Page 58 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

“I love you,” I tilt and hold her gaze, the one that has been my undoing from the very beginning of this madness. I reach out to take her hand, but she recoils, and it guts me. “Eva,” I swallow, seeing everything she has had to suffer because of my rejection for the first time.

“Fabio…” She shakes her head and sniffs, “I don’t think you know…”

“Marry me,” I spurt. “If you still want to marry me, I would be honored to be your husband,” I take a breath, stopping my heart from pounding against my chest as I wait for her to either kill me or revive me with her response.

I want to marry her.

There has never been a time I did not want to marry Eva.

I had just never felt deserving of her. Even now, I still feel unworthy, but I will spend the rest of my life living up to it.

“You want to marry me?” She chuckles and flips her eyes away, almost laughing, but I know it is not a case of mockery. She does not find it funny that I want to marry her; she finds it unbelievable.

“Yes,” I take up my hand, pricking it to smooth it on her cheek, but she flinches, and I hold it midair.

“You can’t just be that person and then be this person!” She flares, her hands flying in the air. “You can’t make me go through hell and then just throw a question like that around carelessly.” She unfastens her seatbelt. “Should I throw myself at your feet now?” She opens the door. “Should I shout for joy that you are finally asking me to marry you?”

I don’t go after her immediately because I sense she needs to breathe as much as I need to.

What’s wrong with me?

Why has it taken me this long to admit to myself that I cannot survive in a world where she isn’t mine? I would kill whatever bastard she ended up with out of jealousy. It would be impossible to let her go.

I open the door of my car and jump out, watching her pace on the shelly floor leading to the jetty.

“Eva,” I stride to her, but she doesn’t stop. She throws a glare at me and then continues to pace. “Baby,” I pull her by her upper arm and I am surprised to see that she lets me.

She comes to me and drops her head on my chest. I am not prepared for what she does next. I am not prepared for the trembling I feel and the sobbing sound pouring out of her.

I am not prepared for how she hooks her hands in my shoulder blade and the bite on my chest as she sobs.

I deserve the bite, but she doesn’t deserve to be hurt this way.

“I am sorry,” I engulf her, pressing her flat against my body as I hold her. “I am so sorry,” I nuzzle her hair with my chin and imprint a kiss there.

“I have waited for so long, and you don’t even have a ring,” she pulls away and puckers her lips. “You think a few lamps and a beautiful view will charm me?” She sniffles. “It has, you big idiot!” She sobs, coming back to my chest. “It is so perfect,” she pulls away and strides to the edge of the jetty, “Perfect,” she breathes. “But you will have to do more than just throw the words around like that because I won’t let it go easily,” she peers over her shoulder at me.

How do I tell her that from the night her father told me I should marry her, I had stayed up trying to find the perfect ring for her?

How do I tell her I had shopped for the ring a few days later?

How do I tell her that when I went into her studio to have that talk with her, I had the ring with me?

How do I fucking tell her that I have always carried that ring with me ever since?

Because I have.

I am irrevocably in love with her. It felt so right to marry her, I thought it was wrong. Still, it felt too right. She felt like she was meant for me, mine.

I step closer to her, my shadow cloaking her as I stand behind her.

I snake my arms around her, feel her breathing heave, and stare at the allure in front of us.

Home.

This place has never felt like it. It has never felt this beautiful until tonight. It had no charm until this moment.

I slide away from her, and she sucks in air, her body still trembling as I reach into the pocket of my holster to pull out my gun first. She swings her head in my direction, staring at my every move. I reach further into the pocket and bring out the ring case, then shove the gun back in.

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