Page 75 of Unburied

“Did you seriously just throw an engagement ring at me?” Annoyance flashed in her eyes, and Vivi flicked the box back to him with a flip of her wrist.

He snatched the box out of the air, unable to contain the grin spreading across his face. “I'm broken, baby. Aren't you going to take pity on me?”

“Not a chance,” she snapped mutinously. “Get down on one knee like a real man and ask.”

He loved this woman. He closed the distance between them, then dropped to one knee in front of her. Maneuvering the box open with one hand, he peered up at her. “If that's what you want, baby, I'll spend the rest of my life on my knees for you.”

Vivi rolled her eyes, but a smile flirted with the corners of her lips. “You're such an idiot.”

“You knew that when you met me.”

A grin overtook her face. “True.”

“You know…” He stared up at her. “A lot of men say they’ll take a bullet for the woman they love. I actually did. You should show me a little extra appreciation for that.”

She laughed. “You are absolutely shameless, you know that? Recovering from a gunshot wound and still begging for attention.”

“I do not beg,” he said stoutly.

“Semantics.”

He couldn’t help but grin at their banter. He wanted to bicker with this woman every single day for the rest of his life. “I love you, Virginia Castillo. You're quirky and you push every single button of mine. But you also make every day better than the last, and I can't imagine my life without you. Marry me, baby.”

Her eyes softened. “Well, how can I resist a proposal like that?”

“You can't.” Wrapping his right arm around her waist, he drew her down so she sat on his knee. With his left hand, he lifted the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. “You mean everything to me, and I can't wait to spend my life with you.”

Vivi wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a fierce kiss on his lips. The force of it rocked him backward, and he rolled to the floor, taking her with him. A sharp twinge of pain shot through his shoulder, and the edges of his vision dimmed to black before coming back into focus.

Above him, Vivi slapped one hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. “I'm so sorry.”

“I’m not.” He hugged her tighter to him. “I want this every single day.”

He couldn’t stop thinking about how incredibly lucky he’d been to find her in the hotel that night. If they hadn’t met outside of work, would they be where they were today? He wasn’t sure, but he doubted it. He was so incredibly grateful for the way things had worked out. She meant the world to him, and he would never let her go.

A dull ache radiated through his upper body, but all his blood was starting to flow south, anyway. He grabbed the back of Vivi’s head with his free hand and pulled her down for a kiss. “I love you.”

Vivi smiled down at him, all the love in her heart shining from those deep brown eyes. “I love you, too.”

EPILOGUE

Vivi couldn't help the perpetual smile that had taken up residence on her face as she stared at the ring on her left hand. It sparkled in the light, sending tiny rainbows all over the wall as she turned it from side to side, and happiness like she'd never known welled up in her chest, radiating outward.

She couldn't stop thinking about him, about them. He was everything she had ever wanted and more. He was bossy and arrogant, but she would be lying if she said she didn't love those particular qualities. They made her feel important. Cherished. Loved.

The man in question caught her eye as he stalked across the lobby and then slid behind the reception desk. “Hey, beautiful,” he said.

“Hey.” She tipped her head up for a kiss.

“For the love of God,” came her brother’s voice, “would you two take a rest?”

She grinned, unwilling to let him dim her happiness. “Shut up, Knox.”

He rolled his eyes at her. “I'll be in my office if you need anything.”

He strode away, and she glanced up at Mason, who wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I think he still hates me a little bit,” Mason admitted.

“Nah, he's just making sure I'm happy,” she replied.