Page 24 of Marked by the Protective Biker

“Emily—”

But I don’t let him say anything else. Maybe it’s because I really don’t want to hear the rejection yet again. “No, Jack, it’s my turn to talk. You’re a fool, do you know that? I lo—like you… a lot. It’s obvious we could be good together, but you’re so damn stubborn that you can’t see what’s right in front of you?—”

He stalks toward me, and I hold my hand up to stop him, but there’s no slowing him down. He puts his hands on each side of my face and forces me to look at him. The intensity in his gaze devours me. “I love you, Emily.”

My mouth falls open. Did he just say what I thought he said. “What?” I croak.

His hands circle around my neck. “I shouldn’t be here with you… I shouldn’t?—”

I smack his chest. “Don’t you dare ruin this moment, Jack Felon. You just told me you loved me, and now you’re going to push me away and?—”

He leans down, pressing his lips to mine. His mouth covers mine, and I get lost in the kiss. When he pulls away, I’m breathless, searching his eyes for an explanation. His thumb brushes across my lower lip. “You going to listen to me, Em?”

I blink. “If I don’t, are you going to kiss me again?”

He chuckles. “I love you, Emily Riles, and even though I know you can do better, that you deserve more than me, I can’t walk away from you.”

I put my arms around his waist and smash my body against his. “I don’t want you to, Jack. I wish… I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You’re a good man, the best man, and I don’t want you to walk away from me.”

He puts his hands on my cheek and pulls my face up to look at him. “I want us to be together.”

I’m smiling like a fool. “Me too.”

He strokes my cheek with his finger. “I don’t think you understand.”

I laugh. “You love me, that’s all I need to know.”

“I want you to have my babies.”

My mouth drops open, and he smiles. “I want you to marry me.”

I snap my mouth closed, and all I can do is stare at him, speechless.

He leans down. “Say something. Anything.”

I point at my chest. “You want to marry me?”

He nods. “More than anything.”

I put my hand around his neck and pull him down toward me. “You can’t change your mind, Jack. You can’t tell me all this and then change your mind. If you love me, you love me.”

He reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it up my body. I let him because right now, I want to feel him against me more than anything.

His hand strokes under my rib cage. “Did you look at your tattoo?”

I shake my head, and he smiles at me. “It says always, Em. Always. Because no matter what, I will always love you. You will always be mine, and I will always be yours.”

I gasp and look down my body. In black cursive font, it saysalways,and there is a red heart beside it.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I throw my arms around him. “I love you, Jack. I love you so much.”

His voice is gruff. “I thought I freaked you out with all the pictures. I thought?—”

I gasp and look up at him. “You thought that freaked me out? No, the fact that you felt that way about me and then were just going to let me go… that is what freaked me out.”

“Life with me is not going to be easy.”

I laugh. “Haha, I didn’t think it would be.” I point to myself. “Did you think I was going to be easy to live with? If we’re going to do this, there are things I’m going to want.”

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