“Are we really going to be that couple who celebrates a nine-month anniversary?” Kylie asked.

“Why? You don’t want to be that couple?” I asked as I held her hand.

“I just don’t see what’s so special about it. We didn’t celebrate three, or six.”

“We did too celebrate six. I took you to Bora Bora.”

“That was six months?” she asked.

“Nice to know you’re paying attention,” I said with a grin.

“Hey, I’m good with numbers, not dates.”

I chuckled as I drove us through town, making our way to dinner. She thought we were celebrating some trivial anniversary, but she had another thing coming.

I took her to dinner at a new French cuisine restaurant that had opened in the middle of town. We had an eight-course meal, complete with all the traditional French delicacies. I fed Kylie her first-ever escargot and laughed as she wrinkled her nose at the decadent snail. I loved how she was always up to try anything once.

It made our sex life very interesting.

After dinner, I escorted her to the car and opened her door. I helped her get in and then watched confusion waft over her face as I took off. She knew I was taking her farther away from the city—farther away from her apartment and my home.

“Where are we going?” Kylie asked.

“You’ll see. I figured we could do something special to work down our dinner.”

“I told you, Ryan. The one thing I don’t want to try is sex outside.”

“Nothing like that,” I said with a grin. “I’d never make you do something you don’t want to do. You know that.”

I traced my thumb along her soft skin as we drove to the outskirts of Portland. I drove us all the way to the edges of the national forest before I parked my car. Then I rolled down the top of my newly purchased convertible and laid our seats back.

“Oh my gosh,” Kylie said. “Ryan, look. The stars.”

“They’re out thick tonight since there’s no moon,” I said.

Her eyes twinkled with the night sky, and I stuck my hand into my pocket.

“Kylie?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes meandered over to mine before she sat up in her seat. I got out of the car and came around to her, then helped her up from her seat. I fiddled with the small box in my pocket as nerves took over again. No matter how much I was around Kylie, she always manage to make me nervous. She always manage to reduce the confident businessman I had molded myself to be into a hectic mess of panic.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said. “But there are so many things I want to say to you.”

“Then say them, Ryan. You know you can always talk to me.”

“I know,” I said as I cupped her cheek. “And that’s one of the many reasons I love you. Not only are you intelligent and independent and feisty, but you're beautiful and compassionate and understanding. You bring about a happiness in my life I only thought was found in movies or between the pages of cheesy little love stories.”

“I didn’t know you read those,” she said with a grin.

“There’s a lot you don't know about me, and there’s plenty I don’t know about you. But if you give me the chance, Kylie Baker, I’d like to spend the rest of my life getting to know you.”

I pulled out the ring box and slipped down to my knee as Kylie gasped.

“Oh my gosh,” she said as I opened the box. “Oh…oh my gosh.”

“Kylie, there are no words to describe how I feel about you. No words to explain the warmth and happiness you bring to my world. I don’t want another second to go by without you knowing that I’ll always be here. I’ll always stand at your side, guiding you and supporting you and protecting you.”

“Oh, Ryan,” she said as tears rushed to her eyes.

“Kylie, will you marry me?”

She squealed and dropped her body onto mine. I stood us up, wrapping my arms around her as she smiled into my neck. She jumped and bounced around, joy overflowing her beautiful form before she pulled away. I picked up her left hand and inched the ring onto her finger, watching as her head nodded as fast as it could go.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times over, yes.”

Hearing that one word drip from her lips even misted my eyes over a little.

“I spoke with Adam a few days ago,” I said as I cupped her hand. “He’s on board with all of this. He gave his blessing, and I knew then and there that I couldn't wait a second longer.”

“He’s okay with this?” she asked breathlessly.

“He is. He actually asked me if he could walk you down the aisle, but I told him he’d have to talk to you.”

She was speechless, and I drew her into my body. I placed my chin on top of her head and swayed her side to side. Her small arms wrapped around me, holding me in her loving embrace. I dropped my arm around her waist and took one of her hands in mine, and soon the two of us were dancing to our own music underneath the stars of Oregon.

“Could we have a smaller wedding?” Kylie asked.

My eyes fell to hers, taking in her excited stare as she looked up at me.

“Whatever you want,” I said.

“So we could have it outside?”

I grinned as my eyes took in the reflection of the stars in hers.

“Whatever you want,” I said again.

“Because I was thinking we could have this cute little outside wedding with maybe fifty or so people, and an archway of hanging flowers. Maybe on a sunny day. Or a nice fall day when all the leaves are changing. We could have rich colors for our wedding, like orange and yellow and red for fall or yellow and green and blue for summer.”

“You sound like you’ve been thinking about this.”

She shrugged, and I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back to my chest.

“I love that you’ve been thinking about it like I have,” I said.

I continued swaying us underneath the stars as the wind kicked up. Kylie shivered against me, so I slipped my coat off, then draped it around her shoulders. I crooked my finger underneath her chin and raised her gaze to mine, taking in the beauty of the woman standing in front of me.

“The first thing I want to discuss is this apartment of yours,” I said. “Your lease is up in three months.”

“It is,” she said.

“So, what would you say to moving in with me?”

A smile blossomed across her cheeks as she rose up to capture my lips.

“I think that’s a great place to start,” she said.

“Then get ready for so many more breakfasts in bed.”

“You know we never actually eat breakfast in bed,” she said as I scooped her close to my body.

“Trust me, I know. And to let you in on a little secret, that’s always my plan.”

She giggled before I plunged my tongue into her mouth, pressing her against the door of my convertible and tasting the dinner that still lingered against her cheeks. I held the entirety of my world in the palms of my hands. I held my future tightly against my chest. There wasn’t a woman in the world for me who was as perfect as the one I had pressed against my car, and there wouldn't be a day that went by that Kylie wouldn’t feel loved by me, even at our worst times.

“I love you,” she said.

I pulled back and watched her eyes dance around my face.

“I love you, too, Kylie, until the day I pass from this earth.”

Forbidden Love is a collection of hot bad boys that will melt your hearts and your panties. 

Included in this collection: 

• Next Door Daddy
• The Doctor's Fake Marriage
• Claiming Cinderella
• Mr. Perfect O
• My Best Friend's Dad
• Dad's Best Friend
• Star Struck