Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41558 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41558 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
I pressed my lips to his in a brief, fierce kiss, conveying all my love and hopes for our future. Together, we could face anything. Nothing could tear us apart. Not the Bratva, not the Mafia, and not the mayor of New York. There was no force on this earth strong enough to break our bond.
Max was mine, and I was his.
Epilogue
MAX
Three Months Later
“What’s all this?” Allie asked as she looked around our tiny one-bedroom apartment, peeking past me to examine the small dining table I’d laid out for her. I’d lit a bunch of candles and gotten her roses, which were on a vase in the cramped kitchen. The scent of lasagna filled the small space, and it didn’t seem to be burning; I’d managed to follow my mom’s recipe.
Her brows lifted. “Did you cook?”
I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck. “I gave it a shot.”
She deserved more than candles, flowers, and a home-cooked meal, but I couldn’t afford the fancy things she deserved. Between my modest salary teaching self-defense and her student loans, we had to be careful with our spending.
Allie didn’t seem to mind the stark shift in her standard of living since she’d turned her back on her father and his funding. She promised that she was simply happy to be with me. I could still barely believe that this sweet, perfect woman was all mine.
And I intended to keep it that way.
I reached in my pocket and fisted the small, velvet-covered box my grandfather had given me. He was the only family I had left now, and we were getting to know one another as men, not members of a hierarchal criminal organization. He approved of Allie, and he’d given me his blessing.
She twined her arms around my shoulders and brushed a kiss over my jaw. “Does this mean I have to learn to cook properly too?”
I stroked her silken hair back from her freckled cheek. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Bambi. I’ll take care of you.”
Her smile lit up my world. “I know you will, but I want to take care of you too.”
My heart swelled in my chest, so full I thought it would burst. No one had ever cared for me, not like Allie did. For so long, I’d been alone, lost in rage and pain. I’d shattered her perfect world when I’d kidnapped her, but she’d still offered all of herself to me, without spite or hesitation. She was the most fearless person I’d ever met, offering her love freely and fiercely.
Unable to wait a moment longer to bind her more tightly to me, I dropped down on one knee and pulled the jewelry box from my pocket. Her lush lips parted on a soft gasp that caressed my soul.
I opened the box, showing her the cluster of round cut diamonds arranged in the shape of a flower. The gemstones paled in comparison to her flashing peridot eyes.
“I love you, Allie,” I vowed, my voice rough with emotion. “I didn’t know what love was before I met you, but you’ve shown me what it’s supposed to be. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes!” she cried before I finished the question. “Yes, Max, I’ll marry you.”
I took her dainty hand in mine and slid the ring onto her slender finger, imprinting the sight on my brain.
“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.
“It was my mother’s,” I murmured, smoothing my thumb over the shining stones.
“Oh, Max.” Her eyes sparkled more brightly than the diamonds. “This means everything to me. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Bambi,” I swore, surging to my feet and gathering her up in my arms. I crushed my lips to hers, sealing the promise of forever with a fierce kiss.