“You already said that. And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

  “No. Someday I hope you’ll trust what I tell you, but I know today isn’t that day. So I’m going to prove it.” He withdraws some papers from the pocket of his jacket and hands them to me. “These are generally considered confidential, but I have David Chang’s blessing to share them with you. It’s an e-mail string. Would you mind reading it? Start at the bottom.”

  I’m not entirely sure what he thinks this will accomplish, but I admit I’m curious. “All right.”

  Three minutes later, I’m blinking and struggling to take it all in. But one fact is completely clear: Stephen tried his damnedest for weeks to tempt Chang with other properties besides my beloved Aloha Rainbow.

  “This is real?”

  “One-hundred percent. I’ll be happy to pull it up on my phone, if you’d like to validate.”

  The evidence seems so black and white. I can only think of one reason he’s so insistent to prove his point. Hope sparks bright and dangerous.

  If Stephen wasn’t lying about wooing me for the property, what else wasn’t he lying about?

  I fold up the paper and hand it back to him, my thoughts racing. “You think I jumped to conclusions?”

  “The natural one, given what Sherry was spewing. And I’ll fully admit that for my first day or two at Aloha Rainbow, I didn’t care much what happened to the place. It would have been a great deal for me. I would have made bank while I gained professional independence from my father. And if that had to happen on someone else’s back…” He shrugs. “Well, that’s business. Then I got to know you.”

  “Why bother trying to convince me that I matter now? I’m here to offer you really liberal visitation, so if that’s what you’re after…”

  “Fuck visitation.”

  I suck in a breath. So Stephen wants more. Like pie-in-the-sky more?

  He crooks a finger at me. “Come here, honey.”

  My stomach pitches and tightens again. “What do you want?”

  “Dance with me.”

  Of all the things he could have said, I didn’t see that one coming. Now I’m really nervous. And way more excited than I want to admit. “Why? There’s no music.”

  He holds up a finger, withdraws his phone from his pocket, and launches a soft, sultry R&B tune before he reaches out and takes me in his arms.

  Honestly, I never imagined being this close to Stephen Lund again. But he presses me into his body, then begins dancing with me—slow, smooth, sensual. Being this close to him is heaven.

  I can’t help myself; I sigh into him. I fill my nose with him. I cuddle close and revel in his hardness everywhere I’m soft. I prove just how horribly weak I am when it comes to this man—and in the moment, I just don’t care.

  “I don’t want to visit my child any more than I want to visit you,” he murmurs against my ear.

  A shiver zips down my spine. “Then what do you want?”

  “You said once that you’d rather go through the hard times with someone you love than have a perfectly carefree life alone. I’ve lived that easy-breezy, pointless life of solitude. Being with you for those three amazing weeks taught me that I want more. Don’t make me settle for less.”

  I hold my breath. “What are you saying?”

  “I want more. I want everything. I want you.”

  “Stephen, I—”

  He lays a finger over my lips. “I’m not done. Let me finish.”

  The song fades out, and Bruno Mars fills the speakers, crooning about getting married. The same song we danced to at Finn and Dana’s wedding. It brings back a happy memory of the night I really fell for Stephen. I can’t hear this tune and not think about him, about us.

  If we had a song, this would be it.

  “What are you doing?”

  He cups my cheek and delves into my eyes. “What I’ve wanted to for a while. Hear me out. I deserve that much since you lied to me.”

  I gape at him. “No, I didn’t.”

  “You did.” A slow smile stretches across his face, somehow playful and sexy at once. “You said we didn’t have a song, that you weren’t that kind of girl. But the second this song came on just now, your face softened, you held me tighter, and your lips parted as if you were inviting me to kiss you.”

  Though he’s not wrong, I could cling to my pride and protest again. But I’m dying to know what he’s up to. “What’s your point?”

  “You have no idea how badly I want to take you up on that invitation.”

  Given the hot suggestion in his eyes, I think I do. The same answering note flares in my belly. “That doesn’t make this our song.”

  “I want it to be.” He strokes a soft thumb across my cheek. “I’m hoping to make it ours.”

  Then he gets down on one knee.

  My eyes widen and I gasp when he pulls a little box from his pocket, flips it open to reveal a sparkling ring that’s very real and even more beautiful than the fake, then smiles up at me with hope all over his face.

  “Skye Nicole Ingram, we’ve only known each other for a month. But I don’t need longer to know that you make me smile, make me think, and—I admit—make me want to kiss you breathless for the rest of our lives. You amuse, befuddle, and intrigue me. Most of all, you made me fall madly in love with you. If you say yes, I’ll be the best fiancé—and husband—ever, listening, laughing, and loving you, from now until death do us part. Will you do me the very real honor of marrying me?”

  His words are an echo of the playful proposal he uttered shortly after we met. But this speech is solemn and heartfelt. His eyes will me to say yes.

