Page 129 of King of Obsession

And then he gets on his knee at the foot of the bed, giving me an intent look. “Now, let me propose to you properly.”

Giggling, I nod, my palm resting on my erratic beating heart. I am afraid with how it leaps and tumbles in my chest that it might escape its confines to fling itself at him.

“I knew you were it for me since I sat across from you at that bar. Your failed attempts at killing me felt more like foreplay. And damn, when we gave in, I knew I was screwed forgood. I’ve been yours since then and I will be yours until I take my last breath and beyond. Marry me.”

It’s not a question nor a demand. It’s a statement. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life than becoming his in every way.

“Yes,” I say breathlessly, and I stretch out my arm, offering him my hand.

He slips the diamond ring on my finger, but for some reason, it doesn’t feel complete. As he leans in to seal the promise of forever with a kiss, I say, “Something is missing.”

I hurry inside the walk-in closet and rummage through my luggage, returning with the collar dangling from my fingers.

I can see the hunger battling with raw adoration in his eyes.

“Are you sure? That means something else, Calla.”

I love how that name makes me feel like a new woman while bringing whatever I wish with me from my other life. It’s like I’ve been given a new purpose, a fresh beginning.

“Tell me what it means,” I say, wetting my lips.

He takes it from my hand and brings it to his mouth, where he places a kiss on the single diamond.

“It means you’re mine in more ways than one. Everyone will see that you wear my collar, my sign of ownership.”

I palm the base of my throat, eager for it to decorate my neck. I’ve felt naked, incomplete without it. “You like that, don’t you?” And so do I.

“You can’t be tamed nor possessed, amore. I’ve learned that, yet…”

That yet implies so much it makes me all hot and bothered. “There is one area you basically molded me into being yours…. So make it official.”

“Turn around.” His voice is gruff and filled with emotion.

“Ironic, isn’t it,” he says as he places it around my neck and kisses the lock and my nape. The small key fastens it with a finite click.

“Oh, I’ve learned all about irony since I met you. It was quite a humbling experience.” He turns me around so I can see our reflections in the mirror.

“I am totally marked. I wear your collar, your tattoo, your ring. I love it all, but I have one request.”

“What is it?” he asks, brushing a few strands from my neck where he can nibble along my skin.

“You’ll wear your wedding ring, and you will never take it off.”

“Never, so let’s get married next week because I want everyone else to know I am taken. Yours.”

I close my eyes, loving his desperation. It’s the same for me. It’s like all my decisions led me here to him. That’s why I can’t regret anything.

“Now let me take my fiancée out and show you your new kingdom.”

“That can wait. I want to have dinner with your sister, mother, and my brother first.”

I don’t have to tell him why. I’ve always been an orphan, but through him, I’ve gained friends and family and even a blood relative. They’re my people.

“Of course. Would you like to return to the compound?”

While I love this penthouse, I think it will be more our place to come occasionally, but home is at the compound where Kill waits for us.

“I want to go home, but you can send someone here to pack my stuff,” I suggest.

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