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I harrumphed in protest. “There’s no way you’re going to see another woman undressing. Anyway, that’s creepy.”
“Not a problem because I have the perfect solution,” he replied with a suspiciously wide smile on his face. “You’ll move next door to Cat.”
Something niggled at the back of my mind, triggered by something he’d mentioned about Alex. Pushing off him so that I could look him in the eye, I asked, “What did you mean by a sweet spot you have to take advantage of?”
Stroking my arm, he said, “Things can change in the blink of an eye. We’re at peace now, but Cristo and I have an ongoing feud that can flare up at any time.” He met my gaze with an arched brow. “As you’ve already witnessed. We also have threats on the horizon from other clans. We’re expanding out west, which was why I was sent to Cali. Then there’s the continual skirmishes with the Bratva, our nemesis since before they murdered my father. Right now, we’re in a lull. It’s the moment to press my advantage and persuade Alex to allow us to get married.”
Staring down at him, I blinked. “Say what now?”
“Marriage,” he clarified. “You and me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Fuck yeah, I’m serious. If you don’t want me installing a camera in here, that’s your only other option.” He took a huge breath and declared, “My mother’s too traditional for us to shack up, and if we wait, who the hell knows what will come up. It will be perfect timing to announce our engagement at Luca’s marriage. That will make Alex look good, too.”
His normally light eyes turned a stormy dark hue.
I hadn’t considered marriage. I loved the way he displayed his feelings toward me, but what I didn’t love so much was the drive behind his proposal. His concerns were so practical and centered around his mother and Alex.
I didn’t harbor girlhood dreams of a Disney-style proposal with him down on one knee and a big diamond ring in a little black box, but getting married because it was good timing for his brother was the least of my concerns. And it should’ve been the least of his concerns. I should be his primary concern, considering he’d just proposed to me. Nicu didn’t seem personally invested, much less excited, about getting married. No, none of that. His main consideration was how it would affect his family.
A red cloud of accelerating rage edged my vision as I rasped out, “Do you want to marry me, or do you simply feel pressured into it?”
“I was going to have to marry eventually,” he declared with an irritated, one-shouldered shrug. “Now. Later. Never. It doesn’t really matter to me.”
I felt pressure around my head squeezing it tight, tight, and tighter. I tore myself away him and scrambled off the bed, feeling like my heart was being ripped out of my body.
“Oh my God,” I breathed out. “You’re unbelievable. You’re suggesting we get married simply because it’s convenient. Your brother isn’t demanding anything from you at this moment so let’s get married because this is a good time for him? What about us? What about me?”
“We’ll be together. That’s what matters. Like I said, if we wait, who knows what could happen. I could get snagged into another engagement,” he replied, frustration lacing his tone.
My heart rate was going rat-tat-tat like rapid gunfire.
“Are you saying you would consider an engagement with another woman if your brother insisted upon it?”
He paused for a moment.
A moment too long.
I broke the silence. “That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
“No,” he replied carefully, although I could see him almost twitching under my scrutiny. “I’m saying why risk complicating things when we know we want to be together. Let’s face facts, it would get complicated, unnecessarily complicated, if I was called to marry another woman to alleviate a volatile situation or solidify an allegiance.”
Ka-pow.And there it went. The sound of my head blowing up.
“Oh my God, get out!” I shrieked, my finger jabbing toward the door.
He glared at me and sneered, “You can’t throw me out whenever we have an argument, Jewel.”
“You better believe I can. Do you not realize how insane you sound? Usually, when a man proposes to a woman, it’s because he can’t live another day without her, because he loves her, because he wants to share his life with her. None of those reasons have popped out of your mouth. You’ve only cited concerns about your mother, your brother, and your family. You don’t care about marrying me. The only reason you’re considering marriage is because your mother wouldn’t want us living together and you have to marry eventually. What’s best for us as a couple doesn’t even make the cut. Your only priority is your family.”
“What’s so wrong with that?” he spat out as he jumped out of bed and started yanking up his pants.
Fury-laced adrenaline pumped through my blood, and there was no holding me back. “Nothing’s wrong with that, but I’d be your wife. When would I become a priority? I suspect the answer is never. Announcing my engagement or setting my wedding date would be dictated by what works for Alex. Not me. Not us.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” he accused as he threw on his shirt. Buttoning it with short, rough moves, he continued, “You know I love you. I was fucking miserable without you, although now I’m beginning to wonder if I was out of my goddamn mind because anytime I don’t say or do exactly the right thing, you lose your temper. I’ve never hidden who I was or what I do. My life is my family and clan.”
“Sure, that can be true, but that doesn’t give me confidence that you want to marry me.” I threw up my hands. “What you’re basically telling me is that you have to get married at some point and you want to be with me, so hell, let’s just combine the two and go with that.”
