The Heart Series: Complete Boxed Set (61 page)

He sat up slowly, the tent in his shorts had finally subsided. I handed him the plate, with a bowl of fruit salad to follow afterwards. Ruby sat nibbling on her dog treats while Joel devoured every single crumb. Even eating half of mine as my appetite slowly waned with the hot temperature. I was more in need of liquid relief and was grateful for the chilled water stood in the cooler.

After putting some sun cream on my back, he and Ruby headed off for a wander, as I flopped down on the blanket to get stuck into one of my books.

Less than a chapter in, I began to hear a buzz of chatter not far from me. Of course a shirtless Joel and Ruby soon pulled in a crowd. A hot, tattooed guy with a cute puppy was always asking for trouble. Ruby was busy scampering around the edge of the tide, barking at Joel who was strolling in the water. Joel laughed and splashed her playfully, but it only succeeded in scaring her more. She wanted to join him, but the cold water was not very appetising to her.

Joel eventually relented and picked her up, where upon she covered him in kisses in reward for saving her. She was a girl after my own heart, no way was I going near the cold water. I shivered just at the thought of it.

A group of girls soon congregated around them both. I turned around, focusing on my book. I didn’t want Joel catching me staring.

“Aww, she is so cute. What’s her name?” I heard one girl chirp.

“This little lady is Ruby.” There was a mixture of awws and I smiled, no doubt Ruby would be soaking up the attention. Elijah would be so proud.

“Hey Ruby, you are so cute I want to take you home with me.”

Not a chance in hell.

“So I’m Kelly,” I heard one girl purr. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Joel.” I knew he’d be smiling without looking, he always turned on the instant charm, he just couldn’t help it.

“Joel—that’s a cute name.”

Oh purlease.

“You have some amazing tattoos. I could just look at them all day.”

And the rest.

Keep your paws off!

“Thanks, I’m thinking of getting another one soon that is really personal to me.”

My ears quirked up at that remark.

My name?

Now that would be very sexy.

“Oh yeah, tell us more.”

“No sorry, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

My lips curled up at the corners, he knew I’d be listening, despite my best attempts to pretend I was reading.

“Awww, not even a hint?” she whined.

God, this chick was annoying.

“Nope sorry, my lips are sealed.”

“Well, they are very nice lips.”

Oh dear god, she didn’t miss a beat.

“Thanks, my girlfriend does enjoy kissing them.”

Take that bitch.

I was smiling hard and Joel knew it, despite the fact my back was facing him.

“I was going to invite you to a party tonight. Maybe your girlfriend can watch Ruby?”

The fucking cheek!

My fingers tightened around the book in rage, my heart picked up its beat.

“Nah, why would I want to be at a dull party when I could be having great sex with my girlfriend, speaking of which, I’d better get back to her. Later, ladies.”

Oh. Fucking. My.

Joel just scored the jackpot, after that response I would be giving him a night to remember.

I giggled when Ruby licked my cheek to say hello. I pulled her into a hug, softly tickling her belly as she stretched out on the blanket.

Joel shot me a look, probably slightly unnerved by all the attention he had just received. I sat up and poured some water into a bowl. Ruby happily lapped it up and gave my nose a playful lick as a thank you. She soon snuggled down on the blanket, ready for a much deserved nap.

Joel leaned over kissing my shoulder, slightly sucking on my skin before pulling away. I shivered slightly, those lips had a way of distracting me, but I wanted to have a little fun first.

“Did you enjoy your little fan parade?” I asked with a smile.

He looked at me a little uncertain like he was waiting for me to snap. I should have put him out of his misery, but I was enjoying myself way too much.

“They all just wanted to pet Ruby,” he offered as some kind of explanation.

Yeah, right.

She was part of the attraction, but the hunger that was present in their eyes was down to the hot, ripped tattooed guy, barely inches away from them.

“You do know you were the main attraction,” I remarked, watching him squirm at my words.

“Iz, it was nothing,” he blew out, but I was not ready to drop it just yet.

“Oh I’m sure they all enjoyed themselves.” There was a sting of jealousy in my words, despite my teasing I knew it would never fully go away.

“Seriously?”

I rolled him over, quickly straddling him, pinning his arms above his head. I loved him like this, at my mercy. His breath tickled my face as I nibbled on his jaw, slowly making my way to his lips. “It’s okay, baby, I’m only messing. I am going to reward you tonight.”

“Tonight, what do you have planned?” His face instantly lit up, looking intrigued.

“Ahh, now that would be for me to know and you to find out.” I winked as a smile spread across my face.

Oh, I loved teasing him.

