Page 38 of Kneeling for Daddy
“You don’t have to trust me all at once,” I whisper, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “But you don’t get to doubt whether I want you. Or that I will be faithful to you.”
Her breath stutters, and she drops her gaze, cheeks flushing faintly as she musters a singular word. “Okay.”
“I didn’t ask for this marriage, either,” I add quietly. “But I’m not walking away. Not from you. So quit worrying about that, at least.”
For the first time since I returned home, her lips curl into the smallest, bratty smile. “You make it sound like I’m stuck with you.”
I huff a quiet laugh, pressing my forehead to hers. “Because you fucking are.”
Her head lays back against my chest, and I settle us deeper under the blankets. Her legs tangle with mine, and her breathing evens out as exhaustion catches up with her. It can’t be more than a few minutes before she’s asleep.
I can’t say the same for myself. I stay awake, holding her and watching the faint rise and fall of her chest as the city continues beneath us. She mumbles something indistinct in Armenian, a soft sound that might be nothing more than a dream. I press a kiss to her knuckles and lay her hand delicately on my chest.
My thumb traces the soft, defined line of her jaw, over the small scar near her ear, then the freckle at the base of her neck with a tenderness that scares me. I love these little things that—until three weeks ago—meant nothing to me.
Three weeks. That’s all it’s been. Three fucking weeks. And somehow, she’s the only thing in this world that feels certain.
“You’ll never need to doubt me.” I brush a kiss against her hair. Knowing she’s too far into her slumber to hear me, I whisper my vow, “I can’t promise you forever… but I promise you this moment… the one after that, and every one that follows as we build a lifetime together.”
Wrapping my arms around her tiny frame and holding her against me, I suddenly don’t know if even that is enough.
I wake with the warmth of Nik still wrapped around me, his arm heavy across my waist and his breath steady on the back of my neck. For once, there is no battle between us—just the steady drum of his heartbeat where he’s pressed against my spine. It feels safe. Safer than it should.
When I try to untangle myself from him, he grunts and drags me back like I’m nothing more than a weightless pillow he refuses to give up. I stifle a laugh, my chest tightening at how absurdly normal this moment feels. This marriage might have been forced upon us both, but right now, he feels like my husband.
I lie in his arms, staring at the ceiling, fighting against the quiet truth lurking in my thoughts.If I’m not careful, I’m going to fall for him.Maybe I already have, and that’s fucking terrifying.
“Good morning, little pet,” he groggily whispers against the nape of my neck when he finally gets up. He peppers kisses across my shoulder and along my neck for a moment before pressing his lips to my ear. “Get up and get dressed. We’re going out.”
“Out where?” I ask suspiciously, swinging my legs from beneath the sheets and perching on the edge of the bed.
“Out,” he repeats, smirking when I glare at his non-answer. I consider pushing, but curiosity is getting the better of me. We both shower and dress, after which I find myself quickly ushered to the parking garage and his Range Rover.
Excluding my coffee order when he parked at the curb and ran into the coffee shop on the corner, barely a word has passed between us as he drives across the city and walks me down the sidewalk into a jewelry store.
The air inside smells of leather, velvet, and polish. Overhead lights glint off the endless glass cases filled with the shimmering sparkling diamonds. Barely past the threshold, I stop short. “What are we doing here?”
With his fingers laced through mine, Nik practically drags me behind him as he strides toward one of the displays. His presence fills the room, and the sales clerks practically trip over themselves to come greet us. “I think it’s about time I bought my wife a wedding ring,” he shares casually, as if it’s the most obvious purchase in the world.
“Nik…” I choke on my swallow.
“What?” He turns toward me with an unreadable expression. “Did you expect me to leave you bare-fingered? Let every man in this city wonder if you’re really mine?”
Mine…
Heat creeps into my cheeks as the clerk brings out multiple trays of rings—row after row of glittering diamonds—in every size and shape imaginable. I hesitantly run my fingers over them. Thisisn’t a moment I was prepared for. Actually, I don’t know if Ieverexpected this moment to happen.
Nik watches me closely, excitement flickering in his eyes at my reaction to each of the rings. “Which one?”
My gaze wanders over the rings again, and I hesitate before pointing to a delicate band of platinum with a single oval-cut diamond. It’s beautiful, without being overtly loud. “That one,” I exhale.
Nik doesn’t bat an eye or even look at the price. “You heard her.” Nik extends his hand to the clerk, exchanging the ring for the credit card in his hand. The ring is cool as he slips it onto my finger, but my entire body warms at the notion. Nik isn’t just buying me a piece of jewelry. He’s stamping his claim on me for the whole world to see.
“It looks good,” he states simply, his eyes lingering on the ring as his thumb dusts along my hand.
“Thank you.” I swallow hard, my gratitude about far more than the ring.
“Don’t thank me yet, little pet.” He smirks before leaning in close enough that only I can hear. “I still plan to see how good it looks when it’s the only thing you’re wearing. Well, your wedding ring and your collar.”
