Page 72 of From My Past
My eyes opened wide, a bit in shock and a bit in fear. “Okay, what is it?”
“Will you…Goddamn.” Kieron chuckled, and turned to face me. He took a deep breath, staring at me with a look I just couldn’t place. His deep brown eyes were open and showing me exactly how he was feeling. My problem was I didn’t trust what I saw as being the truth.
“Talia, baby, you know I love you. I love you so much and I never want to not be there for you, with you, ever again. I understand we haven’t had time to let this relationship grow, but I want to be the person who steps between you and anything that could make you upset, make you cry, even make you sad. It’s my job to keep you happy and safe, a job I want so fucking badly I can’t stand it.” He said with so much passion I couldn’t help but smile. “Will you marry me?”
“What the fuck?” I whisper, taken so far aback that it just slipped out. “I mean, Kieron, what the fuck?”
He laughed, taking ahold of my hands and kissing my fingertips. “Will you marry me?” He repeated. I don’t know how or why it happened, but his nervousness seemed to have dissipated the moment I opened my mouth after his initial proposal.
“This is insanely fast. Are you sureyouwant to do that?” I didn’t want to bring all the reasons why he shouldn’t wantme, but I was sure he knew. I hadn’t exactly been quiet about my fucked-upness.
“More than anything.” He smiles, and pulls me to standing and hugs me tightly. “I’m just worried that you’ll regret it later. Regret being rushed into a marriage, regret me and this lifestyle that I have been in since birth. Being the Second-In-Command of the Irish Mafia, it’s not something I can walk away from. Even if I wanted to.”
I struggle not to roll my eyes or make a face that screams, ‘are you crazy?’.
“None of that matters to me. What matters to me is that you love me andyouwant this, not that you’re doing it because you’ve been told to.” I say, gesturing at the computer. “Is there a reason you said you “would take care of it”?
“My father has been saying since the beginning that I should marry you.”
“Really? Why?” That surprised me, I know Kieron and I had history, an intense connection, but even the two of us actually in the relationship might not have brought the idea of marriage up for a good long while.
“If you have my last name, it brings about certain privileges and safety. You’d be the Second’s wife. Untouchable on pain of death. Not just for my crew, but for all. There’s a bit of a code that all Mafia follow. But even the slightest bit of additional protection is better for you. Besides, Talia Tavish sounds pretty badass, doesn’t it?” He cups my face and gives me a panty-dropping smile that I love to see. It’s so infectious and you’re powerless against it.
“It does sound pretty good, huh?” That makes his smile shine even brighter and my heart soars.
“Will you marry me, baby? Please?” He says again, proposing to me for the third time. This time though, his voice was strong, determined and it was different. The way he was looking down at me, holding me, the way he spoke, all of it showed me how sincere he was being.
“Yes.” I say, cupping his jaw and pulling his face closer to mine, kissing his lips sweetly. “On two conditions.”
“Oh, yeah? What would they be?”
“You teach me how to fight and you teach me how to surf.”
* * *
He’d agreed, of course he had. Kieron was surprised but I guess it wasn’t as much of a surprise as I thought. Kieron had been so ecstatic about me agreeing to marry him, he pulled me outside for my first fighting lesson on the beach. I’m all for it, wrestling with my big, strong, tattooed man on the beach? Sounded like the perfect foreplay to me.
“Do you know how to throw a punch?” Kieron asked, tying his hair back.
“Of course I do.” I smirked, tying my long hair into a quick braid.
“Show me.” Kieron put his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow.
“What, like punching the air?”
“Yeah, baby. Just punch straight out.”
I make a fist and throw it out in front of me. Kieron nods, crossing his arms, making his biceps bulge in his fitted black t-shirt. “Not bad, baby.” He walks around me, bringing the back of my body to the front of his.
His scent and warmth surrounded me, and I tried to not to be creepy by inhaling but the rumble of his chest against me told me he realized it anyway and was laughing.
“But make a fist again and when you throw it,” One of his hands spanned the expanse of my stomach as he held it tight “keep your core tight and,” he moved both hands to my hips and he gripped me close to him, “draw your power from your lower body, pushing through your tight core and shove it through your fist.” His hands made a trail over my body as he explained, his words soft and low in my ear and suddenly the farthest thing on my mind was how to fight.
I took a deep breath and did exactly what he said, feeling the power flow through me. Just like he said.
“There you go, baby girl.” He whispered in my ear and kissed my neck as my eyes rolled back.
“Maybe we wait a bit for the lessons, and go celebrate our engagement?” I turn my head to face him. I want to kiss him so fucking badly that I can’t make eye contact with him for a good while, just staring at his lips.
