Page 64 of Starts With a Bang

Sven:Just do it. And lock the front door. I don’t want someone popping by and ruining our fun.

I’d lived with Sven long enough to know that fun could come in any form. Some of the happiest moments in my life came while grouting tile, scraping paint, and sanding hardwood floors with him. He made me laugh at myself and the world, helpingme to see things in brilliant HD colors. So, I’d lock one and close the other without asking questions.

Not that Sven kept me guessing for long. My ass had barely landed back in the fancy chair before a soft knock came at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Only Sven could make an art form out of turning a knob and opening a door. It slowly swung open to reveal the sexiest person to live. He’d put on the black leather pants that drove me insane and paired them with a shirt I’d never seen. Sheer black fabric with lacy flowers clung to his perfect torso and showed off the nipple piercings he occasionally wore. The shirt had a matching hood that Sven had draped over his golden hair. Oversized black sunglasses shielded the blue eyes I loved so much, but I knew they were smoldering seductively behind the dark lenses.

“I need to hire a private detective,” Sven said throatily. “And I’ve heard you’re the best.”

“Nah,” I said. “That would be Bart Billingsley. Want me to find his number for you?”

Sven’s mouth quirked up at one end. But he stayed in character as he stepped into my office and closed the door behind him. “I only want you. I’m desperate, Mr. Babb. How can I convince you to take my case?”

I leaned back like I was considering it, but my chair smacked into the wall again and ruined the illusion. I gestured to the seat in front of my desk. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me how I can help you?”

Instead of taking the offered seat, Sven rounded my desk and straddled my lap. His insistence on buying the sturdy chair finally made sense. I grabbed that sweet ass with both hands and pressed my nose to his neck. Sven released a soft whimper and said, “I’m hoping you can help me find something I lost.”

“Your virginity?” I teased.

Sven snorted. “Nope. This is something more recent.”

I sucked on his earlobe, then tugged it with my teeth. “Your sanity. I should’ve known it abandoned you when you offered our guest room to my parents for nearly a month.”

Sven swatted my shoulder. “Hush and play along.”

“Fine.” I gave his ass one last squeeze before releasing it. “When did you last see this missing item?”

“Last night,” Sven replied. “I had it with me when I was setting up my boyfriend’s new office.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” I asked. “Is it serious?”

“Very.” Sven traced his fingers over my scruffy jaw. “It’s been almost three years since he lured me into the back of his seedy van and rocked my world.”

I quirked a brow. “Did he lure you, or did you follow him?”

We’d debated the question several times in the last ten months but were no closer to finding the answer. Each retelling included fabricated or exaggerated details that riled one another up. Our verbal sparring always turned into rowdy sex, so neither one of us was too keen on determining the true culprit’s identity.

“That part isn’t important to finding what I misplaced,” Sven said. “Are you going to take my case or not?”

“It’s going to cost you.”

“I’ll pay any price,” Sven said. “Don’t you need to take some notes? That’s how the private investigators do it in the movies.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the drawer I’d designated for notebooks. On top of the stack sat a black velvet ring box. My heart hammered beneath my breastbone.

“Aha! There it is!” Sven leaned over and snagged the box from the drawer. “I knew coming to you for help was the right thing to do.” Sven took off the sunglasses and tossed them onto the desk. Then he lowered his hood. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears, and his lips trembled when he smiled. “Dom, I hope you know how much I love you.”

I settled my arms around his waist. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t get the words past the lump in my throat. Swallowing hard, I tried again. “I do.”

Sven cupped my face. “You’ve given me your heart and trust. You’ve surrendered that sexy body to me. We’ve bought a house and made a home. We adopted the world’s most adorable cat. And it’s still not enough. I need more.” Tears spilled down Sven’s face. If he wasn’t holding a jewelry box, I might’ve been concerned.

“What else can I give you?”

“Your name.” Sven flipped open the box to reveal a simple gold band. “Will you marry me?”

I looked from the ring to the hope shimmering in Sven’s brilliant blue eyes. So many words flittered through my mind, but when I opened my mouth to respond, only a loud snort escaped. Sven flinched as if I’d slapped him, and I wished I could take it back. I scrambled for the right thing to say to fix my blunder, but I knew it would take more than words. I stood up from my chair, taking Sven with me. He squeaked in surprise and wrapped his arms and legs around me. I put him down once we reached the narrow hallway outside my office. I grabbed his coat off the hook and handed it to him.

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