Page 164 of Reckless Hearts

She’s too trusting. She’s always relied on handshakes and smiles instead of ironclad contracts. Her focus has always almost entirely on her charity work, not the actual business side of things. And because of that, her empire was on fire at the edges, and she didn’t even know it.

Theft, complacency, incompetency…her companies and trusts were collapsing from the inside out without proper leadership and guidance.

So I gave them that leadership and guidance. I took as many of them as I could, shoved them under one company, and I’ve now staffed that company, with Dahlia ultimately making all the final calls.

Now it’s hers.

When I finish telling her all this, she drops the letter in her hand, throws her arms around me, and kisses me so hard that we both fall to the ground.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she murmurs over and over as I growl the same thing into her lips.

I don’t break away. I just keep kissing her hard and deep until there’s no more air to breathe between the two of us.

When she giggles and finally pulls away, gasping as she gets to her feet, I stay right where I am. I get onto my knee, pulling the little box out of my pocket. Dahlia’s still laughing as she turns back to me.

Her body goes stiff. Her eyes go wide, and her mouth falls open.

“Deimos…?”

“Marry me,” I growl, opening the box and revealing the giant diamond ring glittering within.

OfcourseI’m going to marry her. I think we’ve established that I’m not a fucking idiot, haven’t we?

Dahlia just stares at the ring, her eyes blinking rapidly.

“You have to say yes, you know,” I growl. “Before you’re allowed to put it on, I mean.”

Her cheeks burn as she lifts her eyes to me. I frown curiously as she steps back slowly from me, reaching for the wall behind her.

My eyes narrow. “What the fuck are you—”

“Andyoucan’t put it on my finger…”

She flicks the lights off.

“…Until you catch me.”

My blood turns to fire in my veins. I grin savagely as I get to my feet, relishing the sound of her giggles and footsteps as she runs away from me.

I give her a bit of a head start. But then I chase her. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how much of a head start I give her.

I always catch her.

She always lets me.

And this time, I won’t be letting go.

* * *