“Well I’m looking forward to it, whatever it is, sure you can’t give me a hint?”

I ground my body into him, hearing a soft moan leave him, he was now beginning to stir. “I think we would get arrested if I showed you,” I breathed.

“Fuck, Iz.” I guess he was no longer enjoying my sweet torture, only seconds away from flipping me over, taking me right there and then in the middle of the beach. At that moment I would have let him, but we had to tone it down.

“You’ll just have to be more patient,” I teased.

He frowned at my words. “That’s a little hard to do when you’re grinding your sexy little body on top of me,” he complained, and I smiled at his disgruntled face.

“Are you going to tell me about the tattoo?”

“Ahh, so you did hear, I knew you would be listening.” He laughed, and I slapped his chest.

“Not even a hint?” I pouted, trying to get him to relent and tell me all.

“Nope,” he replied, looking smug.

“Oh, you are so cruel.” I hate that he was resisting my charms.

“Hey, you’re the one torturing me, remember?”

“Is it . . . well is the tattoo to do with me?” I looked away hesitantly.

Oh god, what if wasn’t?

I’d just made myself look like a right fool.

His fingers turned my chin so my eyes looked into his. “Hey, of course it is. Why else would it be really personal to me? I want you marked on my body.”

“Really?” I whispered. A shiver ran through me just thinking about my name upon his skin.

“Of course, you’re mine forever so I want it there next to my heart.”

My eyes dropped down to the virgin clean skin, which remained tattoo free. I smiled thinking of how my name would be placed beside the most precious thing to me. I pressed my lips against it before lowering my cheek, resting against it, hearing his heart beat my name.

His fingers curled into my hair, his nails softly grazed along my scalp, it felt so comforting. “I’m sorry about those girls, they were just joking.”

“It’s fine, Joel.” I manoeuvred myself up onto my elbows to look in his eyes.

“So you’re not jealous, I know that one girl was kind of pushing it.”

Yep, she was definitely pushing her luck.

“Nope, it’s fine,” I lied, not wanting to continue talking about it.

“Seriously? I had visions of you leaping up and drowning her in the sea.”

Trust me, the thought had crossed my mind.

“Would you like me to be jealous?” I asked, feeling confused. He’d asked me to try to rein it in on several occasions, so this was all new to me, trying a more adult approach.

He frowned at my words. “No . . . but.”

“The reason I don’t get jealous is I know you’re mine, that heart belongs to me and no matter whoever tries to catch your eye, I know you’ll only ever have eyes for me. It’s my bed you’ll be sleeping in every night.”

“Damn straight,” he said with a smile.

I leaned over him so my lips were hovering over his. “Now shut up and kiss me already.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” His lips brushed up against mine, and we soon fell into a perfect kiss.

The next few days had flown by, and we had exhausted ourselves seeing the sights of Cornwall. Ruby had been paid a lot of attention, which she clearly enjoyed. She reminded me of Elijah in that way. As promised we had Skyped every night. Ruby had sat in front of the laptop hearing Elijah regale how much he loved and missed her, while Joel and I sat with muffled laughter on the sofa. We had sent lots of pictures of Ruby enjoying the beach in various poses. One of them was of her wearing a cute, little sun hat and glasses. It was currently my screensaver on my phone. Ruby hadn’t been impressed quickly pawing them off in disgust, she preferred the more natural look.

Deciding to spend the last few days at the beach, we set up on the sand, and I made sure both Ruby and Joel were tended to before they made their way off to play catch. Ruby was now getting used to the sea, managing to wander slowly into the shallow end to cool off in between. She would scamper over every now and then for a quick drink and to give me a hello lick as I lazed there reading my Kindle. It was complete bliss. They soon returned when their stomachs told them it was time to eat. I quickly plated up the sandwiches and salad and filled Ruby’s bowl with pieces of fresh meat. Joel quickly made his way through his baguette, so I threw him an apple to keep him occupied.

After finishing her food Ruby nestled down on the blanket on her back, her legs in the air as an open invite for one of us to scratch her belly. Joel chuckled as he lay down beside her and willingly obliged.

They were like peas in a pod, and it warmed my heart to see within a matter of weeks just how close they were. I could see their bond grow stronger with each day that passed. The love that was expressed in Joel’s eyes told me that despite his reservations, he was more than capable of being the best dad when our children finally came along.

“Do you like that, Rubes?” Joel chuckled as she barked in reply.

Joel leaned in to kiss her head softly as she fell into a contented sleep. I smiled looking over at Joel as he turned his head to look at me. “Good book?” he asked, nodding to my Kindle.

“Oh, just having a re-read.”

“So what BB is it today?”

