Page 21 of His Darkest Obsession
A massive four-poster bed dominates the space, draped in rich burgundy fabrics. Massive floor-to-ceiling windows with ornate casings flood the room with afternoon light. There's an adjoining sitting area with velvet chairs and a marble fireplace.
It's beautiful. And terrifying.
Because it's a bedroom.
No! No! No!
"This will be your room," Anatoly says as he walks me in, but his voice sounds far away through the rushing in my ears.
Wait, what?
Your room.Notour room.
Some of the panic recedes, but my hands can't stop shaking. I curl them into fists at my sides.
I can't stand it anymore. I need to know.
"Why am I here?"
He takes his time turning around, and those piercing blue eyes study my face like I'm a puzzle he can't quite solve.
My heart continues to hammer against my ribs.Say something sane. Please!
"You're here," he says, his voice low and measured, "to marry me."
7
INDIGO
"That's a good one."
A laugh bubbles up from my chest. Out of all of the terrifying and insane possibilities running through my mind, I never once considered that I might have tomarryhim.
But when I see no amusement in his eye, the laughter dies in my throat.
His hand on the door moves away, and I recoil, thinking that he’s about to reach for me. But all he does is tucks the key back into his jacket and continues to look at me with his intense stare.
Holy shit."You're serious."
Instead of responding, he takes a small step forward.
Instinctively, I take one back.
Right into the burgundy adorned room.
The guards standing in the hallway disappears from my view. Not that they’ll do anything if I shout for help, based on what just happened a moment earlier. Unease moves through me.
The two of us may as well be completely alone.
I wonder if he can hear my heart beating in my chest.
"You can't—" My voice rises. "You can't justdecidethat!"
He takes another step forward, and I take another back.
"I can,” he finally says. “And I have."
“What if I say no?” The words slip out before I can stop myself.
