By the time we reach the SUV parked out front, I feel like I’ve run a marathon. He turns then and cups my face in his hands, his palms warm against my heated skin.
For the first time tonight, he hesitates. His blue eyes search my face like he’s trying to make sure I’m still here and real. Then, he leans in to kiss me.
Another kiss follows, this one slower and almost like an apology.
When he pulls back, he stays close, his breath brushing my mouth as he says quietly, “I love you, princess. You and the baby are safe now. My family won’t touch you again.” He glances back at the bakery, then meets my eyes. “I’m going to buy you a new one.
“And I want you to marry me. Tonight.”
14
Benedikt
The drive back feels like moving through fog.
Sienna is pressed up against the door, staring blankly out the window.
Artem’s in the front seat, and I’m next to her in the back, close enough to feel her body tremble now and then, but far enough that she doesn’t pull away.
The gunshot to my brother’s head still rings in my ears. So is the sound she made when she thought she’d been hit.
And then my damn voice afterward.
I want you to marry me. Tonight.
Christ.
What the hell was I thinking?
I run a hand over my face, rest my elbow on the armrest, and look at her profile in the passing glow of streetlights.
She looks exhausted and beautifully haunted.
I can’t blame her.
I just killed my brother in front of her, and decided that five minutes later was a good time to ask for forever.
“Sienna,” I start quietly. “I shouldn’t have said that back there.” Her eyes stay on the window. Not even a glance my way. “I wasn’t thinking straight. You went through hell in there, and I should’ve been more human about it. I apologize.”
A few beats pass before she says, “What are you apologizing for, Benedikt?”
“Everything.”
Sienna shifts her weight, and I see her body deflate. “Apology accepted.” Then, she tacks on softly, “Why do you want to marry me at all? We’re done in five years. You’ll move on, I’ll move on. So why do this?”
That stirs something in me. A kind of ache that fills my chest.
“Because it’s what I want,” I say simply. “Because I’m a man who protects what’s his. I want to provide for you. Protect you. Love you. Until I die.”
She finally turns toward me. Her eyes are shiny but unreadable. “You keep saying that.”
“I mean it.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know all the right parts, princess. You’re kind and motivated. You’re beautiful and sassy. And I know how your body reacts to me even though you hate it.”
“Love is complicated, Ben. I don’t think you’re capable.”
