"That rat bastard," she muttered, twisting the cap off her beer and taking a small sip.

"Yes, he is," Tristan agreed with a grin as he yanked off his shirt and revealed an incredible chest, but that's not what had Marty hungrily licking her lips. It was that smile of his, that bad boy-relaxed-make-her-blood-boil smile of his. He didn't smile nearly enough, but she was glad that the stressed expression that he wore earlier was gone. As she watched him remove his pants, she couldn't help but wonder if that smile was because of her.

"We won't have to worry about anyone bothering us for a while," Tristan murmured absently as he moved to place his pants on the counter, but after a slight hesitation and a nervous look, he placed his pants on the floor by the tub. It was a little odd, but nothing worth mentioning.

"Why?" she asked, wondering if he truly knew his mother at all. If Beth was determined to come over here, then she was damn well going to-

"They'll be busy for a while helping Denny," Tristan said offhandedly as he pulled his underwear down and raised the temperature of the room by a good ten degrees.

"What happened to Denny?" she somehow managed to ask as her eyes ate up every last inch of him.  The man truly was magnificent. She wanted to run her hands over his muscles, kiss his scars better and trace his tattoos with her tongue.

"A freak accident," Tristan said, sounding unconcerned as he grabbed his beer and walked over to the bathtub. With a smile, he took a sip of his beer as he gestured lazily for her to move forward.

"Is he okay?" she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she moved forward, noticing for the first time that the water was barely lukewarm. Just how long had she dozed off for? she wondered when Tristan climbed in behind her and hissed as he sat down.

"I guess I was gone longer than I thought," Tristan said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her back against him.

"You were gone?" she asked, carefully setting her beer on the side of the tub.

"Mmmhmm," he said, taking a sip of his beer as she enjoyed the feel of him against her back. She could lay in his arms forever.

"Did they call you to help Denny?" she asked, placing her arms over his where it rested across her stomach.

He chuckled as he pressed as a kiss against her neck. "No, his unfortunate accident happened while I was over there getting something out of my old room," he explained.

"You left to get something out of your old room?" she asked, hoping that she didn't sound as hurt as she felt.

"I only left to get something for you, baby. I would have been quicker, but Denny saw me sneak inside the house and decided to try and sell my ass down the river to distract Mom."

As curious as she was about what he had for her, she was even more curious about Denny. "Tristan?"

"Hmm?" he asked, placing his beer on the side of the tub next to hers before reaching down for his pants.

"What happened to Denny?"

"Nothing important," Tristan murmured as he searched around for something. "He just suddenly found himself tied up."

"Tied up?" she asked, feeling her lips twitch as she leaned her head back and to the side so that she could look up at him.

"Well, maybe handcuffed and hanging out the window would be a better description," he said, planting a quick kiss against her lips before shifting to look over the side of the tub to see what he was doing.

She laughed as she turned in his arms so that she could lay her head against his chest, careful of his shoulder. "Please tell me that you didn't really do that to poor Denny."

"Had to," he mumbled as he continued his search.

"And why is that?"

"Because," he said, turning his attention back to her as he picked up her left hand and slid something on her finger, "he was keeping me from you and I didn't want to spend one more minute on this earth without you, Marty. Marry me?"

For a moment she could only stare at the beautiful diamond ring on her finger. It took her a second before she could remember where she’d seen this ring before. It was the ring his grandmother left him when he was fifteen. She'd been a child the last time she saw it, but she'd dreamed of wearing it one day and now she was.

"I know that I've screwed up in the past and that I'm probably rushing this, Marty, but I just can't stomach the idea of going one more day without making you mine," he said as he entwined their fingers together. "Please give me a chance."

This was insane, she told herself as she looked down at the ring on her finger. They hadn't dated and they'd only been together for a day, two tops, but what was even crazier was the fact that she wanted to say yes, more like scream it. He couldn't be serious, she thought as she looked up and met his eyes and just like that she knew that he was dead serious and she was lost.

"I don't want to waste another minute, Marty," he said softly as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. "Say yes."

"Are you still going to be an ass**le?" she asked, desperately trying to buy some time to think clearly.

"Yes," he said with absolutely no hesitation, "but you can kick my ass if I step out of line."

"Marriage is forever," she stupidly pointed out as she felt something close to panic claw at her chest.

"And that's how long I plan on loving you, Marty," he said as he leaned in and kissed her.

“B-but I haven’t even told you that I love you yet!”

He chuckled as he brushed his lips against hers. “I don’t need to hear it.”

“Damn you’re cocky,” she sighed against his lips, loving the way his lips felt against hers as they curled up.

“Yes, but you love me anyway.”

With a soft groan, she admitted it. “I do love you, Tristan, even if you piss me off.”

“Then that’s all that matters, Marty,” he said before deepening the kiss.

There was so much that they needed to talk about, so much that she didn't know about this man.  Her parents had rushed into marriage and the results had been disastrous. They'd barely known each other and only found out too late that they had nothing in common and no future. She didn't want that and she sure as hell didn't want the man that she loved hating her one day.

Saying yes to him would be foolish and she was not a foolish person.

Chapter 24
One month later.......

"I really don't see why yer so angry," Shayne mused as he leaned back in the overstuffed recliner that he’d demanded Tristan buy for him so that he could watch Gilligan's Island in comfort.

Breathe in. Breathe out, Tristan told himself as he clenched and unclenched his hands, struggling against the urge to strangle his friend.

"It's hardly my fault that Marty is pissed at ye, lad," Shayne pointed out with a shrug as he focused on some lame ass 80's monster movie.

"She's. Not. Pissed. At. Me," Tristan bit out through clenched teeth.

Shayne sighed heavily as he shook his head, shooting Tristan a pitying look. "Lad, when are ye gonna learn that when a woman is screaming at ye that yer in deep shit?"

He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath before he answered, truly afraid that he'd do something that he'd regret....eventually.