“Maybe they’ll stay overseas from now on.”
“I hope so.” Logan shrugged. “As for my stepdad, he may end up with prison time. We’ll see. I can honestly say I’ve moved past caring what happens to him. It feels like I dropped a thousand-pound backpack I’ve been lugging around for years.”
“I’m so glad.” Ellery reached for his hand, entwining their fingers. “It means he’s lost his hold on you.”
“All that feels like it happened a lifetime ago.”
“It was a lifetime ago. And now you can start a new one.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “I guess I’ll never know what happened to Sophia.”
“I hope we’ll never cross paths again,” Logan said, “with Sophia or her boyfriend. From the stories they tell about Alexander, he’s ruthless.”
Having looked closely into his eyes, Ellery tended to agree.
“I guess I’m lucky to be alive. Funny to hear myself say that when a few years ago, I regretted not dying in the accident with the rest of my family.” The wind picked up, and Ellery pulled her coat tighter.
“I’m thankful you didn’t die.” Logan moved behind her, wrapping his warm arms around hers. “And I’m thankful you don’t wish it had happened anymore.”
“We’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”
“Yes, we do. For instance…” He bent his head down. “I’m thankful for this enticing spot on the side of your neck.”
“Logan! Stop it!”
His warmth deserted her, leaving her back cold.
“Hey,” she said, “I didn’t mean you had to stop holding me. I just didn’t want you to…”
Her words died as she turned to find him on one knee, his shaking hand outstretched, a small black box balanced on his palm.
“Ellery Akins… will you marry me?”
She choked, her parched tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth.
“I know I promised to wait ’til we’d been dating a year to ask you, but I can’t hold out any longer.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Please, say yes.”
His handsome face rippled in her vision as her eyes filled with tears. “Yes. Of course, yes!”
In a flash, the ring was on her finger, his lips delivering a well-practiced kiss. The sound of clapping and shouts drew her attention to the wall of glass where the crowd inside was cheering.
The pressure of Logan’s fingers turned her face to his. “I love you, Ellery.”
“I love you, too.” Her heart felt too big to fit inside her ribcage.
“I’ll always be a recluse at heart.” Logan planted tingling kisses on her lips. “Except now… you are my hiding place.”
The End
Be sure to read The Billionaire’s Secret Marriage and grab the bonus epilogue at the end when you sign up for Tamie Dearen’s VIP Reader List.
Have you read the prequel to the Limitless series, The Billionaire’s Fortunate Blizzard? Go back to the beginning and find out how it all began. Read on for a preview.
Chapter 1
Carly tried not to stare as she slid into her assigned seat. After all, her mom had taught her manners before she passed away. But a quick glance told her the man sitting beside her in seat 2A was hot. She could only see his profile because he was typing madly on his computer, but she’d definitely had way worse seatmates on previous flights. Maybe this was an extra benefit of sitting in first class.
If so, it was worth the extra cost.
Her last flight she’d been wedged between a teenage boy whose arms and legs intruded into her space, and a woman who gave her a five-hour sales talk on subscribing to her perfume-of-the-month club, a hard sell since the sickeningly sweet aroma permeating from her almost drove Carly to use her barf bag.
“Ma’am?” The flight attendant, a willowy blonde, bent toward Carly. “Can I get you a pre-flight drink?”
She wasn’t thirsty, but she didn’t want to waste one of her first-class perks. “I’ll have a ginger ale, please.”
“Sir, would you like a drink?” The blonde added a sultry growl to her voice, obviously experiencing the same allure Carly did.
“No, thanks,” he murmured, his fingers moving rapidly across the keys.
Pursing her lips, the flight attendant moved on, but Carly suspected she hadn’t given up on her pursuit.
While 2A was occupied with his computer, Carly took a moment to appreciate his broad shoulders, which were situated a good six inches above hers. The guy was built. Definitely not like any of the engineering nerds she’d ever interacted with. And he looked vaguely familiar. He could be a professional athlete or even a movie star, and she would never know. She seldom came out of her lab at the medical center.
His jawline would’ve been perfect for one of those razor-blade commercials, with the uber-masculine guys who make women swoon when they rub their freshly shaven faces. The advertisers must figure wives will buy those blades, hoping a shave will transform their husbands into sexy hunks.
She hadn’t seen his eyes yet, but she had a feeling they would be smoldering. This guy was so hot, just looking at him heated her blood. On the other hand, she would probably think that about any red-blooded male right now, since her only relationship in the past four years had been with Max.
