He was a Bradford, which according to all of those frightening stories that his family liked to share around the dinner table, meant that he probably wouldn’t give her any type of warning before she was dragged across state lines kicking and screaming.

“Ah, no,” she said, deciding that she wasn’t doing a very good job if he was able to joke around. She shifted so that the next time she moved against him it would-

“Then have dinner with me tomorrow night,” he suggested, cutting her off.

“Are you really trying to use sex to distract me so that I’ll agree to make you dinner?” she asked, chuckling softly as she playfully nipped at his jaw. She shifted once again so that she could-

“No, I’m trying to ask you to go out with me tomorrow night.”

“No,” she said with a slight shake of her head as she pressed down and moved to-

Gasp in surprise as she suddenly found herself picked up and set aside. Before she could ask what was wrong, Darrin was sighing heavily in typical Bradford fashion as he pulled his keys out of the ignition, grabbed his phone and opened the door. He jumped out and left her sitting there wondering what just happened.

It took her a minute before she realized that the big bastard was trying to get her back for all those photos that she’d sent him today. Narrowing her eyes on his retreating form, she grabbed her bag, climbed out of the truck and hurried after him.

“Nice try,” she said with a sad shake of her head as she walked past him and went inside. She opened her door and stepped inside her apartment, already deciding that she was going to make the bastard run out and get her a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream before she allowed him to crawl in bed with her tonight.

“Did you change your mind about dinner tomorrow night?” he asked, still standing in the small foyer when he really should be finding a pen and paper so that he could take down her ice cream order.

“I was planning on making lasagna tomorrow night,” she said, mostly to distract him, but to her surprise, the promise of food didn’t seem to interest him.

“So that’s a no then?” he asked with a curious tilt of his head.

“No, that’s an offer to make you a home cooked meal, watch a bad horror movie followed by a night of sex,” she reminded him.

“Sorry, I can’t do that,” he said with a shrug, instantly putting her on guard, because she knew him well enough to know that look of determination on his face meant that he was up to something, something that she was not going to like.

“Can’t do what?” she cautiously asked.

He sighed heavily. “I can’t let you treat me like a whore anymore,” he announced with typical Bradford flourish, making her roll her eyes.

“Treat you like a whore? Really?” she asked dryly with a sad shake of her head, because really, only a Bradford would turn himself into a martyr over sex.

“You know damn well that you’ve been treating me like a dirty, disgusting whore,” he said accusingly with a glare. “Well, I won’t have it anymore! Do you hear me, woman? I will no longer be subjected to sliding inside your incredibly delicious body unless you start acknowledging our love!”

“Meaning?” she asked with a sigh, knowing that he would eventually get to the point.

“Meaning that I will no longer allow you to have your dirty way with me anymore.”

“Y-you’re ending this?” she asked, struggling to remain calm as her heart beat furiously in her chest.

She knew that she was going to have to end this one day for both their sakes, but she wasn’t ready, not yet. She just needed a little more time before she had to give him up.

He snorted at that with a shake of his head. “Like I’d let you get away that easily.”

“Then what are you doing?” she asked, wondering if she had any beer in the fridge, because she was pretty sure that she was going to need a drink after this conversation.

Possibly two.

“What am I doing?” he asked, his lips kicking up into a sensual smile as he moved closer to her until there was barely an inch of space between them. “I’m giving you the ultimate double dare,” he said as he leaned down and brushed his lips tenderly against hers.

“And what’s that?” she asked suspiciously, watching his every move as he stood up and stepped back.

“To marry me.”

*-*-*-*

Perhaps he should have found a better way to do this? he thought as Marybeth’s shocked expression quickly shifted to disbelief.

“You can’t be serious!”

“Yet, I am,” he said, enjoying her distress probably more than he should.

“I’m not marrying you!” she shouted with a panicked expression, but that was understandable under the circumstances. He had sprung this on her out of the blue after all.

Then again, it was more warning than most women received from the men in his family.

“Yes,” he said, leaning down and brushed his lips against her stunned ones simply because he couldn’t help himself, “you are.”

“We’re not even dating!” she sputtered, sounding a bit hysterical.

“We are now,” he said with one last kiss and a wink as he stepped away, deciding that she probably needed a minute to process all of this.

“No, we’re not! We’re just having sex!” she pointed out almost desperately, making him sigh.

She was so damn cute when she was on the verge of going for his balls, he thought with a smile, which by the looks of the glare that she was suddenly sending his way, she didn’t appreciate. He decided that it would probably be for the best if he clarified a few things for her.