“Your brother still won’t drink coffee, did you know that? Old wounds never heal for some. Then there are others, like you, who seem unfazed.”
She tasted her coffee. “What you see isn’t always what you get. My brother has his wounds, I have mine. We deal with things in our own way.”
“And you like to run. To put up walls so high that nobody can get in.”
She shrugged, taking another sip. “If it works…”
Boss leaned back in his seat, staring at her. Seagulls cawed over the water. A boat horn bellowed in the distance. This place reminded her of her own little hideaway by the ocean. It relaxed her.
“You’re not the flavor of the week, Graciella. I’m done with other women. There’s only one I’m interested in.”
“When you say that, I feel threatened.”
“I know. You need to learn to trust me. I won’t hurt you,” he said. “No one knows your story like I do. I’m still here, baby. And I’m not running.”
God, she wanted Boss. He looked so damn edible. He was a tattooed, muscular beast sitting on an overpriced restaurant patio and no one dared tell him he didn’t belong. He was the kind of man who demanded respect and got what he wanted.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out an elaborate ring box. He placed it on the table then pushed it toward her. She stared, not knowing what to think. He hadn’t said a word.
Graciella decided to put it all on the line since he’d convinced himself he wanted her.
“Have you forgotten my debt to Viko? I imagine a man like you would bristle knowing their woman owed a lifetime debt to the Circle of Monsters.”
He tapped his fingers on the table, not speaking, his eyes intense.
“Exactly. A deal breaker,” she said.
“Open the damn box, Graciella.”
She took a breath and reached for the box. He placed his hand briefly over hers, startling her, then he sat back and waited.
Was she holding her breath? It felt like the entire world had slowed down just for this moment. She opened the box. Inside was the largest, most perfect diamond engagement ring she’d ever seen. And she’d seen a lot in her line of work. This was something else entirely.
“I commissioned it just for you,” he said.
She swallowed hard. “What does this mean?”
Boss leaned over the table, holding her forearm in place as she held the box with the other. “Marry me, Graciella. We have one life to live. We’ve both suffered enough. Why can’t we be happy? Together.”
“Marriage? The killer of kings is asking me to marry him?”
She was dumbfounded and all her thoughts and higher reasoning went out the window, leaving her helpless and unsure of what to say next.
“Why not?”
“I can write a list a mile long why it wouldn’t work,” she said, staring at the ring.
“But it’ll work in spite of it all. Because I love you.”
This time, she looked him in the eyes, completely taken aback. She’d always felt so unlovable that it felt foreign to hear it—and believe it.
“Boss…”
“Marry me, Graciella Moreno. I swear to God, I’ll be true to you for the rest of my days.”
Her first instinct was to run, to refuse all the beautiful words. But he was right. Enough was enough. She didn’t think she was capable of it after everything she’d been through, but she loved him too. He drove her crazy and she loved him anyway.
She thought about him all the time.