I rubbed the scar on his lip, which was drawn deep by his ferocious scowl. “There’s always a risk, even to you.” I spoke gently but firmly. “You work with dangerous people. You’ll put yourself in dangerous situations to defend what’s yours. Just like you did when you ran straight into Arturo’s ambush to punish him for hurting me. I believe you can handle yourself.” I made sure to placate his pride, but he needed to acknowledge the inherent risks of his lifestyle.
He needed to accept that I worried just as much for his safety as he did for mine.
“I will do anything to keep you safe and happy. That means I won’t throw myself headlong into danger, when I’m confident that you can handle it. I know you’ll always protect me. But just because I’m not strong like you doesn’t mean I won’t fight for you. I fought for my family, and I’d do the same for you in a heartbeat. I love you, and I won’t let anyone take you from me. I’m yours, and you’re mine.”
His reply was a low, deep hum, and he turned his face to press a kiss against my palm. The tension hadn’t fully eased from his granite features, but he’d been soothed by my promise that I belonged to him.
“I need to take you home.” His brow furrowed, and I smoothed away the worry with a brush of my fingertips. “I need you in my bed. Our bed.”
The rope around my heart tugged, tethering me to him more tightly than ever. “I want that, too, but I don’t want my family to feel like I’m abandoning them again. Everything is too fresh; too many nightmares were stirred up by what happened today. I can’t bear to cause them any more pain.”
“They’ll stay with us,” he said immediately. “For as long as you want, they can stay in our home.”
His firm response knocked the air from my chest, and my jaw dropped. “You’ll do that for me? You’ll have overnight guests?”
His expression turned fierce, unyielding. “I will do anything for you, Marisol. I will always do everything in my power to make you happy. And my power in considerable.”
A smile tugged at my lips in response to the prideful swell of his chest. “Where will they even stay? You don’t have any spare bedrooms.” I teased him just a little bit, but my heart expanded near to bursting.
His mouth twisted in a slightly cruel, warning smirk. “It’s a good thing your teasing won’t change my mind. This decision is final.” He said it like a forbidding decree, but his luminous eyes glowed. “We’ll convert the billiards room into a bedroom for now. In the future, we’ll start working on an extension to the house, so they can each have their own rooms when they come visit. Maybe a separate building on the property.” He nodded, satisfied with his plans. “Definitely a separate building. I still want you all to myself.”
A delighted giggle bubbled from my chest. My love for him was too hot and bright to contain. I spilled from my lips, filling the room and surrounding both of us. “I love you, Raúl.”
I chose this savage, complicated, wonderful man. I wouldn’t let anything separate us. I was keeping him. Forever.
Epilogue
Raúl
One Month Later
Marisol was radiant, her golden skin glowing beneath the setting sun. I indulged myself for a few minutes, watching her contented smile as she worked in the garden, tending to her beloved flowers.
My impatience to earn her incandescent smile severed my patience, overriding even my pleasure in observing her quiet joy.
When she heard my approach, she immediately straightened and practically skipped toward me, greeting me with an enthusiastic kiss. Her soft, pliant mouth beneath mine distracted me for a few minutes, the feel of her perfect surrender completely absorbing my full attention.
Even as she shivered in my arms and pressed closer to my chest, my craving to provide her with the gifts I’d prepared for her overrode simple lust.
Twining her hair around my fist, I forcibly restrained her when I broke our kiss, ensuring she couldn’t distract me with her tempting little body and sweet submission.
She blinked up at me, her dark eyes slightly glassy with her own desire. I tugged sharply on her hair, commanding her attention. A soft moan left her lush lips, but her gaze focused on mine, as though I was the center of her world.
I straightened, my body swelling with pride. “I have something for you, corderita. Two surprises, actually.”
She beamed at me, her joy radiating from her to bathe my soul in sunlight. “You’re so good to me, Raúl. I love you.”
I chuckled. “I love you, too. But I haven’t even given you anything yet.”
She sighed happily, tipping her head back farther as she melted into me. “I don’t have to see what you’ve gotten for me to think you’re wonderful.”
“I think you’re wonderful, too.” I dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. “I know how much you love our garden, but I can tell you miss working with your family. That’s why I’ve told Stefano that you should design the floral arrangements for his wedding. Carmen should be calling you in a few hours with the official invitation.”
Her delighted, giddy laugh soared through my soul, and she practically bounced up onto her tiptoes to plant a kiss on my lips.
I bent to meet her halfway, more than pleased to receive her gratitude. “I take it that means you’ll accept the job?”
“Of course!” she gushed. “Oh, Raúl. This is amazing. You’re amazing.”
I traced the line of her smile, loving this perfect woman more than ever. She fulfilled me in ways I never could’ve imagined. When she looked at me like I was a good man, I believed her. She’d demanded that I believe her, and there was only so long I could resist giving her what she wanted.
“Anything for you,” I swore. “Always.”
I couldn’t wait one more second to bind her to me forever. Gently extricating myself from her embrace, I reached for the small, velvet box in my pocket as I dropped to one knee.
Her lips parted on a gasp, and her eyes widened with awe when I popped open the box to reveal the ring that I’d bought for her: a cluster of pink diamonds in the shape of a flower, set in rose gold. It was sweet and delicate, just like her.
“I love you, Marisol. You’re mine forever. Marry me.” It wasn’t a question. She’d already chosen me; she would accept.
Her warm, melted chocolate eyes began to shine, and her rosebud lips shaped around the words I’d craved to hear. “Yes, Raúl. I’ll marry you. I want to marry you. I’m yours forever.”
Something burned behind my own eyes as I slid the pretty ring onto her slender finger. I took a moment to admire it, captivated by the glittering symbol that Marisol belonged to me irrevocably.
My eyes were drawn back to hers as though by a magnet, and I stood to sweep her up in a fierce, possessive kiss. She opened for me on a moan; a sound of soul deep pleasure. I growled into her mouth, hungry for her absolute, blissful surrender to my control. She gave herself to me willingly, eager to submit to all of my demands, no matter how dark and perverse. She embraced every part of me, even the most savage aspects of my nature.