Chompin' at the Bit (Horse Play #2) (43 page)

COMING SOON by A.D. RYAN: Breaking Rein

I had just lifted about three rolled pairs of socks when a tiny, black velvet box tumbled into my line of sight. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I tried to tell myself I was seeing things. Unable to turn my head away, I clenched my eyes shut for a few seconds before opening them and still seeing the box.

“No,” I whispered to myself, dropping the socks I now held in my hand to the floor as I reached for it. The box looked aged, so I tried to tell myself that maybe it was his high school or college grad ring—a totally reasonable explanation for the mystery box I now grasped in my hand, right?

Swallowing thickly, I opened the box with a soft
click
and gasped when the square solitaire diamond stared back at me, it’s thousands of tiny facets glittering in the remaining sunlight that spilled in through the windows.
Nope, definitely not a grad ring.

Unable to stop myself, I lifted the delicate ring from the cushion that held it in place before setting the box down. The white gold band was in pristine condition, leading me to believe that the ring could have been new, but the box was aged as well as the antique looking setting the stone was in. While it was a simple ring and no more than a half-carat in weight upon first glance, the claws that held it in place weren’t entirely modern. Realization hit just then: this was what he was keeping from me on our way back from his parents’ place.

It wasn’t enough to just hold the ring between my fingers, apparently; soon enough, I was sliding the delicate ring down my left ring finger and marveling in just how
right
it felt sitting there. My heartbeat quickened, and I could feel my lips turning up into an excited smile as I stared at the sparkling diamond. While I knew I was worried about what others would think if we got married
now
, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jensen was going to ask me again soon or why he hadn’t tried giving it to me in the last few weeks…

“Front door
,” the alarm panel chimed before I heard the beeping of our code being entered.

“Madison?” Jensen called out. “Baby, I’m home.”

Panicked, I looked from my finger to the bedroom door, and then back to my finger before I realized I had to take the ring off so he wouldn’t find out that I discovered it! I quickly tossed the socks back in his drawer, not worrying about tidying them because I now understood why they were disorderly. Once I had them all picked up, I lifted my hand and pulled gently on the ring…

“Fuck,” I muttered when it didn’t move past my knuckle. How could I have been so stupid? I continued to twist and pull the ring, hoping that I’d be able to get the friggin’ thing off before Jensen reached me.

“Love?” Jensen’s voice was getting closer, so I pulled again to no avail…

I was so screwed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.D. Ryan resides in Edmonton, Alberta with her extremely supportive husband and children (two sons and a stepdaughter). Reading and writing have always been a big part of her life, and she hopes that her books will entertain countless others the way that other authors have done for her. Even as a small child, she enjoyed creating new and interesting characters and molding their worlds around them.

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