“Travis.”

“What the Travis?”

“Yep.”

He huffed, closing his eyes, his response made me frown so I clicked off my Kindle and shuffled over to nuzzle into his side.

“Don’t worry, baby, you are my real life book boyfriend.”

“Really?” he asked, poking open an eye.

“Absolutely, I have the best of both worlds, and my real life BB is so damn hot.”

“So you like what you see, baby?”

“I more than like.” My fingers trailed down his stomach as my hand slowly made its way lower well, until Joel grabbed my wrist.

“Iz, as much as I hate to say this, we’ve got to keep this PG right now, we are in the middle of the beach.”

I pouted my disapproval. “Well you shouldn’t get a girl all hot and bothered flashing those abs, it’s enough to send me into complete meltdown.”

“What about you in that bikini? I’ve had to sit and recite past football players to stop myself getting hard and diving on you.

“Really? So what happens when I do this?” I deliberately rolled on top of him, grinding my hips into his groin, grinning when he let out a soft moan.

“Oh, you little minx.” I could see his eyes darken, and I took great delight in the hold I had over him.

“Something up, Joel?” I sniggered, feeling him slowly rising underneath the material.

“Dear lord, are you trying to torture me?”

“Maybe,” I breathed, bending down to slowly run my tongue along his jaw. He pulled me into a deep kiss before depositing me back onto the blanket. He leapt up and marched off leaving me stunned.

“Where are you going?” I shouted after him.

“For a cold swim,” he shouted back.

I giggled as I lay back down, grabbing my Kindle. He would definitely pay me back later, and I would enjoy every minute of it.

* * *

As the hours wore on Ruby began to get more restless after Joel had entertained her for a while, so I decided to take her for a long walk. I left Joel to read the sports section of the day’s paper in peace. He’d told me to bring some ice-cream back which was no shocker, food was never far from his thoughts. So armed with a bottle of water and Ruby happily scampering along, we set off on our own little adventure.

The hour rolled by and after chasing seagulls, scampering on rocks and chasing me with seaweed, we were more than ready to make our way back. Joel texted me to ask our whereabouts and when I’d be back with the ice cream. Patience wasn’t his strong point.

I quickly shot him a text back and picked up the ice cream, making sure I got his favourite flavour. As we got nearer I released Ruby off her lead, and she bounded towards him. He took her in his arms, giving her a huge hug, but he remained kneeling on the sand. I looked at him in complete bewilderment, I could see he was clutching onto something in his hand and a look of fear crossed his face as his eyes stared deep into mine.

“Joel?” I asked, feeling slightly anxious. The ice cream was beginning to trickle down my hand but my sole concentration was only on him.

Why did he look so nervous?

“Iz,” he said then drifted off, his eyes dropping down to the sand, mine followed too, and I gasped when my eyes flicked over the words that were written there in front of me. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I dropped down to my knees as Joel shuffled forward, quickly grabbing both hands.

“There are so many ways I could have asked you, and I thought about going all out but that isn’t us. I wanted something simple, something significant to us. I wanted to surprise you, and I know I said I’d wait, but when you know you know. I can’t imagine a single moment without you by my side. You are my life. I need you like I need my last breath. You own my heart, and I’ll never love, want, or need anyone else. You are as good as it gets. I know we’re young, but this feels so right. I want it to be official, to shout it from the rooftops that you are mine. I love you with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life always with you by my side, through good times and bad. I want to make you smile and never give you a moment of hesitation that you ever made the wrong choice. Iz . . . will you marry me?”

A sob broke free, and I lunged forward into his arms, my body curled tight around his as I clung on to him like my life depended on it.

His fingers softly trailed up and down my back as he soothed me. “Iz, you haven’t given me an answer yet, baby.”

I pulled away to find his eyes searching mine. He already knew my answer, but for his own sake he needed me to confirm it out loud. I cupped his face, staring deep into the beautiful blue that had bewitched me all those years ago. I knew for as long as my heart stayed beating it would only ever be for him. He owned every part of me, and I would never love anyone else.

“Yes,” I whispered in between sobs. “It’s only ever been you. Joel, it will only ever be you.”

His lips crashed against mine, and I gasped at the intensity till he pulled away leaving us both panting. He gripped my hand, removing the ring from the box. It was a sweet, elegant ring. The stone was classically cut and modest in size, but to me it meant the world. I wasn’t someone that wore fancy jewellery, always preferring more simplistic pieces, and it made me smile that he had taken that into consideration. When he slipped it on, I stared at my finger and sighed.

“It’s perfect.”

“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly.

“I love it with all my heart and everything it represents.” My hand slid up his face, and I pulled him in for a sweet, soft kiss.

