Page 193 of Never Fall for an Angel

My gaze shoots back to his when he holds it up in front of me.

“You bought me a ring?”

A ring makes this marriage real. It solidifies ownership. A brand to let the world know I’m his.

My stomach twists uncomfortably, but it’s the warmth in his gaze that settles it.

This man loves me. I love him. I may not understand it, but everything he’s done has been to protect me.

“I bought it a year ago.” I swallow heavily. “Another reason I came back here.” His gaze meets mine, and for the first time in my life, I find what it looks like when Christian Cross is nervous. There’s something oddly touching about the tremor that slips through his hand. “It’s yours if you want it.”

My tongue darts out to lick my lips, and I reach out, taking the ring from him and holding it in my palm. It’s beautiful, from what I can see in the darkness of the room, but it doesn’t matter. He could tie a dandelion around my finger, and I’d probably still say yes.

“Just know, if you put that on, it’s never coming off.”

“What if you decide you’re done with me and want a divorce?”

He fixes me with a dark look.

“I’ve waited six years for you, Mila. This will never be over for me.”

He’s right. I’ve been the one running since I met him.

“On one condition.” His jaw ticks at my words.

“Name it.”

“You have to put yours on, too.”

I reach for the chain on the nightstand, holding his ring, and he takes it from me. Without a second thought, he removes the chain, sliding it back into the nightstand, and slips the ring onto his finger.

“There’s something else,” I tell him, still holding my ring in the palm of my hand. “When things are bad, you have to tell me the truth. No more hiding things because you think it will protect me. It hasn’t protected me so far. It’s only created a wedge between us.”

“Are you agreeing to be my wife, Mrs. Cross?”

“If . . . you meet my demands.”

He chuckles dryly, taking the ring.

“I promise,” he murmurs, his gaze locking with mine. A tremor moves through his hand on mine, so slight I barely notice it. “So long as you promise to always tell me when you feel yourself falling. I promise when you do, I’ll be there to catch you.”

God, for being a self-proclaimed atheist to romance, he’s the most romantic man I’ve ever met.

“I promise.”

Taking my hand, he slips the ring onto my finger, and I’m not surprised it’s a perfect fit.

He reaches up, brushing a strand of hair back from my face, his eyes soft when they meet my own.

“You gave me freedom.”

“I’m only sorry I didn’t do it sooner . . . Come here,” he murmurs, rising in front of me and pushing me back in the bed. He settles over me, pressing his lips to mine with a groan, a shudder moving through him when my fingers slip up his back.

When he breaks the kiss, his lips moving down to my throat, I’m nearly panting despite the million and one orgasms he’d given me earlier.

“By the way, Talia totally saw us in the hallway.”

He smirks, and it does something funny to my chest.

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