Page 65 of Bedazzled
“Yes.”
“I am going to have to give that pushy little bastard a raise,” he murmured. “But I have nothing smooth to say tonight. No brilliant way to propose that would guarantee you would say yes. But I love you. You would have always been the love of my life, but I no longer believed I deserved you after that night. I can promise to love you till the end of my days. Only you. It was always you, my Tania.”
He sucked in a breath, like he was trying to pull together his courage for this. As if he even needed it.
“Will you marry me?”
Crawling off the bed, I settled myself in his lap. “We’re already married, babe.” I ran my fingers through his thick, silky hair.
“The right way,” he said, kissing me tenderly. “The way you deserve.”
“Yes, my gorgeous and lovely husband, I’m saying yes. I only need you, though. Nothing fancy. Just you.”
“Oh,” he said in his stupid tone of false innocence. “Then I will just return this ring to-”
“Don’t you dare!” I gasped, frowning when he burst into laughter.
He slipped it on my finger, the ring with the beautiful yellow diamond. Kissing my knuckles, he lifted my hand up. “It matches your eyes perfectly,” he said with great satisfaction. “I knew it.”
I put my hands on either side of his face, kissing him and trying to pour all my feelings into the movement of my lips against his. “I love you too, my beautiful, bedazzled man. I’ll love you forever.”
Ella and I stood on the huge stone steps in the front of the mansion, watching our men drive away in a limo bristling with bodyguards, more in an SUV in front of them, and two more cars making up the rear of the caravan to the airport.
Yuri had kissed me deeply, cradling my face in his big, rough hands. “Give me one of my favorite smiles,” he said.
“Which one?” I sniffled.
“Your brave, take no prisoners smile,” he said, so kindly.
“This one?” I straightened up, smiling at him radiantly, trying to look like a stone-cold, hardcore Bratva bride.
His grin illuminated me, making me feel powerful and beloved. “That’s the one.”
As if on cue, as the cars turned the corner of the boulevard and out of sight, I started sobbing. A look over at Ella told me she wasn’t much better.
“C’mon,” she put her arm over my shoulders. “Let’s go in and find the most fattening thing in Anya’s fridge and eat it all.”
Chapter Twenty-One
In which O’Rourke claims his favor.
Tania…
My phone rang a couple of hours after Yuri left and my hand shook when I saw the number on my screen.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Tania dear. How are you?”
I sucked in a silent breath. “Nolan O’Rourke. You just checking in? Want to chat? Exchange some recipes? Girl talk?”
He chuckled delightedly as if I was just the cutest thing ever. “It’s time.”
“Time?” I echoed stupidly.
“I’m calling in my favor.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, proud that I kept my voice steady.
