Taken by Storm (Give & Take) - By Kelli Maine Page 0,83
a minute.”
MJ held her hand and they walked out the grand, double front doors onto the wide covered porch with huge white columns running up to the roof. She walked down the brick front steps beside him into the bright afternoon sunlight.
The grass was emerald green, the sky a bright autumn blue. It was her favorite season. They walked down the front path. The breeze blew her hair. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
He looked back over his shoulder at the house and stopped. “Right here. Turn around.”
She spun and took in the tall, sprawling white house. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe it’s yours.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He took her hands and faced her. “When I look at this house, standing right in this spot, do you know what I see?”
“What?”
“I see you in a big, white dress. You’re standing right here with your dad. I’m at the bottom of the stairs waiting for you.”
Her eyes prickled with tears. He smiled and brushed her hair back over her shoulder.
“Music starts to play—not Beck unless he gets a lot better by then—and your dad escorts you down the front walkway. When the two of you reach where I’m standing, he places your hand in mine.”
Maddie couldn’t hold her tears back. They flowed freely down over her cheeks.
“Mads, I want this to be our home. Not a business. I want to bring our five kids home from the hospital here. I want to have holidays here. I want to get old with you here.”
He knelt down and took her hand. “This is not a proposal. Not yet. The next time I go down on one knee it will be.” He took a silver ring out of his pocket and held it up to show her. A tiny, antique heart shaped lock and key were mounted on the filigree ring. It took Maddie’s breath away.
“I’m asking for your heart,” he said, “before I ask for your hand.”
Maddie fell to her knees in front of him. “My heart could only be more yours if I took it out of my chest and handed it to you. I would love to make this a home with you MJ. You’ve always been my home.”
He held her hand and slid the ring in place on her finger. Then he kissed her, the promise between them strong and solid.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author of Taken and its sequel, No Takebacks, Kelli Maine watches entirely too much reality TV, which led to her compulsion to write dramatic romance novels. Blessed with a unique ability to bond with difficult people, she’s convinced she could win Big Brother. Her deathly fear of heights would keep her from completing half of the detours on The Amazing Race, and she’s shocked nobody has ever penned The Survivor Diet Plan: Eat One Cup of Rice for Thirty-Nine Days and Lose Fifty Pounds!
Kelli lives in northeast Ohio with her family and a crazy cat that broke into their attic and refused to leave. Kelli loves hearing from fans and giving away Taken swag on her blog, www.kellimaine.blogspot.com.
You can learn more at: Twitter @KelliMaine
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Turn this page for a preview of
Taken,
the first in Kelli Maine’s
Give & Take series.
One
Three months later…
The club is packed. Bodies grind together on the dance floor. There’s barely room to move. You catch my eye.
You’re alone.
Bass pounds through my body, rushes from my head to my toes, takes the same path your eyes follow. Your dark-eyed stare is flutter-soft on my skin. It raises goose bumps. Makes me flush. My vodka and cranberry-soaked blood runs hot with need.
You smile. Dimples pierce your cheeks. Your eyes flash. I can’t resist.
“Rach!” Shannon grabs my arm. She’s sweaty from dancing and pulls her blond hair up off her shoulders. “I’m going.” She tilts her head toward Shawn or Shane or Seth—I’m not sure—the guy she met two hours ago.
“How am I supposed to get home?” She drove.
Shannon shoves her car keys in my hand. “See you in the morning.” She winks and pushes back through the crowd toward the guy whose name starts with an S.
When I turn from watching Shannon go, you’re standing right in front of me. “Hi,” you say. Familiarity strikes, but I don’t think I’d ever forget meeting you.
“Hi.” I fall into your dark eyes and can’t get out. They’re serious and focused on mine. Looking away would be a crime.
You run a hand through your wavy black-brown hair. Are you nervous? I can’t tell.