“I went to see your brother.” He dropped his verbal bombshell as though it was no big deal, while my mind was blown.
I twisted in his lap to stare up at him in shock. “You did what?”
He cupped my cheeks in his palms and gently brushed his lips over mine. “Vince needed to be taken care of, so I had Knox hunt down his location. Some friends and I paid him a little visit to make it painfully obvious that he needs to get out of town and stay away from you.”
“It doesn’t matter how clear you made it, I can’t see Vince leaving Vegas unless there’s something in it for him,” I warned. “And he’s always thought of me as...a tool he could use when he needs me. He won’t let go of that without a fight.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing there wasn’t any fight left in your brother after I was done with him.” He traced a finger down my cheek.
Even though we were completely alone, I lowered my voice as I asked, “Wait. Did you go beat him up?”
“Yup,” he confirmed with a satisfied smirk. “The beatdown I gave him in the ring wasn’t enough. An unquestionable message needed to be delivered in a way Vince would understand. Along with a reminder that the pain he endured tonight was nothing compared to what his bookie will do to him if he doesn’t either pay up or leave town.”
“I can’t believe you did that for me.” I shook my head, trying to make sense of the lengths Saint had gone to in order for me to be safe. “What if you get caught? I wouldn’t put it past Vince to go to the cops just to mess with you. You could get kicked out of the UFC, or even be sent to jail.”
“It’s not gonna happen,” he assured me. “Your brother knows how bad things will go for him if he tries to turn me in.”
“He can be vindictive when he thinks someone has crossed him.” I wrapped my arms around the front of my body as I remembered some of the crap he’d pulled on me in the past few years. “He might file charges before he leaves town, even if he wouldn’t be here for a trial. Getting you arrested would be a major win in his book, even if you get bonded out right away.”
“You’re worrying for nothing.” He loosened the hold I had on myself and twined my arms around his neck. “Even if Vince was that dumb, the cops wouldn’t be able to file any charges because your brother doesn’t have any proof of what happened tonight. The shithole of a motel I found him in didn’t have security cameras, his injuries can be explained away by our well-publicized fight for the UFC, and I have a group of guys who’ll serve as my alibi since I wasn’t alone during my visit.”
The tension drained from my body, and I relaxed into Saint’s hold. “It sounds like you thought of everything.”
“I tried to cover all the bases,” he murmured, giving me a little squeeze. “It was important to me that this shit didn’t blow back on you. Not when the reason I went after him was because of how badly he fucked up with you in the first place.”
“I still can’t believe you went to all that trouble just for me.” I rested my cheek against his shoulder as I patted his chest. It was difficult for me to believe that we’d only met yesterday, and he’d already done so much to improve my life—giving me a place to live, making sure I had plenty of food to eat, and taking care of Vince so I didn’t need to fear for my safety. After my childhood and the crap my brother had pulled in recent years, I wasn’t a trusting person. The walls I’d built around my heart were sky high, but this incredible man had somehow managed to work his way past each and every one of them in record time.
I was struggling a little with the realization of how strong my feelings for him already were when he blew my mind by admitting, “I get that it’ll take a while for you to really believe me, but I’d do anything for you. Even if everything had gone wrong tonight and I ended up in jail, it would’ve been worth it to know you’d be safe.”
“You can’t possibly mean that.” I lifted my head to stare into his dark eyes in awe.
“Of course, I do,” he insisted, cupping my cheeks in his palms as he claimed my mouth in a passionate kiss. Our tongues tangled until I was panting. If I hadn’t already been breathless, I would’ve been when he added, “I know most people would say it’s too early, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you, angel eyes.”
“You love me?” I whispered, tears filling my eyes and spilling down my cheeks.
He kissed the wetness away before answering, “From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were meant to be mine. But I still wasn’t prepared for how hard and fast I fell for you. You scored a knockout hit to my heart without even trying, just by being your sweet self.”
“I love you, too,” I replied softly, taking a leap of faith because Saint had done more to prove I could trust him to catch me in one day than anyone else had done in my entire life. My heart thundered in my chest when his body tensed beneath me. It felt as though I waited forever for his response to my admission, but it was probably only a few seconds at most.
“Thank fuck,” he breathed, shooting to his feet with me in his arms. He set me down and dropped to one knee. I didn’t understand what he was doing until he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black jewelry box. My hand flew up to cover my mouth as I gasped in surprise. Then he flicked it open with his thumb, and my eyes widened at the sight of the three rings nestled inside.
The diamond solitaire engagement ring had to be at least four carats, but it was the bands on either side that surprised me the most. I traced the wider one with my fingertip. “Is this turquoise? I don’t think I’ve ever seen wedding bands quite like these before.”
“I wanted something special, and when I told Drew’s jeweler about how beautiful your eyes were, he suggested this set,” he explained as he pulled the engagement ring out of the box. “I love the idea of wearing something every day that reminds me of them.”
“That’s so sweet,” I sniffled.
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I cried as I held my hand out for him to slip the diamond solitaire onto my finger.
He flicked the ring box closed as he surged to his feet. Tucking it into his pocket again, he said, “I better keep these close because I plan on hustling you down the aisle before you have a chance to change your mind.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I assured him as he swept me into his arms.
“I think I’ll demonstrate why I’ll make the perfect husband for you, just in case,” he suggested as he carried me through the house. When we got to the bedroom, he did an excellent job of showing me the orgasmic perks of being his wife. Over and over again.
I hadn’t realized that when Saint said he wanted to marry me as soon as possible, he meant the very next day. But I didn’t hesitate to become his wife when he brought me to the wedding chapel at the Lennox the following afternoon. After a lifetime of bad luck, I was more than ready to start my happily ever after with my gorgeous groom.
Epilogue
Saint
“Wake up, angel eyes.” I kissed Angelique’s forehead and ran a finger down her soft cheek. I hated to wake her, but people were about to arrive, and if she missed any part of this party, I would pay for it with her tears. My wife had been planning this event for months, and I wasn’t going to be the reason she missed it.