Page 133 of Blades of Obsession

“I swear, just one more time!”

Before I can retort, the door to the living room swings open, and there’s Blade, eating up the space between us and the entrance. I swear his long legs allow him to cover distances too quickly.

“Hey, angel,” he says, his voice like a low rumble that always seems to find its way straight to my heart.

And then I remember.

I gasp and spin around to face him. “Oh my God! You can’t see this yet!” I rush over to him, covering his eyes with one hand as I push at his solid chest with the other. Wow, it’s firmer than I remember. Those five a.m. workout sessions are doing him some good.

Focus!

“Amelia, it’s just a room—”

“Out!” I manage to shove him back into the hallway, the door to the suite closing behind us with a soft click.

From the other side, Frankie’s voice carries through, laced with her usual sass. “Yeah, and don’t come back until you learn some patience!”

“Hey, I’m telling Asher you just cussed me out!” he calls back.

I shake my head, smiling at their banter. They always have a way of teasing each other, like brother and sister, and Ilove seeing them interact that way. They’re the most important people in my life, along with my mom, of course.

As we walk down the hallway so I can make sure he makes it down from this level completely, his jacket rides up and I catch sight of something on his lower forearm. A flash of ink that wasn’t there before.

“What’s that?” I ask, stopping in my tracks and pulling his arm closer to get a better look.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. “It was supposed to be a surprise. It’s not done yet, the guy got called away for an emergency.”

He pulls up his sleeve further, revealing the fresh tattoo—a beautiful, intricate design, my name entwined with angel wings and under it:my angel, my salvation.

I’m stunned, my breath catching as I trace the lines of the piece with my finger, careful not to touch the healing skin. “It’s… it’s beautiful. I don’t even know what to say.”

A tattoo is forever. It’s forever for him.

“Well, since one surprise is spoiled, might as well give you the other that goes along with it,” he says, reaching into his pocket.

I watch, my heart pounding, as he pulls out a small velvet box and flips it open. Inside is the most beautiful pink diamond ring I’ve ever seen, catching the light in a way that makes it seem almost unreal.

“Oh my god, Aiden,” I breathe, overwhelmed by the sight of it. He gently lifts the ring from the box, turning it over to reveal an inscription on the inside:my devil,for eternity

“I don’t even want to ask how much this cost.” I laugh through my tears, the combination of emotions bubbling over.

He grins. “Yeah, it’s best you don’t.” Then, with a chuckle, he adds, “I was thinking about knocking you out and giving youa tattoo while you were under to match mine, but I decided on this instead.”

I can’t tell whether he’s joking or serious—but knowing him, he probably at least considered it. “Well, I’m glad you chose this instead.”

He slips the ring onto my finger, and it fits perfectly, just like everything between us.

I want to remember this moment forever, carve it into my memory like a scar. These are the moments we’ll one day tell our children about.

“It’s a little tight.” I fumble with the ring.

“Because I used a mold of your finger. Meaning to take it off you have to get it professionally removed. Except only one ring shop in town has the screwdriver for it and they’re not going to take it off for you.”

“What?!”

“So it’s as permanent as my tattoo, baby. I told you it was this or a tattoo.”

“When did you even get a mold of my—you know what, I’m not even going to ask.” I shake my head. I should be used to his antics by now.

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