“Just got home. Pulling into the drive now.”
“Meet me on the patio.” She ended the call before he could say anything else, nerves punching through her.
Feeling ridiculously edgy, she sat down at the table. Then she stood, feeling silly for sitting. Cooper watched her curiously again, clearly confused with what she was doing. How was she going to do this? Hell, should she even do this? It was probably too soon.
Her instinct told her it wasn’t. Not for them. But…maybe she was wrong and projecting her own feelings. Maybe this wasn’t what he wanted at all now.
She’d been trying to think of a way to show Dylan that she was all in. When he’d proposed to her, it had shifted her entire world on its axis. She hadn’t been expecting it. At all. Looking back, she probably should have.
And the thing was, when he had proposed she’d wanted to say yes. Desperately so. But if she had, it would’ve been based on a big lie. So she’d said no and then run.
“What’s all this?” Dylan asked, stepping outside to join her, a tired smile on his face as he leaned down to pet Cooper. He’d been working on a huge project the last couple days and something told her he’d put it off the week before because of the insanity of her life.
She hadn’t accepted any offers for contract work so she’d had plenty of time with her thoughts, plenty of time to know exactly what she had to do. Wanted to do.
She stepped forward, sweat beading at the base of her spine. Damn, how did men work up the courage to do this? “I love you, Dylan.” Evie loved the way his expression subtly lit up whenever she said the words. So she said them as often as possible now.
“Yeah, I know,” he murmured, grinning as he stepped around the table, pulling her into his arms.
“I want to spend my life with you,” she continued, working up the courage to completely and utterly put herself out there. She clutched the jewelry box in her hand, trying to get the right words out. She pulled it out and started to open it, but to her surprise, he went down on one knee and pulled out the same jewelry box he’d proposed with before.
She stared at him.
“I love you and want to spend my life with you too, Evie Bishop. And you are not proposing to me.” He took the little box from her hand and set it aside—she’d bought him a simple wedding band she still hoped he wanted to wear. Then he opened the red box and that same gorgeous ring from before was there nestled inside, sparkling under the lights. “I’m traditional on some things.”
“Dylan,” she whispered.
“Marry me?” His expression was full of love.
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around him, practically tackling him to the ground.
Cooper barked as if in agreement before heading back inside.
Laughing, Dylan stood, scooping her into his arms as he sat at the table. As she settled into his lap, he said, “Unless you want it, I don’t want a big wedding.”
She shook her head. “Hell no. We can do a courthouse wedding. Or something simple here. I don’t care about stuff like that.” Never had. Hell, she’d never even thought of getting married until he came along.
“As soon as we can get a license, we’ll do something quiet.”
She hated that Ellis wouldn’t be there but she nodded and leaned closer, brushing her lips over Dylan’s.
He deepened the kiss for a long moment before pulling back. “There’s only one guard at the gate tonight and a couple patrolling the front. They have strict orders not to come around back. And I sent everyone else home.” Heat flared in his eyes.
She shifted on his lap, straddling him. “Did you know that I was going to do this?”
“No. But Leo told me it would probably be a good idea if I sent everyone home,” he said, grinning.
So Leo really had forgiven her. Evie laughed lightly. “Wise man.”
“This week, Evie. I’m not waiting any longer. I know your family situation is less than ideal, but I want you as my wife.”
Throat tight, she nodded. “And I want you as my husband.”
Something like relief flickered across his features, as if he’d expected her to push back, before he crushed his mouth to hers. She sank into his embrace and kiss, savoring every second of it as they held on to each other.
So much was still up in the air for her family. Evan was out of the hospital, but not the man he’d been before the explosion. And Ellis was still in hiding, wanted for murder.
But she would help both her brothers. Her whole family.
And she was going to do it with the man she loved by her side.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading Bishop’s Knight. I’m excited to bring you guys a new trilogy and I hope you’ve enjoyed the first book. If you’d like to stay in touch with me and be the first to learn about new releases you can:
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Also, please consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books and I appreciate all reviews.
Happy reading,
Katie
Acknowledgments
I owe a lot of gratitude to Kaylea Cross for helping me plot out this first book in a new trilogy. Getting the first book right is so important and I’m grateful for those brainstorming sessions. For my assistant, Sarah, thank you for all you do to keep things running smoothly. For Julia, thank you for your thorough edits. Jaycee, thank you for another amazing cover. To my wonderful readers, thank you for taking this new journey with me! For my family, thank you for your continuing support. And to God, I have abounding gratitude.
About the Author
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Deadly Ops series and the Redemption Harbor series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please visit her website: https://katiereus.com and join her newsletter.
Complete Booklist
Darkness Series
Darkness Awakened
Taste of Darkness
Beyond the Darkness
Hunted by Darkness
Into the Darkness
Saved by Darkness
Guardian of Darkness
Sentinel of Darkness
A Very Dragon Christmas
Darkness Rising
Deadly Ops Series
Targeted
Bound to Danger
Chasing Danger (novella)
Shattered Duty
Edge of Danger
A Covert Affair
Endgame Trilogy
Bishop’s Knight
Bishop’s Queen
Moon Shifter Series
Alpha Instinct
Lover’s Instinct
Primal Possession
Mating Instinct
His Untamed Desire
Avenger’s Heat
Hunter Reborn
Protective Instinct
Dark Protector
A Mate for Christmas
O’Connor Family Series
Merry Christmas, Baby
Tease Me, Baby
It’s Me Again, Baby
Mistletoe Me, Baby
Red Stone Security Series
No One to Trust
Danger Next Door
Fatal Deception
Miami, Mistletoe & Murder
His to Protect
Breaking Her Rules
Protecting His Witness
Sinful Seduction
Under His Protection
Deadly Fallout
Sworn to Protect
Secret Obsession
Love Thy Enemy
Dangerous Protector
Lethal Game
Resurrection
Savage Rising
Dangerous Witness
Innocent Target
Hunting Danger
Covert Games
Sin City Series (the Serafina)
First Surrender
Sensual Surrender
Sweetest Surrender
Dangerous Surrender
Linked books
Retribution
Tempting Danger
Non-series Romantic Suspense
Running from the Past
Dangerous Secrets
Killer Secrets
Deadly Obsession
Danger in Paradise
His Secret Past
Paranormal Romance
Destined Mate
Protector’s Mate
A Jaguar’s Kiss
Tempting the Jaguar
Enemy Mine
Heart of the Jaguar