  What’s left of my anger dissipates. I blink, struggle to breathe. My heart clutches inside my chest.

  “Say something, Skye. I turned down my dad’s offer to run Colossus for you. He’ll continue helming the company, and I’ll relocate here to start a new subsidiary that specializes in Asian and Pacific interests so I can be with you. I made plans for us to elope to Vegas. All I’m asking in return is one little word. Just say yes.”

  I’m so touched, I can’t speak. Stephen blurs in my vision. My throat closes up. How can I possibly say no? I love this man. I’ve loved him almost from the beginning.

  “You sacrificed everything?” His deal, his dream job, and his home. All for me.

  He really does love me. I blink, and the tears fall down my face.

  Stephen stands, towers over me, and cups my face. “I’ve sacrificed nothing if I can have you as my wife. Before I met you, I carefully orchestrated everything in my life, but my whole existence had no meaning. I didn’t plan to fall in love with you, but you opened my eyes. You showed me what I’ve been missing. Falling for you was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

  There’s only one thing I can say, but it’s not easy through my tears. “Yes.”

  He grips me tighter. “Yes, you’ll marry me?”

  I smile. “Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you.”

  He laughs as he yanks the ring out of the box and quickly slides it on my finger. “Honey, I love you, too. More than anything.”

  We’re engaged—for real. I can’t believe it. More happy tears fall. He swipes them away with his thumbs before he kisses me breathless, reminding me of just one of the many reasons I’ve never been able to resist this man.

  As I melt into him, he eases away and glances at his watch. “How soon can you be packed?”

  I’m confused. “For what? To spend a few days here with you?”

  He shakes his head. “Our flight to Vegas leaves in three hours.”

  “What?”

  “I figured you’d like something spontaneous…”

  He’s not meticulously planning our wedding? “I don’t have a dress.”

  “We’ll get you one.”

  “That takes time. Weeks. Months, even.”

  He winks at me. “Not when you have money.”

  “But we haven’t invited anyone.”

  “Who do you want there?”

  He’s making this sound so simple. “My parents. Finn and Dana. Erma and Dean.” That’s it. Those are the most important people in my life.

  “I’ll get them there ASAP, along with my dad, Amanda, Bethany, Nia and Evan. Beyond that, I don’t need anyone except you.”

  I’m not sure exactly when this ceremony will take place or where we’ll live or how any of the practicalities of our life together will work. But I know I’ll have Stephen by my side. “I don’t need anyone else, either.”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make you feel that way for the rest of your life.”

  Then he smiles down at me and cements that vow with a kiss that holds all the promise of our tomorrows.

  * * * *

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Shayla Black, discover Forever Wicked, Dirty Wicked, Pure Wicked, and More Than Protect You.

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  DISCOVER 1001 DARK NIGHTS COLLECTION SEVEN

  Click here for more information.

  THE BISHOP by Skye Warren

  A Tanglewood Novella

  TAKEN WITH YOU by Carrie Ann Ryan

  A Fractured Connections Novella

  DRAGON LOST by Donna Grant

  A Dark Kings Novella

  SEXY LOVE by Carly Phillips

  A Sexy Series Novella

  PROVOKE by Rachel Van Dyken

  A Seaside Pictures Novella

  RAFE by Sawyer Bennett

  An Arizona Vengeance Novella

  THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS by Claire Contreras

  A Sexy Royals Novella

  THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Darynda Jones

  A Charley Davidson Novella

  CHARMED by Lexi Blake

  A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

  SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS by Alexandra Ivy

  A Guardians of Eternity Novella

  THE QUEEN by Jen Armentrout

  A Wicked Novella

  BEGIN AGAIN by Jennifer Probst

  A Stay Novella

  VIXEN by Rebecca Zanetti

  A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella

  SLASH by Laurelin Paige

  A Slay Series Novella

  THE DEAD HEAT OF SUMMER by Heather Graham

  A Krewe of Hunters Novella

  WILD FIRE by Kristen Ashley

  A Chaos Novella

  MORE THAN PROTECT YOU by Shayla Black

  A More Than Words Novella

  LOVE SONG by Kylie Scott

  A Stage Dive Novella

  CHERISH ME by J. Kenner

  A Stark Ever After Novella

  SHINE WITH ME by Kristen Proby

  A With Me in Seattle Novella

  From Blue Box Press

  TEASE ME by J. Kenner

  A Stark International Novel

  DISCOVER MORE SHAYLA BLACK

  More Than Protect You: A More Than Words Novella

  By Shayla Black

  Coming October 6, 2020

  Click here to purchase.

  From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shayla Black comes a new story in her More Than Words series…

  Can I keep the gorgeous, gun-shy single mother safe—and prove I’m the man for her?

  I’m Tanner Kirk—Certified firearms instructor and mixed martial arts enthusiast. When I filed for divorce at the end of an empty marriage, all I wanted was a vacation in paradise, not another woman in my life. But how can I possibly say no to Amanda Lund, a young single mom desperate to learn self-defense? Or refuse the banked desire on the guarded beauty’s face?

