Page 28 of Don't Make Me Beg
Luka’s smirk grows wicked. “Oh, I think you heard me.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his chest, then plants a kiss on top of my head.
Jimmy looks to me as he says, “Then I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way.” He turns to leave; his phone already in his hand before he makes it to the door.
I spin around and face Luka. “What the hell was that? You know he’s calling my dad right now. Now they’re definitely going to go over my head and file the paperwork?—"
“Not if we beat them to it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…legally you can only be married to one person at a time.”
I stare at him, blinking. He can’t really be suggesting what I think he is…
His cocky smirk returns, and then he drops to one knee right there in the middle of the monster romance section. “What do you say, Girl Scout? Are you going to marry me or what?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Luka
I think I just did the second dumbest thing I’ve ever done…
Of all the impulsive ideas I’ve had, proposing to marry my sworn enemy, the woman who got me sent to prison, has to top the list.
But even more shocking is the fact that she even agreed to it.
I guess that shows just how desperate she is.
Luckily, I planned ahead. I knew we couldn’t file in Ashford Falls without it getting back to Judge Sinclair, so I had L.O.K.I. do a little digging into the staff at the county clerk’s office in the next town over.
That’s how I learned that Anita—the lovely woman in charge of issuing marriage licenses—is a die-hard fan of the Ashford Falls Phantom, and, judging by her role as the founder and mod of the secret online forum community, “The Phantom Phuckers,” some may even say she’s his number one fan.
Given the information, it wasn’t hard to come up with the perfectincentiveto make sure the paperwork got expedited before the end of the day.
I knew it was a long shot, but that’s what I was doing when I ran into Scout at Bookstore. I figured it’d take a hell of a lot more convincing on my end. But it turns out, Jimmy made it a hell of a lot easier than I expected.
”All right, all the paperwork’s been filed. Here’s your marriage license,” the clerk says, sliding the official document across the counter.
“And as promised…one early copy ofFalling for the Phantom.” I slide the brown paper bag under the small opening in the acrylic window.
She snatches the bag eagerly, sucking in a gasp as she peels it open and sees the book.
I tuck the envelope into the inside pocket of my leather jacket. “Thanks again for helping us with this, Anita. I hope you enjoy the book.”
She clenches the book to her chest, beaming. “Oh, I will! I can’t wait to tell everyone in my…uh…bookclub.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “Okay, but seriously… How did you get this?”
“I’ve got my connections…” I say with a wink. “But I think it’s best that they stay a secret.”
She blushes and waves me off. “Of course. You know my lips are sealed.”
One down…two more to go.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Scout says.
“I don’t know if that’s meant to be a compliment or an insult.”
She shrugs. “Neither do I.”
I pull out my phone and send a text to Jett.
