Page 97 of The Refusal

“Did you ask it seriously?”

“Of course.” My face is screwed up, I can tell by the amused cast of her mouth.

“Then the answer’syes.”

I groan loudly and bury my head in her neck. My heart tumbles like an overexcited puppy, feet sliding on a polished floor.

“Oh myGod,Jo.” I think she’s smiling at how thick my voice sounds. How is this possible …?Jesus. I roll off her and onto my back and the cool cotton bedsheet, and stare at the ceiling. I have no idea what’s happening to my body, but if I wasn’t supported by the mattress I’d float off.

My heads snaps sideways to look at her. “Seriously? You’ve saidyes?”

She’s full-on laughing at me now, and I lean in and kiss her lips, butby God, I have not done this up right, so I jump up—totally naked—rooting around for clothes, before remembering they’re probably next to the sofa.

“What are youdoing?” She’s staring at me between the giggles, eyes tracking all over me. “Where are you going?”

“We need to buy a ring,” I say, coming to a standstill, hands on hips. “I proposed to you without one.Oh my God.” I run my hands through my hair.

She shakes her head and sneaks her hand out to stroke my now flagging cock.

“We’re doing something else first,” she says.

Heat burns down my body to pool in my hardening length. “What’s that?”

“The penalty you’ve imposed on me for the rest of my life.”

“Penalty?”

“Oral sex,” she says.

And I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. I didn’t really mean—”

But she’s shaking her head again. “I want to; I was enjoying myself. Come here.”

I shift forward, and she pulls me kneeling onto the bed as her fingers feather over me a few times. When she bends down to take me into her mouth, I want to punch a hole in something.

“That feels incredible,” I whisper.

She hums around my cock, and I thread my hands into the tumbling red curls.

“Jo, Jo. Jesus. Hang on.”

But she takes me fully into her mouth and I stare up at the ceiling, looking for spiders, cracks, anything to calm my body down.

“That proposal was terrible, Jo. I wanted to make it amazing.” I can hear how soft and strained my voice is.

She blinks up at me and pulls back, straightening up, moving closer, pressing right into my chest as she kisses me on the mouth. I pull her in tight, sliding my hand over her naked backside.

“It was amazing, Janus, especially the part when you leaped from the bed with no clothes on. It was a good reminder of what I’m signing up to.”

But I’m not going to be distracted by her flippant tone. Maybe she isn’t taking this seriously?

“No, you know, I want to take you somewhere special, go down on one knee, the whole romantic bit.”

She laughs at this. “I’m sure most guys would think it was romantic that their cock was in my mouth.”

And I’m abruptly doused in cold water. “Ohfuck.”

“I tell you what, later on when I’m not giving you oral sex, I’ll check if you still want to get married.”

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