AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He strokes my hair for a few more seconds, then releases me and leaves with his guard. Rai winks at me before she jogs after him. “Wait for me.”
Papa grabs her by the arm. “No running or you’ll hurt the baby.”
She grins at that and I smile a little, but it soon falls when I feel hot breaths at my neck.
I abruptly turn around and my air gets caught in my throat when I’m face to face with those golden hazel eyes.
He reaches around me and closes the door. I swear I can hear its resounding sound in my chest.
“Miss me, beautiful?”
“What happened?” It’s hard to breathe let alone speak when his body is a few inches from mine and his warmth is flooding me. “How come Papa agreed?”
“I’ve been meeting with him ever since the first time he caught me coming out of your room. It took a lot of convincing, but he was being difficult about something we both wanted. He knows you’re better off away from his world and that I’m the one who can offer you that life. So he suggested we get married.”
“Y-you don’t have to do that just for Papa. I can speak to him—”
“What are you talking about? You think I wouldn’t want to marry you?”
My lips part and I fumble for words. “You want to?”
“What type of question is that? Of course, I want to. We might have started with my fucking your brains out, but over time, you became the woman I can’t imagine my life without. You becamemywoman, Anastasia, and I intend to keep you.”
I sniffle, the onslaught of emotions ricocheting in my chest. “Even though I hid my identity from you?”
“Even then. That’s when I knew you were mine, and there’s no fucking changing that.”
“But my family—”
“I couldn’t give a fuck about your family. You’re the only one I care about. Besides, I have a big family as well and they’re more than ready to accept you as a member. We can be a little crazy, just so you’re warned.”
“Oh, Knox…I love you.”
He pauses, a gleam shining deep in his eyes. “You do?”
“Yeah, I think I’ve been falling in love with you since the first time I saw you.”
“I’ve been obsessed with you for just as long. I didn’t realize the nature of these feelings growing inside me at first, but I do now. They’re stronger than love, beautiful, they’re even more powerful than anything I’ve ever experienced and I’d be a fool to ignore them. You taught me to not ignore the ugly parts of myself. Hell, you even liked them and made me the better version of myself.”
“You made me the best version of myself, too. You helped me find my own strength and I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“You’ve always been strong. Just because it was simmering under the surface doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.”
“And just because you had a traumatic past, doesn’t mean you can’t rise above it.” I stroke his face. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“You sure as fuck will.”
“You’ll really have me?”
“The real question should be, willyouhave me, beautiful?”
“For the rest of my life, Knox.”
“Good, because I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” He opens his arms and I dive right in.
I dive into the place that makes me feel wanted, safe, and alive.
The place I’ll never leave.