“Just you, me and Rubes, Iz,” he whispered between kisses.

That’s all I ever needed.

Ruby began climbing up Joel, and we moved away laughing. He lifted her up and kissed her head. “It’s okay, Rubes, we haven’t forgotten about you, and you did a great job of keeping quiet.”

“And eating the ice cream.” I laughed, looking over to the tiny remains of cornet that was left on the sand.

Joel stood up, pulling me up into a kiss. “Thank you for agreeing to be mine.”

“I was never anyone else’s.”

He placed a gentle kiss on both rings. “When we get home and get Ruby settled, I don’t want to see you wearing anything else but my rings.”

“That can be arranged.” I shot him a wink as we quickly gathered up all of our belongings, Joel more eager than ever. I smiled as we made our way down the beach, tonight would be the icing on the cake.

* * *

“I think you’ve worn me out,” I said laughing as I fell forward landing on Joel’s slick chest. We were both panting hard after spending the last hour celebrating our engagement.

“Errr, I think you may have broken me,” Joel replied and I laughed, swivelling my hips, feeling him stir a little.

“No, I think you’re fine.”

I sat up and trailed my finger along his soft lips, his eyes watching me closely. He took hold of my hand and kissed the rings. I smiled shyly, not able to comprehend that I would soon be Izzy Sinclair.

“I love you naked wearing just my rings,” Joel whispered.

“Mmm me too, I could stare at you all day.”

I literally could, not one minute would be wasted.

“Really, what part do you like best?” I swivelled my hips again, and he rolled me over laughing. “Dirty girl.” He chuckled, and I felt him twitch again.

Not again, surely?

“I love every inch of you but for me, it is your eyes. From the moment I looked into them, I was transfixed. They are like pure sapphires, so beautiful. In them, I see the man I love, the man I want to spend forever with. I see your beautiful soul, and I know that even after a lifetime of being together, my heart will always skip a beat in your very presence.”

“Wow,” he whispered, “and I thought you were a cock man.”

“Joel,” I squealed, turning him back over as he chuckled. “Yeah, you know I love that too,” I admitted cheekily, raising an eyebrow. “But there is so much more than that. I love the parts people don’t see, I love your heart.” I kissed the very spot as he took in a breath. My face resting against the precious beat.

“So when do you fancy marrying me, is tomorrow too soon?”

“Erm, kind of,” I replied sarcastically, raising myself up onto my elbows.

“But I want you as my wife now.” He pouted.

“Patience is a virtue,” I said winking. “Besides I haven’t dropped the bombshell yet.”

“What bombshell?” he said, automatically sitting up and taking me with him so we were sat nose to nose.

“Well . . .”

“Just say it, Iz.” His eyes pleaded with mine.

“I . . .” I trailed off unable to speak the words.

“What, Izzy? You’re scaring me.”

My eyes dropped down to his chest, too scared to face the reaction I knew was imminent. “I kind of promised that Elijah could be our wedding planner.”

Joel’s eyes widened in horror. “No way.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“No bloody way.”

“Joel, he offered. I couldn’t exactly say no. I didn’t know you’d propose so soon, I thought in time he’d forget.”

He snorted. “There’s no chance of that.”

“It will be fine.”

“Pffttt, we know the reality of this, have we not been put through enough torture?”

“It will be me that will take the brunt of it. The groom hardly does anything, so think yourself lucky, imagine the drama over the dress. Oh god, please let us elope to Vegas, quick and easy.”

“I could book tickets?” Joel asked, looking hopeful.

“We can’t, it would break his heart.”

“Stuff him, if we want to go then we will.”

I pouted at his response. “But I want a real wedding though, nothing big and glamorous, but not one where we’re married by an Elvis lookalike in the room.”

“You’re right, I guess.” Joel sighed in defeat.

“Thank you, baby.” I kissed him softly, just grateful he was backing down so soon.

“I’m only doing it for you, you know that right? When he starts winding me up, then you owe me sexually.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

Joel grinned at my reaction. “You have to make it up to me with sexual favours; it’s the only way I’ll make it through.”

“And what about me?” I huffed.

“Oh I’ll more than see to it that you’re satisfied too.”

I instantly smiled at his response. “You know it might not be so bad.”

“Yeah, baby, it’s Elijah, we already know it’s bad.”

I frowned at that exact thought. “True, speaking of which.” I grabbed my mobile and smiled when his name instantly flashed up on the screen. “Hey, Elijah.”

“Izzy, are you okay? I just had a shiver, and it felt like I needed to call you. I have this psychic sense at times and it told me to get in touch.”