Page 102 of Bought By Sin

“I’m not good at asking for things, Mila. You know that,” he teased, cupping my face. “I’m better at just telling you what I want. What I expect.”

“And what do you expect by telling me that you’d like it if I married you?” I asked, snuggling into his touch.

“A lifetime of loving you.”

I raised my brows. “That’s it?”

“That’s literally it. That’s all that matters. A lifetime of being able to love you. Because I do, Mila. You might have come into my life with another purpose, but from the moment I first saw you, I was intrigued to know you, to understand how you could be so defiant and strong.”

He leaned in close and kissed me like he wanted to pour all that love into one heartfelt gesture.

“I love you, Mila. And I would love it if you could be my wife.”

“Not a slave you bought?” I mocked.

He shook his head then kissed me again. “My wife.”

Another kiss.

“The woman I love.” Another kiss and he crawled closer, lying over me but careful not to crush me.

“The partner I want in the field with me.”

I clung to him with my good arm as he kissed me for longer, hovering over me and stretching his arm out.

“The spy I need to count on.”

He moved further, kissing me again but seeming to grope for something on the table.

“The sweet submissive under my control.”

Another kiss as he settled back on his side, facing me rather than covering me.

“But most of all, as my wife.” He held out a ring box, showing me what he’d reached for. “Mila, will you marry me?”

I smiled, gazing at the ring. He meant it. He’d really thought this out. “I can’t wear that.”

“Okay. That’s what I told Selma.” He reached over me again and held out another ring box. This one wasn’t the massive, gaudy mountain of a diamond on a thin band. This second option was a simpler, flatter band of a darker metal with light sapphires lining it. Still pretty and feminine, but more practical. “This is what I thought you’d like.”

I held my hand out, my heart racing at how this man was changing my life again. “You asked your cook for advice?”

He smiled as he slid the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit, and I held it up to admire it.

Tugging my hand to his mouth so he could press a kiss to my knuckle near the ring, he nestled closer. “She’s a good judge of character, usually. I suppose she thinks every Mafia queen needs a showpiece.” He framed my face, stroking his thumb over my cheek. “But you outshine any ring or gemstone.”

I relished the soft press of his lips on mine.

“Just to confirm. That was a yes?”

I laughed. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Lev.”

We kissed again, but just as it began to get heated, he pulled back and frowned. “What were you going to say that was so important?”

“I love you.”

Testing out those three vital words for the first time was another leap of faith. Another example of how I was free.

Happy tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I was instantly overcome with bliss. With him kissing me again and cradling me close, I recognized that I had already started building a new life here. Not one defined by captivity, but by choice.