THEY SET A DATE!
At least Brennanwarned me she’d be in a mood.
And Victoria in a mood is somehow more glorious than a happy Victoria.
When she’s happy, she’s buoyant. Effervescent. There’s magic in that. For me, at least.
Pissed off, however, she makes a storm front circle us.
Her presence is dramatic. Showstopping.
The second we walk through the doors to the gala, I just know the whole room is going to stop and stare at us. Simply because she’ll catch every eye in there like this. Unfortunately for her, I have ways of making her smile…
As I climb into the car, that storm front surges into a wall of ice.
“Drive around Central Park until I order otherwise.” I raise the privacy screen then turn to face her. “Well, don’t you look glorious.”
Her mouth forms a moue.
“I assume you’re not wearing what I picked out to punish me?”
“No. It didn’t set the tone. I’m walking into war.”
“I’ve never known any soldier’s uniform be so enchanting,” I say lightly.
What I picked was sassy—like her. But I can see why she switched it out. This one’s a mermaid-type dress. The skirt more of a tail that flares above the knee. It’s a pure ecru, only offset by sparkling sequins that glimmer in the car’s low lighting.
The sequins aren’t gaudy. They come in many different creams andbeiges, whites interspersed with Champagne-like golden flecks, especially on her chest.
Her tanned skin enhances the foamy sea-green, adding to the ethereal air of her outfit. A corset appears to prop up her breasts—if not that, some fancy dressmaking skills.
The neckline is pure magic.
It’s sheer but also a fabric, not just her skin, and the line of sequins drifts in and out as if there is no beginning or end to the dress and her.
Elbow-length silk gloves and teal pumps complete the outfit.
A harsh truth ricochets around my brain—she’s a princess from a fairy tale.
I’m not sure I deserve to be her prince.
“Cat got your tongue, Maxim?”
I study her for so long that she squirms. I had this planned before Brennan warned me but…
I slide off the back seat and onto one knee.
Her eyes bug as she jerks upright in surprise. “What are you doing?”
“I recognized something in you a long time ago, Victoria. I know our beginnings are unusual, but my soul saw yours and knew it had met its match.
“I will never diminish your fire. I will never cut your wings. And I will always help you fulfill your promise because that’s what you are, Victoria. A promise. Of better. Of more. Of a future. One that I want to share with you. One that I want to share with no other. Will you, Victoria Vasov, be my wife?”
She stares at the ring in my hand for so long that it’s my turn to shuffle on my knee, especially when we go over a damn pothole.
Then, she sniffles. “Set a date, Maxim.”
“Is that a yes?”
