It is not what he says, but the way that he says it.
We are not perfect. I am not perfect. But he makes me feel faultless.
Jinx slowly lifted the zipper of her skirt and tucked her silk yellow blouse in. It was date night and Dominic was taking her somewhere special. She smiled as she bent foreword to take in her reflection. She had gathered her curls into a high pineapple bun and purposely curled her bangs to frame her face. The “V” of her shirt showcased her breasts without reveling too much.
Breathing deeply Jinx began to hum beneath her breath. Loving someone as much as she loved him should have sent her running. It had in the beginning. But the time he invested in building the trust between them eased the worst of her fears.
A year ago she had been a happy single. Dominic had been a part of a past she never wanted to remember. His reappearance sparked a change. Love and adventure rushed in to shake things up, and wake her from the quiet cycle of life she had been stuck in.
“You look beautiful.”
The deep rumble of his voice spread warmth through her. She picked up her pearl earrings and turned towards him, a smile spread across her lips. Dominic wore a fitted black Karl Lagerfeld suit. Her mouth watered at the sight of those cleans lines and the way the arms molded to his biceps. She was a lucky girl.
“You are looking pretty handsome yourself.”
Dominic’s grey eyes glinted as he approached her, a satisfied smirk on his lips. Jinx slipped on her earrings as she met him halfway. His hand slipped onto the small of her back as he bent his head forward to kiss her lips. Jinx fell into his embrace with an eagerness she used to resent.
Dominic had burrowed so deeply under her skin she could not explain where he began and she ended. When he pulled back she placed her hands on his neck and caressed the line of his jaw softly.
“I love you with everything I have.”
Dominic pushed at the collar of her blouse to revel their mated mark. “I love you with everything we have.”
****
Dominic placed his hand onto Jinx’s knee as they crossed the bridge out of the city. She leaned back and turned to face him. It had been a crazy year. So many things had changed. They had been tested and every near miss brought them closer together. Their connection was so much more then he ever thought it would be.
Jinx had no idea what he was planning. He wanted it that way. Otherwise she would find an excuse to avoid it. She did not like sudden changes. He had to ease her into things. Streetlights flicked over her truffle brown skin. Highlighting her high cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. She bit plump cashmere brown lips and placed her hand over his.
This was his future, and present.
****
Dominic drove through the gates of a manor. Jinx frowned as she looked around. They were forty minutes out of the city. She thought they were going to dinner at an out of the way restaurant. Instead he had brought her here. Trees lined the graveled road they drove down.
“Where are we?”
Dominic said nothing as he pulled into a circular drive and stopped the car. He got out and Jinx's mind started racing as she looked out of her window. Dominic pulled her door open. Even in the dark Jinx could see the elaborate design of the manor. It had tall archways and columns.
Jinx faltered at the sight of hundreds of lit candles and strewn rose petals. A table with an emerald green tablecloth and covered plates sat at the entrance of the home. Her breath caught in her throat as Dominic stepped in front of her and lowered himself onto a single knee.
Her brain stopped functioning. This wasn’t happening. They agreed a wedding was unnecessary. The thought of the ceremony sent her into a panic. They were already pretty much stuck with each other. No one was going anywhere. But to take that final step seemed too much for her to deal with. As irrational as that was.
He pulled a dark blue box out of his pocket and held it up. Jinx’s hands clenched as she fought the urge to reach out and touch it. Her heartbeat pumped hard. This was not happening. She was home. Sleeping. Dreaming.
“You are opinionated. Stubborn. And often more then I can handle.”
Jinx chuckled even as she stared down at the tiny object in his hand. It wasn’t a ring. He is messing with her. He had to be.
“But I love you. I love our life together and want to continue the future we are building,” Dominic continued as he opened the ring box to revel an amber set gold ring.
Jinx knees weakened and she pitched forward slightly. Dominic pulled the ring out and took her left hand in his. This was happening. He was proposing and Jinx could not move. She did not know where to go.
“You used to be afraid I would leave first. I used to be terrified something would happen to send running further then ever before. I am sure you are looking for the nearest exit even now.”
“Then why are you doing this,” Jinx exclaimed finally able to say something.
“Because allowing fear to guide us will only cause regret. We deserve better,” Dominic slipped the ring onto her finger then turned her hand palm up to pressed a kiss there.
“Marry me.”
“That is not a question.”
Dominic stood up and stepped closer to her. His hands settled onto her waist as he looked down at her. Love radiated off of him. Jinx placed her hand over his heart as she stared into his grey eyes.
“I am not asking you. I have learned by now that giving you an option in these matters usually ends in you getting your way.”
Jinx smiled wryly and looked at the ring. At its very center was a dragonfly stuck in mid flight. Its wings fully spread. The ring fit her. It was not too big or ordinary.
“I am not the best with orders either.”
“You follow them more often then you don’t,” Dominic replied as he slid a hand up the side of her rib cage then slipped it under her chin.
He tilted her face up and bent forwards to kiss the tip of her nose then pressed his forehead to hers. “Marry me. Marry me and I promise the years we have together will be filled with more good things then bad.”
Jen A. Durand
Author of The Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal Series and The Virgins Club, www.Durandpublishing.net
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