Page 79 of Ruled By Wizard

“I have seen too many close friends die from overestimating themselves; I hated to see her step in the trap where her military career could have gone down the drain due to a screw-up. Not only had she put herself in danger a couple of times, she also endangered the team. I hated to go to my supervisor, but I felt I had to.”

“You loved her.”

“I thought I did.”

Wizard heard her give a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Life sucks sometimes.”

He couldn’t agree more. “Yes, it does.”

Natalia leaned her hip against the motorcycle. “Are you like Rocco or me where marriage is concerned?”

“A little of both. Having a child of my own doesn’t matter to me. If it happens, it happens. If not, I won’t be torn up about it. I plan to adopt at least two, hopefully more, depending on how many the woman I marry wants.”

Slinging his leg over the motorcycle, he opened his saddlebag and took out two beers. “Want one?”

At her nod, he opened a can and gave it to her before opening his own.

“Thanks. Any clue who’s the lucky woman?” she joked.

Wizard stared her dead in the eyes. “I’m looking at her.”

CHAPTER 32

THE DEVIL’S RACE

Choking on the sip of beer she had taken, Natalia needed a couple of hard thumps from Wizard on her back before she could breathe again.

“That wasn’t funny,” she managed to gasp out.

“I wasn’t joking.”

The deadly seriousness on his face left her searching for something to say. “You don’t know me well enough to want to marry me.”

“I know you’re a hard worker, but you make time for those you care about. You want kids; I want kids. We can have as many as your little heart desires. If you want to stay home with the children, I can support us. I’m in good physical shape, and from the way you took Buck down, you are, too.”

She gaped at Wizard as he recited his reasons without pause, as if he had already made a mental checklist.

“The way we fucked this morning showed we’re sexually compatible.”

Natalia narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you know I feel the same way? Maybe it wasn’t so great for me.”

Wizard gave her a confident grin. “Baby, a SWAT team could have blasted their way in my bedroom, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

Rubbing her palm against her jeans instead of smacking him, she pushed away from his motorcycle. “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.”

His confident grin turned determined. “I am the last man where you’re concerned.”

The way he said it shook her to her core.

“I’m not going to marry you,” she reiterated.

“Not today, but maybe someday.” Wizard shrugged. “Give it time. You will change your mind.” He was unfazed by her refusal.

Technically, the more she thought about it, he hadn’t given her a real proposal.

“By the way, that’s a terrible way to propose.” Huffily, she took a sip of her beer, careful not to choke on the cold liquid.