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PRETEND YOU MINE Need a long discussion
she gestured with her hands, "very different for Ethan." "Hmmm, well it's pretty different for me too. From the first time I met him.he was very difficult to turn down." I took another sip. "Impossible, really." She grinned at me. "Well, I'm glad for him, and glad to finally meet you, Brynne. I'm sensing there is more to come for you two?"Hannah worded it as a question, and I had to give her props for being so intuitive, but I absolutely was not going to share the crazy lunatic proposal of marriage Ethan had dropped on me during the night. No way. We still needed a good long discussion about that little suggestion. I shrugged instead. "Ethan is very...confident about what he wants. He's never had any trouble telling me. I think I have more trouble hearing stuff than he has with saying it. Your broth- er can be as blunt as a wooden plank."She laughed at my assessment. "I know that too. Subtlety is not in his lex- icon.""You can say that again" My eyes caught a picture on a cabinet
PRETEND YOU MINE Feel guilty
I don't know what compelled me to open my eyes. Probably the breathing on my face smelling faintly of jam, but regardless, I now understand why horror movies with children in them are, without a doubt, the most terrifying films of all. There is nothing quite like a silent child staring at you while you're sleeping or even worse, to wake up to. Some questions come to mind pretty fuckin' quick. Like how long have you been standing there watching over me like one of the ill-fated Grady sisters in The Shining?Scared the ever-living shit out of me for about two seconds. And then she smiled. "Uncle Ethan is awake!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran to the door, flinging it wide open."Zara! Shut the door behind you, please." I sat up carefully, well aware I was nude and taking care to keep the blankets arranged. I was also alone in the bed, so I leaned around and looked toward the bathroom to try and catch sight of Brynne.No Brynne."She's downstairs talking to Mummy. They're
PRETEND YOU MINE Know what she needs
That I was too much.On second thought. Brynne didn't give off that vibe even after I'd told her about my plan for us to announce our engagement. She told me I was insane, true, but she wasn't upset with me in any way as far as I could tell. In fact, she still took care of me after that when I was wrecked from another twisted dream mixing all the bad from Afghanistan with worry about her. Totally. Fucked. Up. Shit. She'd said she woke me up because she didn't want my nightmare to esca- late. And what did I do for my sweet girl in thanks?I fucked her again.I'd taken her hard, and yet she accepted what I did to her and accepted me. She said it was okay. Yeah, she loves me all right.I was well aware of how Brynne's touch soothed me like nothing else had be- fore. She was the only lifeline that I wanted to grab on to when I found myself in that state.Just remembering how our session ended got my blood humming and my mind taking off. I went to find clothes and realized I thought about
PRETEND YOU MINE You deserve it
She attached herself and hung her arms around my neck as I held her little legs tucked under my arms. I groaned, pretending to struggle to rise to my feet. I stumbled into the wall with exaggerated movements, being careful of her head. "God, you weigh a lot. Been eating a lot of ice creams, have you?"She giggled and dug her heels into my sides. "Go, Uncle Ethan!" "I'm trying to!" I grunted, pretending to crash into the walls as I stumbled along. "Feels like I have an elephant back there! Did you change from a princess into an elephant?" "No!" she laughed at my antics and poked me harder. "Go faster than this!" "Hold on tight," I said, as we whooped and yelled our way down the grand staircase and into the family area. My sister and Brynne were both waiting for us when we ducked into the homey kitchen. I'm sure all the screeching laughter preceded our arrival, but it was the look on Brynne's face that gave me a kick. Her eyes widened at the sight of us. probably shocked to see me playi
PRETEND YOU MINE Mean a lot to me
Ethan led me along a high coastal path that overlooked the sea at the Bay of Bris. tol with its sparkling blue water winking a million shiny breaks due to the wind. We followed that for a good while until the trail turned back inland. The sun was shining and the air was fresh. You'd think all the physical exertion would clear out my scattered thoughts, putting them into some semblance of order. but no such luck on that one. Nope. My mind just kept whirling. Engagement announcement? Moving in together? Marriage?! I so needed to schedule an ap- pointment with Dr. Roswell for the moment we got back to London.As I watched Ethan ahead of me, the way he moved, his natural agility and stealth, his physique of ripped muscles propelling his body forward, I still appreciated the view. My guy, my view. Yep, the scenery and my man were both mighty fine.I did indeed love it here and was happy he'd brought me, in spite of the turn our conversation took last night. Ethan had come downstairs this m
PRETEND YOU MINE The dreams
"I know you do and I love you too." I nodded and twisted my hand to hold on to his, meaning my words with all my heart. "I do. Nobody else has ever got that out of me before... but you.""Good."He looked vulnerable then, and I wanted to reassure him, make him feel that he mattered to me. Because the truth was, Ethan did matter. So very much. I stroked the top of his hand with a finger, brushing it back and forth.The past twenty-four hours had been so insane, I was merely trying to keep up. What Ethan was suggesting did make me feel pressured, but he also made me feel loved. He was a good man willing to make a commitment to me, and only asking for the same in return. Why was I having so much trouble with it? The truth was something I pretty much understood even if I hated to acknowl- edge it by digging down deep into my psyche. Being with Ethan forced me to examine my demons."I'll move in with you. How's that for a start?" "It's just that a start," he said dryly. "I told you that pa
PRETEND YOU MINE Gets everything he wants
Ethan waited for me to catch up at the gate and extended his hand. As soon as I touched him, he drew me up close against his body, enfolding me. "You want to look around in there and have a bit of a break? I figured you might be cause you like history so much.""I'd love to. It's so beautiful in here." I looked around. "So peaceful and serene."We walked through the plots, reading names on the stones of the people who'd lived and died in the area. A marble crypt marked the resting place of the Greymont family, the ancestors of Hannah's husband, Freddy. I made out the names Jeremy and Georgina and remembered them as the people Hannah had named in the gorgeous portrait I'd discovered this morning on the stairway. The Mallerton. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the painting of Sir Jeremy and his beautiful Georgina was the real deal and hoped the family would allow some pictures just for cataloguing purposes. Maybe I could get Benny up here to take some good photos. Gaby would want
PRETEND YOU MINE Like to look at her
"That's the third time you've yawned. Are you going to make it back to the house, or do I need to carry you before you collapse?""Oh, right," she scoffed. "We both know why I'm so tired today." She gave me a sassy smirk that made me want to do naughty things to those pretty lips of hers.Well, yeah, you kept her up half the night fucking, what do you expect her to be? I wanted to smile at the remembrance, though. My girl never turned me down. even when I was the freakiest. I'm a lucky, lucky man for sure. But then that's not news and it hasn't been for a while now."Sorry, baby. You'll be happy to hear I enjoyed every single minute of keep- ing you awake. I reached down and gave a squeeze to her lovely bum and watched her jump."You are crazy!" she yelped, shoving me off her. "Crazy for you," I said, wrapping my arm back around her and bringing her in close to me. "We're almost there anyway. I hope Fred and the boys are home so you can meet them.""I can't wait," she said, trying to
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