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?