Page 81 of Merciless King

I noted that he hadn’t come near me, which was not like Van at all. As soon as I walked into a room, he was moving toward me. Always.

“Hungry?” he said.

I nodded slowly. “Yes, starving. But first I think you should tell me what this is about.” My heart started to beat faster. “Has something happened? What’s wrong?”

Van crossed the room and took my shoulders in his hands. “There is nothing wrong. Not one thing.” He looked away then back, and wow, to say he looked intense was an understatement. “I was going to do this after we ate, but I see now I’m going to have to change things around a bit. Lulu’s gonna kick my ass if I fuck this up.”

I frowned again. “Lulu? Fuck what up?” I was totally lost and I told him so.

“Wait here,” he said. Something moved through his eyes that I didn’t recognize, which alarmed me. I’d seen all his looks: pissed off, broody, sweet, affectionate…turned on. The look he’d just given me I had never seen before in the whole six months I’d been living with him.

I watched as he disappeared down the hall and heard the spare bedroom door open and close. He was gone a few minutes, then he was back, standing there with the tiniest puppy I’d ever seen in his arms. She was white and fluffy and had a pink ribbon around her neck.

My hands flew to my mouth and I barely held back the squeal of delight that was desperate to break loose. “Oh my God!” I cried, jumping up and down. “You got me a dog?”

Van was grinning, looking extremely pleased with himself. And he had good reason to be. I rushed over and he handed her to me.

I took her and buried my face in her fur. “Hello, baby,” I whispered. She licked my cheek and I looked back up at Van, smiling so wide I thought I might burst. I stroked her and something bumped my hand. I looked and there was something hanging from the ribbon around her neck.

“What is that?” It was heart shaped, like a locket only a little bigger. It had a clasp on it.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” he said, voice dropping low.

My gaze shot up to him and I swallowed hard. I had no trouble recognizing the look on his face. Heat and affection, and a little trepidation.

I thought my heart was racing before.

The puppy squirmed in my arms, so I walked to the couch and sat down. She was wriggling like crazy, but I managed to undo the bow from around her neck and put her down to run around the floor. The clasp was firm, and it took me a moment to get it open.

I pulled the two sides apart…

A ring fell into my hand.

It was gold, set with a pale pink square diamond. It caught the light as I held it in my shaking hand. My gaze shot up to Van, but he wasn’t standing beside me anymore, he was down on his knee in front of me.

He took my hand, his skin warm and rough, his touch sure and tender.

I bit my lip, my eyes filling with tears.

“I can’t ever imagine my life without you in it, I don’t want to. Will you marry me, London?”

I blinked and tears spilled over, running down my cheeks. “Yes.” I nodded, more tears falling. “Yes, I will.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded again. “Yeah.”

Van growled, curled his hand around the side of my neck, thumb at the corner of my mouth, and leaned in, kissing me so deep and so packed with emotion I felt dizzy from it.

The puppy wriggled up onto my lap, nipping and licking and yapping. Van picked her up and put her on the floor. “Sorry, little girl, but London is all mine for the next hour.” Then his gaze came to mine and he took the ring from me and slid it on. “When I slide inside you, I want you wearing my ring.”

He pushed me back onto the couch, thrust his fingers in my hair, and covered me, kissing me again.

* * *

Van

I sat at a table in Stilettos and grinned like a damned fool. I wasn’t the only one.