Page 25 of Reckless Vow

I glare at her for a few beats, not even sure what point I want to make.

“Yours are the clothes you chose to wear this morning.”

For some outlandish reason, I have to win the argument. Slowly, I move my eyes to the clerk, commanding her action without words.

She snatches my card and runs it through the reader. “Thank you for your visit, Mr. Cassinetti.”

Brook purses her lips, moving them to the side. I forgot she used to do that when she was annoyed—instead of biting her tongue or grinding her molars—or thinking.

And for once, I’m glad she’s silent. This day has been taxing enough.

She grabs the bag with her old clothes and marches outside. Practically ripping the car door off its hinges—quite an achievement on an Escalade—she gets in.

I slide to the other side, beside her. She’s pouting, wrinkling the bag in her hands. God, she is adorable.

Almost the entire ride back we are silent while she refuses to look at me, bouncing her leg and chewing on her cuticle.

“You should replace that nasty habit with some other stress reliever.” I grab her wrist and pull it away from her face.

The feel of her pulse on my fingertips shouldn’t make me want her this badly. Like that first night in her room when I held her throat while she almost sucked my finger, her heartbeat messes with me more than I care to admit.

Her cheeks heat up while she attempts to kill me with her eyes. “I wouldn’t be this stressed if you weren’t around to piss me off.”

God, her fury makes her hot. I want to rile her up further, just to enjoy the passion in her reactions.

But that’s probably a terrible idea. By the way I’ve been reacting to her, the less contact we have, the better.

I drop her hand and turn to the other side. “You bring the best out of me, sweetheart.”

The car pulls to the curb and she yanks her door open. “You know what? You used to be my favorite person to talk to.” It’s an accusation more than a regret.

“You want to go down memory lane right now?”

If she loved talking to me so much, why did she stand me up?

Her eyes flare with something that I’m not sure is fury anymore. “You’re right,darling, let’s focus on our bright future.” The words are laced with poisoned honey.

She slams the door and strides to the building, not waiting to see if I’m following. Fuck.

“Brook,” I call after her, almost running over a couple leaving the building. “Wait.”

She stops in the middle of the bright foyer, not necessarily waiting for me, more likely not sure where to go.

The dome-shaped hall has a glass ceiling and she stands in the middle of the sun cone, looking both pissed and lost. So fucking hot.

“We need to take the elevator to the fifth floor. But before we go, I’ve got something for you.”

She eyes me suspiciously. I deserve that, probably.

I reach into my pants pocket and pull out a velvet box, my gaze on her face. Her eyes widen and she swallows.

“You demanded a huge rock.” I slide the ring from the box and take her hand.

Set in a delicate, intricately designed band of white gold, a halo of smaller, sparkling diamonds surrounds a vivid ruby.

Brook gasps, her free hand flying to her chest.

“Will you do me the honor…” I push the ring only to her first tiny knuckle and stop.

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