowly, he peeled off my T-shirt before moving to my panties until I was bare beneath him. One hand circled my wrists, pinning them above my head before he claimed my mouth in a searing kiss.

“Tell me to stop, and I will. No questions asked,” he said when he broke away, his voice rough with need.

I shook my head frantically. “Don’t you dare stop.”

A low groan rumbled in his chest as he lowered his head to my breast, rolling one nipple between his thumb and forefinger while taking the other in his mouth. “Mine.”

I gasped at the sensation of his teeth grazing the sensitive bud before he soothed it with his tongue. “Yes, yours. All yours.”

“Christ, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured against my skin, switching his attention to my other breast.

When he finally released my nipple with a wetpop, I forced my heavy eyelids open to find him staring down at me with an expression of awe. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he studied my face, and I inhaled sharply, suddenly fighting back tears.

I’d seen the same look in his eyes in the hotel room the night we met and again when he saw Avery for the first time. It was one I’d seen so many times since then that its meaning never fully registered.

Until now.

“You love me,” I breathed, shaking my head in open-mouthed disbelief. I thought of the words he’d whispered the night he learned about Avery, the words I thought I’d dreamed.

Dane’s eyebrows pulled together, creating two vertical lines of confusion between them. “Was that not clear with the whole wanting to marry you and make you my Ol’ Lady?”

“No, you love me,” I repeated before trying again. “You loved me even the first night?—”

“Loved you then,” he interjected, dropping his head to kiss the space between my breasts. “Love you now.” His mouth moved lower, reverently tracing the stretch marks on my belly before he moved between my thighs. “I’ll love you until I take my last breath, darlin’.”

I pushed myself up and wrapped my hand around his thick length. His breath hitched as I slowly pumped his shaft, using my thumb to spread the bead of moisture at the tip.

“Mine,” I whispered, guiding him to my entrance.

Dane’s eyes locked on mine. “Yours.”

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