“I got it before you were poisoned. Just look at the ring,” he said.
My eyes opened. They were watery before I saw it. More watery afterward.
“You talked to Harper,” I whispered.
“I did.”
I’d always wanted a ring with a black diamond in the center. A spin on the typical diamond engagement ring. Different, but not too different.
“It’s perfect.” I tried to fight the swell of emotion. “I can’t take it.”
“Sure you can.”
“No, Mav, I—” I shoved a hand through my hair. “Do you remember when I asked you about secrets?”
“Of course. You can still keep them, Bloom. I don’t need to know details about your Guild, or your founding families, or even your own family if you don’t feel comfortable sharing them. I get it. I won’t push.”
He thought I was talking about normal vampire secrets.
Shit.
Maverick got down on one knee in front of me, and I swear, my heart cracked.
I was never going to forgive myself for keeping the truth from him.
He was never going to forgive me, either.
But his green eyes were bright, because he had no fucking idea that I was lying to him about Harper and turned vampires and the first murder in his company.
Somehow, I had to interrupt his proposal without hurting him, or outright rejecting him.
“Bloom Sharpe,” he began.
I grabbed his face and kissed him, deeply. The ring box hit the floor, and his hands gripped my ass.
“You don’t want a proposal?” he growled, dragging his mouth down the side of my throat.
“No.” It was the truest thing I’d said all day.
Maverick nipped and bit his way down to my breasts. He scraped his teeth over my nipple through my shirt, and I dug my fingers into his hair. “It was going to be great.”
“I know.”
His mouth met my core, and I effectively avoided any more lying.
But I still felt hollow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
bloom
Maverick leftme on our bed with a light kiss and a playful squeeze to one of my breasts when Harper knocked on the door of his room.Ourroom.
Maybe I needed to remind myself that it washisroom, because we were potentially only a few days away from him wanting to kill me for lying to him.
He pulled the door open. “You brought her laptop?” I could hear the scowl in his voice.
Relief made my shoulders sag.
