His Curvy Bride - Nichole Rose Page 0,28

away, but I don't let her go. Instead, I press her hand against my crotch. "Even when your hair is a mess and your eyes are swollen and your little nose is red, you do this to me. You're perfect, angel. So fucking perfect."

"You said you wanted me out of your life," she whispers. Her eyes meet mine, the sadness in them stealing my breath.

"I wasn't talking about you, angel." I drop to my knees beside the bed and then reach up and wrap my hands around her waist, pulling her down with me. She's rigid in my arms, resisting the urge to melt against me. "I'm so fucking in love with you, Cami Porter. The thought of not having you in my life terrifies the hell out of me."

"I heard you today, Bentley. You were mean."

"You did hear me say a lot of mean shit today," I agree, giving her that because I was a dick, even if she did misunderstand who it was directed at. "But I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Mara."

"Mara?"

"The bi…chick I fired yesterday," I explain, watching the way her gaze roves across my face. Despite her doubt, hope still lights those gorgeous eyes. "She came by the studio this morning, talking shit. It pissed me off."

"Talking shit?"

"About you."

"Oh." She curls in on herself, her gaze dropping from mine.

"I'm in love with you, little dove," I whisper, tilting her face up until she meets my gaze again. "I think I fell for you when you offered to bring me books in rehab. You're so damn sweet. It pissed me off that she was being nasty just because she's jealous. I didn't want her saying any of that shit to you, so I told Soren to pay her to get her the hell out of my life. You've been hurt enough by people like her. I didn't want her anger at me to hurt you too."

Instead, I hurt her myself. She's so damn soft-hearted and gentle. I'm going to have to learn to control my temper and my mouth. I hate seeing the disappointment in her eyes and written on her face.

"She called me fat," she guesses.

"You're not fat," I growl. "I don't give a fuck what those assholes you grew up around told you, angel. You're fucking perfect. Your curves are sexy as hell. You're sexy as hell, and so damn good. It kills me that you don't know that too."

"I know I'm not fat. I may be bigger, but my weight doesn't define me." She frowns at me, her brow furrowing. "But other people still think that about me, Bentley. Are you going to get mad at all of them when they say it? Because they will say it. If we're together, they're probably going to say it a lot. They'll wonder why a guy like you is with someone like me. They won't be nice about it."

"Fuck them," I snarl, unable to help myself. "If they think that, they're assholes. And I don't care what anyone has to say. Their opinions have never mattered to me. Your opinion matters, little dove."

"If you want to be a star, you can't call everyone who says something nasty about me a bitch, Bentley."

"The hell I can't. I'm not a yes man, angel. I never have been, and I never will be. If that's what people want, they're going to be sorely mistaken. And if they think they're going to talk crap about my wife without me calling them out for it, they've got another thing coming." I drop down onto my ass, pulling her into my lap. "I don't need their approval, little dove."

"Your wife?" Her eyes get big.

"Yeah, angel," I growl. "I love you. I want you forever."

"You really mean it, don't you?" she asks, her voice small, but so full of hope.

"More than I've ever meant anything," I whisper and then rise to my feet to set her on the edge of the bed again. Once she's seated, I reach into my pocket and pull out my mom's ring…the pitstop I had to make on the way here. I drop to my knees beside the bed again, holding the diamond ring in my palm. It's nothing fancy. It's a solitaire diamond on an elegant gold band, but it's perfect for my little dove.

"Bentley," she whispers, her eyes wide and watery again.

"This was my mom's wedding ring. It's been in my family for a long time. I thought about burying her with