Page 92 of Deserving Cora
Tears welled up in Cora’s eyes. “Pipe…” she whispered.
“And I’ve been thinking about my next tattoo. Where the best place might be to getyouinked on my skin.”
She turned to him in surprise. “What?”
“A wolf, with a skeleton key around his neck. Barbed wire surrounding him. You’re the key. I’m the wolf. You trusted me to help you when you needed it the most. And I’ll guard that trust with my life. The barbed wire because somehow we made it through all the walls we both put up to keep people at bay, and that wire will also protect what we build in the future. We fit, love. And if you don’t want to stay here, I’ll go back to DC with you. I just know I want things between us to work. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
“I want that too. And I don’t want to go back to DC. I mean, I would, if Lara decides that’s where she wants to be…but there’s nothing there that I’m attached to. If I never see that bitch Eleanor again, it’ll be too soon.”
Pipe smiled, and she loved how it changed his entire countenance. “Can we send her a wedding photo? To rub it in her face that she lost?”
Cora stilled as she stared at Pipe. “A wedding photo?” she whispered.
“Bloody hell. I let that slip. But it’s not like we haven’t talked about it before,” Pipe said with a grin. “Cora Rooney…I want to marry you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday, when you know deep in your heart that you can trust me to always have your back and never let you down.”
“Yes!” Cora exclaimed, shifting so she was straddling his lap. Her tailbone screamed in protest, but she ignored the pain. This was too important.
Pipe put his hands on her waist and held her still, as if he knew she was hurting and wanted to do whatever he could to prevent it. “Yes?” he asked softly.
Did he doubt her answer? That was unacceptable.
“Yes, Pipe. I trust you already. I think as soon as I saw you on that stage, I sensed you could change my life, but I didn’t let myself believe it because, you know…my history. I promise that I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best girlfriend and wife. You won’t regret being with me.”
“Of course I won’t,” Pipe said, his brows furrowing in confusion. “And I know you won’t let me down. You can’t.” He gently cupped one of her cheeks. “You know, for a moment there in that basement, when it seemed like Owl and I combined were no match for that arsehole, I thought…that was it. I’d failed you. And Lara. But the next thing I know, I see your thumb in his eye and blood dripping down his face, and I swear to God, woman, my love for you was so absolute, I was literally frozen for a moment. I’ll never forgive myself for giving him the opportunity to attack you, but knowing you were willing to fight, that you had our backs…it meant the world to me.”
“Thank you for not yelling at me. Telling me I should’ve stayed away from him. Stayed safe,” Cora countered.
Pipe snorted. “Yeah, right. You doing what you had to do to protect yourself was both scary and sexy as hell. But I’m still gonna teach you more hand-to-hand fighting…if you want.”
“I want,” Cora reassured him. She cupped his cheek and loved how he gave her the weight of his head for a moment. “I want you, Pipe. For myself. I’ve never had someone of my own.”
“You do now. And we’re gonna have that family you’ve always wanted. We already have ready-made aunts and uncles, but we’re gonna have a dozen kids to drive them crazy as well.”
Cora laughed. “A dozen?”
He smiled. “Okay, maybe not that many. But like you, I want to foster older kids. Adopt them. Give them the home and family you never had.”
Tears welled up once more. This man. He was giving her everything she’d ever wanted. And she couldn’t love him more. “I love you,” she blurted.
“It’s a good thing, since I love you too,” he told her calmly.
“And I want you to get that tattoo, but only if I can get one too.”
“You still want to get inked?” he asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Maybe not as big as the one you’re planning on though. I’m not big on pain.”
Pipe guffawed. “Right.”
“I want a tramp stamp,” she informed him.
Pipe rolled his eyes.
“At the small of my back. Where you always touch me when we’re walking. Where you can see it when you take me from behind. And I want it to match yours. The wolf with the key.”
She felt his cock harden under her and smiled, thrilled to feel the evidence that he loved the idea.
“Done,” he murmured as he moved one hand to cover the exact spot she wanted to put the tattoo.
