THE NEW YORK M CLUB’S ballroom is packed with partygoers, every member dressed to the nines and in festive spirit. It’s the biggest gathering of immense wealth and beautiful, glamorous people I’ve ever seen—twice the size of the Masquerade Gala in Sydney—but I only have eyes for one woman.
My woman.
I watch her talking to Imogen Carmichael, her exquisite face animated and her eyes dancing with the reflection of a million fairy lights scattered throughout the ballroom. She carries herself with the same grace and poise as the first time I saw her, perched on a stool at the casino in Monaco, only now she’s relaxed. She smiles more, laughs more, and waking up with her every morning is a privilege I’ll never take for granted.
She’s taken her first holiday in five years. As promised, she’s spent the summer sitting on that tatty deckchair watching me work on the cottage while she drinks my beer. She even comes surfing with me sometimes. The only time she complains is when I put my shirt back on. She told me yesterday that my working semi-naked helps her to think.
She catches my eye, winds up her conversation with Imogen and slinks my way, so by the time she reaches my side the only thoughts in my head are how quickly I can get her out of here so I can love her the way I want to.
‘What are you thinking about?’ She slips her arm around my waist and tucks her body into my side. ‘Tell me now, because I think I know that look on your face.’ She presses her lips to my neck with a sexy little hum.
I smile down at her and bend low to press an all too brief kiss on her lips. ‘I was wondering what you think about when I’m shirtless.’
Her eyes dance. ‘Well, duh, the same thing half of Sydney thinks about—ways to get you out of the other half of your clothes, of course.’ She laughs, rises up onto her tiptoes and kisses me back. ‘You know you’re becoming quite the celebrity, right?’
She’s talking about the changes I made to the construction company I once worked for after I bought it and the training school I set up to give apprenticeships to youngsters who need a break in life.
‘Well, you showed me how to let go of my resentment. I think he’d approve of how I’m using it,’ I say of my father, the remorse in my voice causing Orla’s eyes to shine with love and support.
‘Of course he would. Opening new hospital wings you’ve sponsored, delivering brand-new equipment to the local surf lifesavers, planting trees. You’re always splashed on the front of some newspaper or magazine these days, usually shirtless. I think he’d prefer it if you wore a shirt though.’ She pouts, mock censure on her beautiful mouth.
I roll my eyes but I can’t help smiling at her teasing. ‘I was shirtless one time, Orla. One time. And that was only because I was trying out the surfboards.’
She laughs, a lovely tinkling sound I never grow tired of hearing. ‘Oh, don’t worry. If I had this body,’ she runs her hand over my abs and up to my chest, ‘I’d want to show it off all the time too.’
I put my arms around her waist and hold her close. ‘You’re doing just fine with the body you’ve got. Trust me.’
Our exchange turns heated, X-rated, non-verbal communication passing between us in that way couples do when they know exactly what the other is thinking.
‘Want to get out of here?’ she asks, her voice smoky with lust. ‘I have a surprise for you.’
‘Yes.’ It’s a no-brainer. The chemistry, the bond we share, shows no signs of letting up; if anything it gets stronger every day. And I have a surprise for her too.
My Christmas present.
The cottage is almost finished and it’s hers. I signed over the deeds today and the key feels heavy in my pocket. Excitement joins the slug of potent, almost incapacitating desire I always feel in Orla’s company, desire made stronger by whatever is putting that gleam in her eyes, because I know she’ll always keep me on my toes.
We make our way out of the ballroom, stopping briefly to say goodnight to one or two friends. Instead of heading for the exit, she leads me towards the club’s private rooms.
‘Where are we going?’
She unlocks one of the doors, her small smile knowing. ‘I thought we could spend the night here.’
Inside, the room is intimate and romantic and exactly what she deserves after weeks of sleeping at the cottage with me because she knows I’m more comfortable there than at the penthouse. Of course, we upgraded to a double camp bed, but she deserves a little luxury after weeks of sawdust, dodgy plumbing and unreliable electrics.
She reaches for me, her hands coming around my neck, and I kiss her once, twice...but before I get carried away I pull the key from my pocket. ‘I have a surprise for you too. Merry Christmas.’
Her hand covers her mouth and she gasps, because she knows what it is I’m giving her. She understands me. She shares my dreams as I share hers.
‘Cam... Oh, I don’t know what to say. Thank you.’
Her reaction, her obvious delight, makes me feel ten feet tall. My heart pounds, but I plough on with the second part of my surprise. ‘Say you’ll wake up by my side every morning to the sound of the sea. Say you’ll sit next to me on the veranda, drinking my beer. Say you’ll marry me?’
I present the ring I bought earlier today, my insides twisting with nerves. ‘I know it’s quick, but I want to live dreams and make moments with you for the rest of our lives.’
‘Yes.’ She jumps up and I catch her around the waist, staggering towards the bed so I can deposit her under me and kiss her the way I want to.
Her smile, when we part for air, fills my chest with joy and love and too many euphoric emotions to name.
‘Of course, you know what this means, don’t you?’ I say between her kisses.
‘What?’ She lies back on the bed and looks at me with such love in her eyes that I struggle to breathe. Struggle to believe that she’s mine.
‘Well, not only will I be able to offload half my fortune onto my new spouse...’ I wink because only she understands how far I’ve come that I can joke about something as serious as my inheritance.
She cups my face, her eyes swimming.
‘But I also get to keep you for ever.’
She nods.
‘And I get to keep you.’
If you enjoyed The Proposition by JC Harroway,
look out for the other stories in
The Billionaires Club continuity,
The Debt by Jackie Ashenden
The Risk by Caitlin Crews
available now
The Deal by Clare Connelly
coming soon from Harlequin DARE!
Dare to read more sexy stories! Check out our other Harlequin DARE titles, available now:
Her Intern by Anne Marsh
Her Every Fantasy by Zara Cox
Double Dare You by Cara Lockwood
Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Intern by Anne Marsh.