Page 28 of His to Command

Her eyes widen, darting between my face and the box on the table. "This is... fast."

"Everything about us has been fast," I remind her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "From the moment I saw you in that boardroom, nothing has proceeded at a normal pace."

A small smile touches her lips. "True."

I retrieve the box, hold it between us but don't open it yet. "You're not just my lover, Robin. Not just my Chief Strategy Officer. You're the center of my world now. I want to make that official."

"How official?" she asks, voice barely above a whisper.

I open the box, revealing the ring inside—a flawless emerald-cut diamond set in platinum, flanked by smaller stones that catch the fading sunlight, throwing prisms across her face.

"Completely official," I tell her. "My house. My ring. My name."

She stares at the ring, then at me, emotions chasing across her face too quickly to read. "Hudson, I?—"

"Before you answer," I interject, needing her to understand the full weight of what I'm offering, "know that this isn't a normal proposal. I'm not asking you to be my wife in the conventional sense. I'm asking you to be my partner. My equal. The person who stands beside me, challenges me, shares everything with me."

Her eyes soften at this, understanding what I'm really saying. That I'm offering her not just financial security or social status, but true partnership. Something I've never offered anyone before.

"Equal partners?" she asks carefully. "Not just your beautiful possession?"

I smile, recognizing the gentle challenge in her question. "Both," I admit. "I won't pretend I don't want to possess you completely. But I also want you beside me, not behind me. Making decisions. Building our empire together."

She takes the box from my hand, studies the ring. "It's beautiful."

"It's nothing compared to you." I lift her chin, making her meet my gaze. "Say yes, Robin. Be mine in every way that matters."

Something shifts in her expression—the last hesitation giving way to certainty. "Yes," she says simply. "Yes, Hudson."

Satisfaction roars through me, primal and complete. I take the ring from the box, slide it onto her finger. The perfect fit—I made sure of it, had her ring size taken while she slept. The sight of my mark on her hand ignites something possessive and ancient within me.

"Mine," I growl, pulling her against me. "Finally. Completely."

"Yours," she agrees, arms winding around my neck. "And you're mine."

I claim her mouth in a kiss that's equal parts triumph and hunger. My hands span her waist, lifting her easily, setting her on the terrace table. Champagne and ceremony can wait. This—this physical claiming—cannot.

"Here?" she gasps as my mouth moves to her neck, her collarbone, the swell of her breast above her blouse. "Someone could see?—"

"Let them." My hands are already pushing up her skirt, finding the warm skin of her thighs. "Let the whole city see who you belong to. Who owns your pleasure."

She moans as my fingers find her center, already wet for me through delicate lace. "Hudson, please?—"

"Please what?" I circle her clit through the fabric, watching her pupils dilate, her lips part. "Tell me what my fiancée needs."

The word makes her gasp, hips bucking against my hand. "You," she breathes. "Inside me. Now."

I tear her underwear away with impatient fingers, too hungry for finesse. She's working at my belt, equally desperate, freeing me with practiced efficiency. When I thrust into her, seated deep in one smooth movement, we both cry out at the perfection of our joining.

"Look at me," I demand, holding still within her. "See who's inside you. Who you've agreed to belong to. Forever."

Her eyes—those remarkable eyes that saw past all my defenses from the first moment—lock with mine. "I see you," she whispers, hands cupping my face. "I've always seen you, Hudson."

The simple truth of her words breaks something open inside me. I begin to move, claiming her with each thrust, each possessive touch. She meets me movement for movement, taking everything I give and demanding more.

"Mine," I growl against her throat, leaving marks that will show tomorrow. "Say it. Tell me."

"Yours," she gasps, inner muscles clenching around me as pleasure builds. "Always yours, Hudson."

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