Page 141 of The Auction
The sound of it tears me apart and puts me back together in the same breath.
“Baby.” My thumb brushes the damp track of a tear from her cheek. “I love you too,” I tell her, my voice low, rough. “More than you’ll ever know. And I swear to you—no one will ever touch you again. Not while I’m breathing.”
“Jonathan isnevergoing to touch you again.” At some point I’m going to have to admit what I did to find her.
That I called Big Ben and told him Jonathan did in fact hurt her. And Ben assured me he’d keep true to his promise.
But I’m not bringing her monster into our moment.
She makes a small, broken sound and leans in. I meet her halfway, my mouth finding hers in a kiss that’s as much a vow as it is a claim. There’s salt from her tears, the faint hitch of her breath, the way she clings to me like I’m the only solid thing in a collapsing world.
When we break apart, I keep my forehead against hers, breathing her in, grounding myself in the only thing that matters—she’s here. She’s alive. She’s mine.
And I’m never letting her go.
Her lips find mine again.
The first kiss was relief—proof we’d made it back to each other.
This one… this one is different.
It’s a vow.
A promise sealed in the press of her mouth against mine, in the way she clings to me like letting go isn’t an option.
When we part, she keeps her eyes on mine, voice no louder than a breath.
“You found me.”
I rest my forehead to hers, my hands still framing her face.
“The world wouldn’t have survived my heartbreak if I had lost you.”
She lets out something between a sob and a laugh, and I can’t stand the distance anymore. I kiss her again, slow and certain, like I can brand her with the truth.
“Run away with me,” I tell her, my voice low but steady. “You belong with me—back home with your horses and your paintings. Let me give you a good life. Take care of you. Love you.” My thumb brushes her cheek, and I see fresh tears fill her eyes. “Let me ask your mom for permission to marry you. Let me buy you the biggest ring I can find and get down on one knee and beg you to be my wife.”
She laughs through the tears now, shaking her head like she’s not sure if she should believe this is happening.
“And when you walk down the aisle, in the wedding dress of your dreams, let it be me you walk to.”
I take her hand and press my lips to her knuckles.
“So run away with me, Cricket… because I don’t have a life if you’re not in it.”
“Yes. Forever yes.”
She smiles through tears, kissing me again—pressing her whole body against mine, her fingers curling into my hair like she never wants to let go.
When I pull her closer, I swallow the little sound she makes, and it goes straight to my chest—and lower.
The kiss deepens, turns hotter, until her hands slide under my shirt like she needs my skin. Hell, I need hers too.
“I’m tired of seeing you in a dress another man picked out,” I growl.
Before she can respond, I fist the fabric at her front and tear it two.
“Jaxon!” she gasps, clutching the ruined edges. “Someone could walk in. And we’re in a church!”
