Page 182 of Brutal Vows

“Oh.” I laugh a little, snuggling closer to him. “Actually, marriage in general seems like a terrible idea.”

His sigh is soft and defeated. He says, “That’s what I thought,” and closes his eyes.

This man. He always assumes the worst. I’m going to have to work on that.

“I wasn’t finished.”

He cracks open one eye and looks at me. I smile up into his frowning face.

“As I was saying, marriage in general seems like a terrible idea… but marriage to a certain stubborn, bossy, cranky, possessive insect seems like it might be kinda fun.”

His breath catches. His eyes flare. His arms tighten around me. He says gruffly, “Arachnid.”

“Yes, excuse me. Arachnid.”

After a beat of silence, he rolls on top of me and stares down at me with burning intensity, every muscle in his big body tensed.

“So you’re saying you want to marry me. For real this time.”

Grinning at him, I say coyly, “I don’t know. Maybe you should ask me and find out. Because if memory serves,I’mthe only person in this room who’s proposed. Under duress, I might add.That doesn’t make such a great story we can tell our grandkids. It would be nice if we went about it properly.”

Because his chest is pressed to mine, I can feel how hard his heart is pounding. I also feel a sudden stiffness against my thigh and have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

But then I’m gasping, because Quinn has launched himself from bed, dragging me along with him. He gets me steady on my feet, then sinks to one knee on the carpet in front of me.

Gazing up at me with adoring eyes, he says in a gruff voice, “Viper. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to have my children. I want to make you the happiest woman in the world. I’ll give you everything I have to give and anything you ever ask for. I love you with every part of my dark heart and every piece of my wasted soul. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”

His smile is breathtaking. “For real this time?”

My throat tight and my eyes watering, I say, “Yes, my beautiful Irishman. I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you every day for the rest of forever, because I’ve never loved anything in my life the way I love you.”

He closes his eyes for a moment. He swallows. When he opens his eyes again, they’ve gone dark.

My monster growls, “Good answer,” and lunges at me.

He takes us back down to the bed with the sound of my happy laughter echoing off the walls.