Page 29 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“I’m having a better night.” Her voice softened, and she smiled softly at me, and in that moment, I knew I would do anything to keep the smile on her face.

“What about you? How was your day?”

“It was okay. Bland, tasteless, and full of work calls.”

“Work calls? Did something happen?”

“Not at all. I had to work from home today, hence the calls,” I replied. I had forsaken going to see my prisoner today in favor of her birthday. Going to see the bastard would ruin my day and leave me with a bitter aftertaste, and that wasn’t a feeling I wanted to tap into today.

“Arielle,” I started, taking her hands in mine. I had no speech planned, but I know how she makes me feel, and that’s all that matters. “The past weeks have been the brightest my life has ever been, and it’s all thanks to you. You’ve touched parts of my soul I thought were nonexistent, and you’ve brought warmth to my cold world. Our deal is coming to an end, and I’d like to renegotiate terms.”

I paused, giving her time to take in what I was saying.

“I want this to become real, I want you in my life, I want you everywhere, and I want the world to know you’re mine. Be my woman, Arielle,” I said, and if my ears weren’t so sharp, I would her missed her sharp intake of air.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking at me with questioning eyes.

What did she mean by Are you sure about this?

“I’ve never been more sure in my life,” I replied, and a shy smile overtook her face. How she managed to be the same girl that choked on my dick and begged me to fuck her senseless and still be able to blush at the little things will always have me weak in the knees.

“Yes, Mikhail, there’s nothing I’d want more,” she said, her smile widening and her eyes twinkling more.

I found myself smiling in return and placing kisses on her fingers. I suddenly felt very whole and fulfilled.

“Now that’s settled, for the most important question of the night,” I added, feeling the knot in my stomach tighten.

“There’s more?” Her eyes doubled in size.

“Arielle, I’d like for you to move in with me.” There, I finally dropped the bomb.

Her brows knit together in confusion as the weight of my words settled. “You want me to move in with you? Isn’t that too soon? You just asked me to be your girlfriend minutes ago.”

I expected these questions: Isn’t that too soon? Aren’t we moving too fast and whatnot? The difference between men in the Bratva and regular men was how we didn’t let stupid rules define us. When you find a girl you’d love to marry for whatever reason you’d love to marry her, you go straight to the point. There was no need to move from girlfriend to fiancé and from fiancé to wife. If she agrees, you can even wed her on the spot.

“Arielle, like I already said, the past weeks with you have been the happiest weeks of my life, and I’m not willing to let go of that. There’s nothing to think about. I made up my mind about you a long time ago.”

“You’ve made up your mind a long time ago about me?” I could tell she was freaking out, and I needed to tone it down a bit.

“Hey, I’m not asking you to marry me or anything. I’m just saying that I’d love to have you around more. We can figure out everything else from there.”

She paused for a while, digesting all I’d said while I watched in the hope she’d say yes.

When she left this morning, a sudden emptiness and chill set into my house, and I knew I didn’t want her coming and going. Even more than anything, I despised the feeling of emptiness that settled in after she left.

“Babe,” she said, gently stroking my hand. “I’d love to spend every moment with you, but I think we might be moving too fast. What if this is just a rush of excitement? I don’t want us to make decisions that’ll cause us to crash and burn. How about we take our time to enjoy every stage of our relationship? Build enough memories and resilience for the next phase?”

She was scared I was making rushed decisions out of excitement. That was one thing I never did. When I make up my mind about something, it’s never out of immediate gratification. It’s because I want to.

“I’m not making rushed decisions or impulsive proposals. I’m sure of what I want and—”

“I know, baby. I know, but let’s give it time. It’ll happen organically. You won’t even need to ask me. You’d just wake up and slowly find my things in your house till you’ll be forced to give me my own side of the wardrobe.” She grinned, and even though I wasn’t exactly thrilled by her answer, I found myself returning her smile with a slight nod.

“Alright. Let’s get into how you were able to pull this out. I’m literally dying from the excitement inside me, and I’ll be telling my friends all about it.” Her grin widened and she was almost bouncing like a child on her seat.

If time was what she needed, then she had all the time she needed. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.

CHAPTER 13

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