love. My
mate. My only—! But I digress. I wanted to do this right and for
that I had to find my mother’s ring.”
“Your... mother’s ring?”
He grinned, showing off some pretty
impressive canines. “You are second-guessing me, and I’m not even
on bended knee yet. What do you think?”
He held out his hand where a little ring
glittered from a spot just before the knuckle of his little finger.
It looked like a round-cut, perfect ruby. Close to a karat in size.
Set with what could be diamonds on either side. It was
stunning.
“You like it? It’s the only thing she gave me
that the Bradleys allowed me to have. But I know if he could have
found it, my cousin would’ve taken it from me too.”
“Your cousin?”
“Woodrow Bradley Junior. Who else would shoot
me in the back? And for what? He had a wayward wife. They ran into
me in town. The moment he introduced her I knew she’d be trouble.
How could it be my fault that she... uh... she—”
“She wanted you?” Deandra finished for
him.
“Exactly! How was I to know his wife
tormented him with me? I never went around any of them.”
“Is there no end to the black history about
you?”
“How is it my fault? I didn’t even live on
the ranch. I moved on. Got a government job. Lived in the big city.
That bastard crept into my house while I slept. Shot me in my bed.
And then while I lay there bleeding, he told me why. He was
jealous. Always had been. His wife’s lust was too much. The heir to
the Bradley Ranch... envious of a bastard half-breed? Didn’t make
sense.”
“Does to me,” Deandra replied. “But just tell
me you made him pay for it. Okay? That’s all I want to know. That
one of the stinking-rich Bradleys had to pay for what they
did.”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“Cancer got him. Ate him up from the inside.
Took him a powerful long time to die. He suffered. It looked real
painful, too, especially toward the end. I know. I’d visit him at
night. To watch.”
“You tormented him. Please say you did.
Didn’t you?”
The smile he gave her was fairly
nasty-looking. Especially with the fangs he displayed. Deandra
gulped. He looked wicked. And infinitely sexy.
Sexy?
Had she even lost her common
sense? Grimm was a monster. She was supposed to be distancing
herself. Ending this.
“Oh, enough sordid history. What’s past is
done. What do we care? The future is ours! Yours and mine. And.
So.”
He lifted his eyebrows and looked unsure for
a moment. Then he set his shoulders and went on one knee in the
dust at her feet. The pulse her heart gave was intense, sending
warmth whooshing through her.
“Deandra? My love. My one and only love.
Will—uh... will you marry me?”
He pulled the ruby ring off and held it up to
her. Looked up at her with an expression that was close to killing
her. This was impossible. It had to stop. She had to find the
fortitude to say and do things totally at odds with everything in
her entire body. She’d use facts. Truth. Something besides this
love emotion hovering so near the surface!
“You’re dead.” She told him. The words
warbled.
“Actually, I believe the term is undead. And
yes. I am. Call it my dark side.”
“But... you’re a
vampire
.”
“I know. But all men have faults. So I am a
vampire. Is that so bad? Truly?”
“You’re joking, right?”
Crap
. There
was that phrase again.
“Deandra, please. You are my mate. My love.
The only woman in the entire universe for me. I love you. I want to
marry you. I want you by my side for all eternity. Please say yes,
that you will marry me. Please?”
Her heart was turning into a live entity that
shot pain everywhere. “You should’ve told me.”
“You’re right, Sweetheart. And I would have.
I swear. If you hadn’t found out from Len I’d be here telling you
everything right now. But he said it wouldn’t matter. You lit out
for the Bradley Ranch the moment you suspected my danger. Can you
please look beyond my faults and say yes?
mate. My only—! But I digress. I wanted to do this right and for
that I had to find my mother’s ring.”
“Your... mother’s ring?”
He grinned, showing off some pretty
impressive canines. “You are second-guessing me, and I’m not even
on bended knee yet. What do you think?”
He held out his hand where a little ring
glittered from a spot just before the knuckle of his little finger.
It looked like a round-cut, perfect ruby. Close to a karat in size.
Set with what could be diamonds on either side. It was
stunning.
“You like it? It’s the only thing she gave me
that the Bradleys allowed me to have. But I know if he could have
found it, my cousin would’ve taken it from me too.”
“Your cousin?”
“Woodrow Bradley Junior. Who else would shoot
me in the back? And for what? He had a wayward wife. They ran into
me in town. The moment he introduced her I knew she’d be trouble.
How could it be my fault that she... uh... she—”
“She wanted you?” Deandra finished for
him.
“Exactly! How was I to know his wife
tormented him with me? I never went around any of them.”
“Is there no end to the black history about
you?”
“How is it my fault? I didn’t even live on
the ranch. I moved on. Got a government job. Lived in the big city.
That bastard crept into my house while I slept. Shot me in my bed.
And then while I lay there bleeding, he told me why. He was
jealous. Always had been. His wife’s lust was too much. The heir to
the Bradley Ranch... envious of a bastard half-breed? Didn’t make
sense.”
“Does to me,” Deandra replied. “But just tell
me you made him pay for it. Okay? That’s all I want to know. That
one of the stinking-rich Bradleys had to pay for what they
did.”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“Cancer got him. Ate him up from the inside.
Took him a powerful long time to die. He suffered. It looked real
painful, too, especially toward the end. I know. I’d visit him at
night. To watch.”
“You tormented him. Please say you did.
Didn’t you?”
The smile he gave her was fairly
nasty-looking. Especially with the fangs he displayed. Deandra
gulped. He looked wicked. And infinitely sexy.
Sexy?
Had she even lost her common
sense? Grimm was a monster. She was supposed to be distancing
herself. Ending this.
“Oh, enough sordid history. What’s past is
done. What do we care? The future is ours! Yours and mine. And.
So.”
He lifted his eyebrows and looked unsure for
a moment. Then he set his shoulders and went on one knee in the
dust at her feet. The pulse her heart gave was intense, sending
warmth whooshing through her.
“Deandra? My love. My one and only love.
Will—uh... will you marry me?”
He pulled the ruby ring off and held it up to
her. Looked up at her with an expression that was close to killing
her. This was impossible. It had to stop. She had to find the
fortitude to say and do things totally at odds with everything in
her entire body. She’d use facts. Truth. Something besides this
love emotion hovering so near the surface!
“You’re dead.” She told him. The words
warbled.
“Actually, I believe the term is undead. And
yes. I am. Call it my dark side.”
“But... you’re a
vampire
.”
“I know. But all men have faults. So I am a
vampire. Is that so bad? Truly?”
“You’re joking, right?”
Crap
. There
was that phrase again.
“Deandra, please. You are my mate. My love.
The only woman in the entire universe for me. I love you. I want to
marry you. I want you by my side for all eternity. Please say yes,
that you will marry me. Please?”
Her heart was turning into a live entity that
shot pain everywhere. “You should’ve told me.”
“You’re right, Sweetheart. And I would have.
I swear. If you hadn’t found out from Len I’d be here telling you
everything right now. But he said it wouldn’t matter. You lit out
for the Bradley Ranch the moment you suspected my danger. Can you
please look beyond my faults and say yes?
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