Page 30 of The Hitman’s Obsession

“I’ll come with you—”

“No,” he says sharply. “You stay here. I’ll be back in a second.”

All I can do is nod and watch as he walks to the door, favoring his right foot. I dug all the glass out and bandaged them both up, but that was the foot he stomped on back at the cabin. It must be killing him.

Still, he shows no signs of pain. It’s hard to even picture him doing so. What I can picture is him taking on an entire army of guys sent to kill me, beating every one of them, and walking away from it all without even a trip to the hospital. I can picture him climbing Mount Everest without gear, becoming the world UFC champion, lifting an entire car by himself.

I’m all warm and fuzzy inside. Geez, I’m slipping back into fantasy land now. Turning Roman into one of the men from my books.

And while he may be just like many of them, and while he was able to give me what I thought no man ever could, Roman isn’t a fantasy.

He’s real. And I belong to him.

For some reason, knowing he’s outside and alone with my dad makes me uneasy. Is he scolding him for going into two million dollars’ worth of debt? For putting me in danger? Are they going to end up in a fist fight?

I take a deep breath. No, that’s just silly. I need to settle down and stop overthinking things.

So I go back to the bed and remake it. There’s really no point. It’s completely fine. I just need something to do to keep my mind off things.

I can hear their voices through the thin motel walls, but it’s impossible to make out what they’re saying. It doesn’t sound like an argument, though. In fact, it sounds like a very civil conversation.

God, that would be nice. Roman and my dad getting along.

Is there even hope for our relationship? It’s been in shambles for a while now, but maybe a dramatic event like this is enough to wake Dad up and make him re-examine the way he’s been living.

I’m putting the pillowcase back on the second pillow when Roman comes back inside.

“Everything okay?” I ask. But he doesn’t answer. He has his gray duffle in his hand, carries it over to the mini-kitchen area, kneels down, and pulls something out of it. It’s so small I can’t see what it is.

When he looks up at me, there’s a gleam in his eyes I’ve never seen before, and my chest instantly tightens. My heartrate goes through the roof.

What is happening?

Roman limps across the room to me. Somehow, he looks bigger than ever. The bandage on his shoulder makes him even sexier than he normally is, and the way he’s staring at me has me unable to move. I’m pinned in place, stuck where I am until he stops two steps in front of me.

His chest rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. A thought crosses my mind, but I push it aside.

No way. That can’t be happening. Not now.

But then, it’s like the whole Earth shifts beneath my feet as Roman gets down on one knee before me.

I gasp and cover my mouth with my hands as he raises his hand and presents me the ring. It’s a simple and utterly beautiful engagement ring. One medium diamond on a gold band, flanked by two smaller stones.

“Annie Stephanie Mercer. You are the love of my life. The only person to ever understand me. Ever since I met you, I’m a changed man. I can’t picture a future without you. You saved me. Not just my life but my soul. You brought back to life pieces of me I thought were dead.” Tears well up in my eyes. I clutch my chest as my legs start to tremble. “I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, protecting you, making you happy…and fulfilling every one of your wild sexual fantasies.”

A laugh chokes its way out of my lips as the tears spill from my eyes.

“Annie, will you marry me?”

The answer is so obvious I don’t even have to think twice.

“Yes!” I blurt out. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

My legs are turning into spaghetti as I extend my hand. He takes it in his and gently slides the ring onto my finger. It’s perfect.

I fall into Roman’s arms. My fiancé’s arms. Wow, just acknowledging that in my own mind sends another wave of joy rushing through me. We kiss, but a kiss on the lips isn’t enough. I kiss him all over his muscled body. I don’t even know what to do with the passion and excitement taking me over.

Finally, I just slump forward against him. I stare down at the diamond on my finger. It’s almost too much to believe.