I grinned saucily. “How about a kiss of gratitude?”
He glanced at me and his hard face softened, a small smile gracing his lips. He leaned over and I pulled back. “Not on my lips.”
He looked confused. “Then where?”
I smirked, turning to look out the window. “I’ll show you when we get home.”
His low growl caused goose bumps to trail up my arms. And when we got home, he kissed me well and good.
In fact, he kissed me boneless.
It was the night before the club reopened, and Sasha called together a dinner meeting before the grand affair. It was held at the main house. Ada had prepared a wonderful banquet in celebration, and I was salivating at the look of it all.
We ate. We talked. We laughed.
Everything was going well. Almost too well, if you know what I mean. So when Anika turned to me and said what she did, it was hardly a surprise. It was expected. “So, Mina, what’s happening? Are you looking for your own place yet?”
The entire table went silent.
“Ani.” Nas stared at her. “Honey, don’t.”
Anika had been drinking since we arrived. She was currently on her fourth glass of wine and she looked rather mellow. She waved Nas off and blinked slowly. “What? We’re all friends here.”
We were?
I wasn’t so sure of that.
I cleared my throat and responded, “Well, actually, I have been looking online at apartments.”
Nas sounded taken aback. “What?” While Lev stated a firm, “No.” And Sasha… Oh, Sasha. All he said was, “Good.” They did this simultaneously, stopping to look at each other after they heard the others’ response.
Lev cleared his throat, putting his napkin down. “Not that it’s your business, Anika, but there would be no point in Mina moving.” He lifted his glass of wine and sipped at it. “Mina proposed to me two days ago.” The table went silent. He placed his glass down. “And I’ve accepted.”
What?
What what what?
Where the heck was I when this proposal was happening?
I was surprised that Lev’s pants hadn’t caught fire, because he was clearly a liar.
“Um…” I started as everyone turned to stare at me.
But Lev helped me out. “Remember? In the car. You told me that you planned to marry one man, and that one man would be me. I agree with you. I think you should marry me.”
I leaned forward, forced a light laugh, and then whisper-hissed, “That was hardly a proposal, sweetie.” I said sweetie like it was sticky and needed to get off me, like, now.
“Sure it was,” he uttered conversationally. “And I accepted.” He looked around the table. “We’re getting married.”
Nastasia chuckled, and that chuckle turned into a laugh. Viktor grinned, and soon, he was chuckling too. Sasha looked to Anika, and Anika looked as though her world was ending. I hated that for her, but she needed to understand Lev and I were together. That we loved each other. And that I was not going anywhere.
I turned to him, a smile spreading across my lips, but I did this shaking my head.
He winked at me.
I drew my face toward his shoulder, resting my lips there. “You know, we probably should have done this in private.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Nonsense. Like Anika said, we’re all friends here.”
I grinned. “So we’re getting married?” He nodded, smiling down at me, his tender expression softening his hard face. I asked on a surprised laugh, “And when will this wedding of ours take place?”
He shrugged lightly, looking all too pleased with himself. “I’ll leave that up to you, mouse. A day from now, a week from now, a year from now, I don’t care. As long as you wear my ring and promise to one day be my wife, I’ll be a happy man.”
His lips came down to kiss mine in a slow, warm kiss. When we separated, I looked around the table and announced with a smile and a shrug. “Looks like we’re getting married.” I finished by putting a hand over my mouth and laughing out loud, my disbelief evident.
It was surreal.
Three months ago, I was living in an alley, my alley, and struggling to keep myself alive. Today I was engaged to be married to the most handsome, thoughtful, kind man in the world. A man who saved my life. A man I loved with every beat of my aching heart.
It was finally happening for me.
Life was happening.
And I loved it. Every hard, trying, demanding second of it.
Right now, life was good. And although I wanted more out of it, I didn’t need it. My happiness was restored by the faith of one man.
One imperfectly perfect man.
My smile was bursting to show itself, but I had told myself that I needed to be cool. “Birdie?” I called. When she turned, I motioned with my fingers for her to come to me. She looked worried when I told her, “Sasha wants to see you in his office.”