Page 69 of His Ruthless Claim

"Only about how much I want you."

She grins but holds my gaze. "You've always wanted me."

"This is different." I lift her hand, pressing my lips to her palm. "I need you. Not just in my bed. In my life. Under my skin. In ways I can't control, don't want to control anymore."

She smiles at me in the way that nearly makes my heart stop beating. "You have me."

I really hope that's true.

After dinner, I drive us to the boutique, watching Skye's expression shift from confusion to curiosity.

"I thought we were done here for the day." She glances at me as I help her from the car.

"Humor me." I guide her to the door with my hand on her lower back, savoring her warmth through the thin fabric of her dress.

The moment I unlock the door, soft music drifts out. Skye freezes in the entrance, her amber eyes widening as she takes in the transformation.

Hundreds of twinkling lights cascade from the ceiling, creating a starlit canopy above the carefully curated displays. White roses and orchids spill from crystal vases positioned throughout the space. The mannequins have been rearranged to create an intimate pathway through the store, each one draped in pieces that she's worn that mean a lot to both of us - like the dress she had on the first time I saw her.

"How did you..." She steps inside, reaching out to touch a delicate strand of lights.

"Your friends are surprisingly good at keeping secrets." I follow her, drinking in how the lights play across her skin. "Even Jazz managed not to spoil it."

Skye laughs, the sound echoing through the space. "Jazz? The woman who told me what I was getting for Christmas three weeks early?"

"Maria can be very persuasive."

She wanders deeper into the store, trailing her fingers along a rack of designer dresses. "This is where you threatened to buy out my entire inventory just to get my attention."

"You called me an entitled asshole."

"You were being one." She turns, that familiar spark of challenge in her eyes. "Still are, sometimes."

I close the distance between us, backing her against the wall. "Only with you."

Her breath hitches as I cage her with my arms. "Lucky me."

"No." I trace her jaw with my thumb. "Lucky me."

Kendra and Mikayla arranged floating candles in vintage perfume bottles along the windowsills, their flames casting dancing shadows across Skye's face. Jazz's playlist flows through hidden speakers - all the songs Skye loves but would never admit to playing in the store.

And Maria put little touches of us everywhere. Mementos I had collected that make me think of her in every way.

I reach into my jacket pocket, feeling the velvet box that's been burning a hole there all evening. Skye's eyes follow the movement, her breath catching.

"Skye, the first time I saw you, I was here on business. But one look, and I was hooked. I couldn't stay away from you no matter how hard I tried." I keep my voice steady despite the unfamiliar flutter in my chest.

"And the more I came around, the harder I fell. You weren't afraid of me.." My fingers trace her collarbone, feeling her pulse jump. "Not of my name, my reputation, or the blood on my hands. You challenged me, pushed back when I tried to control everything."

"Including me." Her amber eyes glint with that familiar defiance.

"Especially you." I cup her face, thumbing her lower lip. "You made me feel things I thought I couldn't anymore. Made me want more than survival."

I drop to one knee, the motion smooth and deliberate. Skye's eyes widen as I open the box, revealing my mother's ring.

"This belonged to the last woman I loved unconditionally." My voice roughens. "The only other person who saw past my walls."

Tears glisten in Skye's eyes, but she maintains that fierce expression I've grown to crave. "Luca..."

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