Thrill Ride Read online

  “What are you talking about?” I ask, as I give in and run my fingers through the back of his hair because I have to touch him. No matter how angry I am at him, I’m so happy and relieved to see him again, alive and holding me.

  “In a few days, you’re going to book a flight for both of you to Spain,” Hendrix says. “You’ll tell everyone you need to get away. Once you’re there, you can both make the short trip to Morocco, where you’ll live with me in our own piece of paradise and still come back to see your mother, and even Carter, whenever you want.”

  “You… I-I should kill you for the hell you put me through the last two days!” I tell him.

  Hendrix

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you my plan,” I reply when Libby understandably threatens my life for the pain I caused her. “I needed it to be believable for it to work and it did. If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll understand. But if you forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of our life together making it up to you.”

  When Libby doesn’t immediately yell for me to leave, I lower my lips to kiss hers.

  It’s the sweetest relief ever when she actually kisses me back. Eventually, I feel the tension leaving her body as she relaxes against me and I lower her to the mattress.

  When she tugs my shirt off and over my head, I know I’m getting somewhere. She’ll forgive me. Eventually. I’ll love her so hard she’ll have no choice.

  “I can’t wait to get to know our daughter,” I tell Libby against her lips. “I wanted to hold her so badly at the cabin, but I couldn’t, not until I was certain I would get to be a part of her life.”

  “You better be,” she replies while her fingers undo my pants.

  “Maybe we could even think about making a few brothers and sisters for Abigail too?” I whisper.

  “A few?” she repeats, her eyes widening in surprise.

  “I have millions of dollars in an account drawing interest every day. We can have as many kids as we want, and spoil them all,” I assure her. “So, what’s it going to be, sweetheart?”

  “Get inside me, Hendrix Blake, because I can’t live another second without you.”

  Epilogue

  Hendrix

  A few months later…

  When I was eighteen, I started robbing banks because I thought money could buy happiness.

  I was wrong.

  There’s no amount of money that can buy happiness.

  But it doesn’t hurt to have a few million when you do find the one thing that makes life worth living.

  Family.

  Libby and Abigail are my family. Hell, Sawyer and Van are like brothers to me too, so I’m pretty damn lucky to have so many people in my life who love me as much as I love them.

  The guys have been spoiling my daughter more than I have since she got here. Abigail loves all the attention she gets from her two new “uncles.”

  My life is…perfect.

  There’s only one other little thing I want, the same thing Libby told me she wanted the first day we met. She may have been acting, but I think she was telling the truth about this.

  My girl wants a ring from a good man and not a fling with a bad boy.

  Honestly, even if she had let me inside of her that first night, I couldn’t have walked away from her—the blonde beauty who still takes my breath away. And I may not ever be a good man, but she makes me want to be a better one.

  “You ready to take this to Mommy?” I ask Abigail when I scoop her off her feet, her tiny hands clutched tightly around our surprise.

  “Yes, Daddy,” she agrees with a face-splitting grin and enthusiastic nod.

  “Okay, let’s do it,” I say as we get closer to our house. When the pool is within sight, along with Libby who is sitting under the umbrella in her lounge chair, drinking a daiquiri, I lower Abby to her feet. “Showtime.”

  “Mommy, look what Daddy and I found,” Abigail says, right on cue as she hurries over to Libby.

  “Oh, what have you got?” Libby sets her glass down to pick Abigail up and sit her in her lap. “A message in a bottle? How cool is that?” Libby says, after she examines the container.

  “Open it! Open it!” Abigail encourages her.

  “You found this on the beach?” Libby asks me when I catch up and take a seat on the empty lounge beside her.

  “We did,” I agree. “Go on, see what it says.”

  Libby pulls out the cork and then dumps out the rolled up paper…with a diamond ring in the center.

  “Oh my god,” Libby murmurs as she pulls the ring free from the paper. “Do you think it’s real? It can’t be real, right? It’s too big.”

  “I dunno,” I say, taking the ring from her to examine it, pretending like it’s the first time I’ve seen it. “What does the note say?”

  “Read it, Mommy!” Abigail encourages as Libby unrolls the thick piece of paper that looks yellowed and worn like from time gone by.

  “It says,” Libby starts as her eyes scan the document. “Wow, it says, ‘You were right all along. I do have more to offer you, starting with this ring. I want you to wear it every day for the rest of our lives. Even though I’ll never deserve you, will you marry me?’”

  By the time Libby stops reading and looks up, one of my knees is down on the scorching hot pavement that’s burning through my skin. Still, it’s worth it to see the smile on her face when she realizes this is all for her.

  “Will you marry me, Libby?” I ask, holding up the diamond.

  “What? This was…you mean, you…you did this?” she sputters, looking completely baffled.

  “Of course I did, sweetheart.” I tell her with a grin. “You wanted a ring and not a fling, right?” I tease, and she bursts out laughing, recognizing her own words. “So? Is that a yes?”

  “Yes, oh my god, yes, Hendrix!” she exclaims, plucking the ring from between my fingers and sliding in onto her finger before I even get the chance.

  Getting to my feet, I lean over and kiss Libby’s lips and then Abigail’s cheek. “Great job, baby girl. Do you know what this means? Mommy and Daddy are going to get married.”

  “Married?” our daughter asks with her brow furrowed in confusion.

  “Will there be a wedding?” Libby asks with an enormous grin on her beautiful face.

  “Absolutely,” I state, and then say with a wink, “And this time, I’ll make sure you get to the church on time.”

  The End

  Also by Lane Hart

  If you love bad boys, check out our new Savage Kings MC series!

  About the Author

  New York Times bestselling author Lane Hart was born and raised in North Carolina. She continues to live in the south with her husband, two daughters, and several pets named after Star Wars characters.

  When Lane's not writing or reading sexy novels, she can be found in the summer on the beaches of the east coast, and in the fall watching football, cheering on the Carolina Panthers.

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