“It’s okay to be that way. It makes you a good person.” Adam traced her eyebrow with his thumb, his callused fingers resting lightly against her jaw.
“Not always,” she said. “Sometimes you have to fight for what is right.”
“It’s exhausting to constantly fight. I should know. I have very little compromise in me.”
She laughed and then rubbed her ribs, which had started to sting. Must be time to up those pain meds. “And I tend to have too much compromise, so when I find something I want passionately—”
“Like me?” He grinned at her.
“Yes, exactly like you. I don’t know how to claim what I want without feeling guilty.”
His brows drew together. “Guilty? Why in the hell would taking what you want make you feel guilty? Especially when it’s something offered willingly.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it? I know it is. It’s being with you that has shown me that it’s okay to take what I want sometimes. I don’t have to compromise. I don’t have to hold back or deny myself. Not always.”
She reached for his belt and tugged him closer so she could dig into the front pocket of his jeans. The side of her hand brushed the length of his cock and even in her hazy not-quite-there pain, a thrill of excitement made her breath catch and her core tighten.
“You know you can have that any time you want, baby,” he said with a teasing grin. “No compromise required.”
“I’m glad you see this my way.” Her fingertip dipped into the ring nestled deep in his pocket, and she held onto it with her thumb so she could pull it free. “I want this,” she said, holding the engagement ring up to him, “and all the scary and wonderful promises that go along with it.”
“You’re sure? If I put this on your finger, I won’t let you walk away from me again. Not ever.”
Her heart fluttered, and she nodded, surprised her eyes were filling with tears. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“You don’t think we should talk about this more?”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, wondering at his sudden hesitation.
“No, but I thought that’s what you wanted. I’m trying to be better at compromising. For you.”
“Well, knock it off. We can compromise later; after you agree to my demands.”
He grinned as he stared into her eyes and lifted her uninjured left hand. His hands were trembling when he slid the ring onto her ring finger.
“Do you really want to marry me?” he asked, and the uncertainty in his eyes tugged at her heart strings.
“I said I did, didn’t I?”
His brows drew together. “No, you said—”
She covered his mouth with her good hand. “I want to marry you, Adam Taylor. I love you more than anything in the entire universe, and I can’t wait to get out of the hospital so I can follow you on tour whether you want me to or not.”
“It won’t matter,” he said.
“What won’t matter?”
“I’m pretty sure I not only stepped over the line but leaped it when I walked out before the show last night without so much as a word. The tour, the band? Over for me.”
Madison’s face fell. “You did what?”
“Kennedy called and said you needed me, so I came. And I’m not sorry I did. I might have lost my band, but you said yes.”
Damn, the man was impulsive. She loved him for it, but it would definitely be a constant challenge for her. “You didn’t even tell them why you were leaving?”
He shook his head. “It didn’t seem important at the time. All I could think about was getting here as fast as possible.”
She reached up and wrapped her good hand in his chains to tug him closer for a kiss. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she said.
He grinned. “You’re welcome.”
“If I could move properly, I would kick your ass. I can’t believe you left without explaining. You have to make this right, Adam. Call the guys. Let them know what’s going on, that it was an emergency.”
Adam shook his head slightly. “I’ll call them later. I’m too happy that you’re mine and too upset that you’re hurt to listen to a bitch session from Jacob. It would probably be best to wait until I’ve had some sleep. I’m sure I’ll just make it worse if I talk to anyone but you right now.”
It was an ungodly hour to call someone. Especially a rock star.
“You do look tired,” she said, patting the mattress near her left hip. There wasn’t much room for him, but if he squeezed in close, he could rest beside her. “Why don’t you lie down with me? We’ll call the guys in the morning. I’ll send them pictures of my wounds and my CAT scan so they know it’s serious.”
Adam glanced at the door. “I wonder why no one has come to kick me out of your room yet,” he said.
“Maybe they forgot you were in here.”
“I have a feeling your sister is keeping them at bay.”
“Well, she is a stubborn know-it-all cow.”
“Who looks disturbingly like you,” Adam said. He kicked off his boots and removed his leather jacket, tossing it onto the empty chair at the end of the bed. He slid onto the bed beside her, moving in close to her uninjured side. He held her hand gently and traced the ring he’d just placed on her finger.
“This must have been the shittiest weekend of your life,” he said.
She squeezed his fingers. “Are you kidding? I got engaged this weekend.”
He chuckled. “And that’s supposed to make up for all the shit you’ve endured?”
“It totally does. You couldn’t make me any happier if you tried.”
“Is that a challenge?”
She wished she had two working arms so she could hug him. She settled for squeezing his hand even tighter. “If you want to take it that way.”
He nuzzled her neck and stroked her instep with his big toe. “Is this okay?” he asked.
“It’s a start, but a little tame by your standards,” she said with a giggle.
“I don’t want to hurt you. Seeing you injured like this tears my heart out. Makes me want to write lyrics and guitar solos and shit.”
She wasn’t sure why her injuries would give him a sudden desire to create music. “I’ll be okay,” she said, tingles of delight coursing down her neck as he placed gentle kisses on her skin. She went completely still as something terrible occurred to her. “This injury really is going to cut into our sex life, isn’t it?”
“I’ll just figure out new ways to excite you until you’re fully healed.”
He was already exciting her as his teeth scraped across her earlobe.
“That’s eight weeks!” she protested.
“Don’t blame me,” he said, his breath warming her neck. “You’re the one who fell off a horse.”
She squeezed his hand, the new ring on her finger feeling heavy and delightfully foreign. “Excuse me? I was thrown off a horse.”
“So until you’re better, I’ll take it easy on you. Gentle kisses, soft touches, slow licks, easy sucking, but absolutely no fucking.”
“I’ll never be able to handle it,” she complained. “Two days of that just about killed me.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’ll teach you to love every minute of it.”
“I do love every moment with you,” she said before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. “So do as you must, Adam. Tease me.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to thank Wendy Christy for being the most faithful of beta readers and Cyndi McGowen for her mad beta-reading skills. Dude. You rock at it. Seriously. I’d also like to thank the amazing Beth Hill for her fabulous editing work. And I can’t forget my devoted fans, who were somewhat patient while I wrote this book. Mostly because they didn’t have a choice. Sorry for the delay. I love you all!
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