  I can’t.

  So I seduce Mandy until we’re burning up the sheets…and soon find my heart entangled with her bruised and battered one. But when a nemesis from her past tries to destroy our future by unearthing my secret, will she understand and forgive me—or give up on us forever?

  * * * *

  More Than Pleasure You: A More Than Words Novella

  By Shayla Black

  Click here to purchase.

  Can I convince her our hot but temporary engagement should last forever?

  I’m Stephen Lund, confirmed bachelor…and son of a successful billionaire whose sins I can’t forget—or forgive. Though he insisted I get over his transgressions, I can’t. So I put space between us with a temporary getaway to Maui. My rental’s sexy caretaker, Skye Ingram, is a beautiful distraction. Yeah, it’s a terrible time to start a fling, but I can’t help wanting to give her every bit of pleasure she’s willing to take.

  When Skye needs a date to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, I’m game to play her pretend fiancé. The jerk should see what he passed up…and that I’m holding her now. But our pretend engagement begins to feel real. Our passion certainly is. So are the consequences. When I’m confronted with the reality that our lives are now irrevocably entwined, I have to choose between leaving Skye to return to the life—and wealth—I’ve always known or abandoning everything familiar to start over with the woman who awakened my heart.

  * * * *

  Dirty Wicked: A Wicked Lovers Novella

  By Shayla Black

  Click here to purchase

  After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, former private eye Nick Navarro has nothing but revenge on his mind—until a woman from his past returns to beg for his help.

  Beautiful widow Sasha Porter has been hunted by his enemies. Desperate, she offers him anything to keep her young daughter safe, even agreeing to become his mistress. The last thing either of them want are emotional entanglements but as they entrap the ruthless politician who arranged Nick’s downfall and passion sizzles between them, danger closes in.

  Will he choose love over vengeance before it’s too late?

  * * * *

  Forever Wicked: A Wicked Lovers Novella

  By Shayla Black

  Click here to purchase

  They had nothing in common but a desperate passion…

  Billionaire Jason Denning lived life fast and hard in a world where anything could be bought and sold, even affection. But all that changed when he met “Greta,” a beautiful stranger ready to explore her hidden desires. From a blue collar family, Gia Angelotti wore a badge, fought for right—and opened herself utterly to love him. Blindsided and falling hard, Jason does the first impulsive thing of his life and hustles her to the altar.

  Until a second chance proved that forever could be theirs.

  Then tragedy ripped Jason’s new bride from his arms and out of his life. When he finds Gia again, he gives her a choice: spend the three weeks before their first anniversary with him or forfeit the money she receives from their marriage. Reluctantly, she agrees to once again put herself at his mercy and return to his bed. But having her right where he wants her is dangerous for Jason’s peace of mind. No matter how hard he tries, he finds himself falling for her again. Will he learn to trust that their love is real before Gia leaves again for good?

  * * * *

  Pure Wicked: A Wicked Lovers Novella

  By Shayla Black

  Click here to purchase.

  During his decade as an international pop star, Jesse McCall has lived every day in the fast lane. A committed hedonist reveling in amazing highs, globetrotting, and nameless encounters, he refuses to think about his loneliness or empty future. Then tragedy strikes.

  Shocked and grieving, he sheds his identity and walks away, searching for peace. Instead, he finds Bristol Reese, a no-nonsense beauty scraping to keep her business afloat while struggling with her own demons. He’s intent on seducing her, but other than a pleasure-filled night, she’s not interested in a player, especially after her boyfriend recently proposed to her sister. In order to claim Bristol, Jesse has to prove he’s not the kind of man he’s always been. But when she learns his identity and his past comes back to haunt him, how will he convince her that he’s a changed man who wants nothing more than to make her his forever?

  MORE THAN WANT YOU

  More Than Words series, book 1

  By Shayla Black

  Click here to purchase

  What starts as sweet revenge against Maxon’s most savage competitor—his brother—becomes an unquenchable hunger for Keeley, the sassy free spirit he hires to trip up his enemy.

  “So you have to beat the champ at his own game.” Rob sighs, sounding like he finally understands my proclamation that I’m fucked.

  There’s no way to top Griff. He’s got a goddamn natural gift.

  “Okay, your brother might find a buyer a week or two earlier.” Britta shrugs. “But you’re the better man.”

  “They don’t give a shit about that.”

  “You always come through,” she argues.

  “To the people dying to unload this estate so they can cash out, those seven days make a five-figure difference in their bank account. Besides, they don’t know the Maui market. And they don’t know me except as the pushy salesman who barged in. They certainly don’t know my reputation except through boring statistics and my own claims, which they probably see as bragging. It sounds as if Susan Stowe was fond of Griff, so she picked him. Her heirs would need a damn good reason to cross her wishes.”