Page 292 of Assassin

And they’d argue.

“Really?”

He moved closer and tucked some of the red hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, what are you in the mood for?” he asked.

What this woman didn’t realize was that he had an engagement ring in his pocket, and his intent was to lock her down.

Once and for all.

When he’d tracked her to the apartment, thanks to a tiny chip on a credit card in her purse, he saw the jewelry place across the street.

They sold rings and things.

He’d watched her stare in the window admiring a bunch of baubles that glittered in the sunlight. When he checked to see what she was looking at, he’d seen that they were rings.

Well, if that wasn’t a sign, he wasn’t sure what was.

So, Jax was going to do this here and now. Well, not now.

Proposing in an alley was…weird.

“I was going to go get Italian,” Alyona said, being honest.

He was good with that. It almost made up for missing out on Emma’s meal back at The Estate.

He shrugged.

“Can I join you?” he asked. “Or do you want to be alone?”

That’s when she said it, and he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t painful.

“I actually wanted to be alone.”

For a full three seconds, no one spoke.

Instead of doing what she fully expected, he did the exact opposite.

Jax didn’t fight.

“Okay. Then, enjoy your night. I’m at a B and B, so I’ll head back to Boston tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Have a good night,” he said, turning and walking away without another word to her.

There was no affection in that sentence, and there was no love in his eyes. He was empty, and unfortunately, that scared her more than being alone.

Now, her heart was racing.

He wasn’t going to argue?

To fight?

To force her?

Honestly, she didn’t understand any of this.

When he reached the mouth of the alley, she had that feeling that if she let him go, she’d never see him again. The way he’d said those words were ominous.

“Jax! Wait.”

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