Page 116 of Claimed

“¡Dios!”

“Pop.” Gage gives him a warning glare, but he doesn’t back down.

“I need some more grandbabies. Make it happen, boy.”

After issuing that order, he takes Mikey and leaves us alone. Gage sighs and curls his arm around my shoulder.

“Still love me?”

“More than ever,” I answer.

“Even with my crazy-ass family?”

“I love them, too.”

He takes my hand, pulls something from his pocket and begins fiddling with my charm bracelet. When he’s done, I see he’s added a new charm – a heart.

“Love you, babe.”

He’s still not comfortable saying it, but he shows me every day by doing small things like this. It only makes me fall impossibly deeper in love with him. “I love you, too.”

He leans in and trails his nose along my neck. A shiver runs down my spine and I seriously want to drag him back to his room, even though we made love before we came here. We moved into the house two months ago and have definitely been utilizing the sex room, despite what Chopper thinks. I have to say, my life has been pretty awesome. I’ve enrolled in an online art program and it’s going great. Lonnie moved back to Miami and we exchange texts every now and again. Our relationship isn’t mended but we’re working on it. Things with Laurelyn are much better, too. I still think about Deena, what she did to me…whatIdid toher. I still don’t regret it but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t affected me. Gage is an immense help in that regard. I mean, heisthe Grim Reaper.

Ace was pissed beyond words about his guys. Even without my testimony, we had the surveillance video from the mall so that pacified him a bit. Gage handed over the men’s bodies to him and they ended up making some kind of business deal he won’t tell me about. I’d bet the Dealers are getting the better end of it though.

“Do you have to go to Miami?” Gage grumbles.

“I promised Dani I would.”

“Have them come here. The house is big enough.”

He slides his hand up my leg, making me giggle as he licks my neck. “It’s just a week, fiend. You’ll survive.”

“No, I won’t.”

He blows in my ear as his hand moves farther up my leg, and I lose it. I grab his hand and drag him to the bedroom.

“Now who’s the fiend?” he teases.

“Shut up. The only thing I want to hear from you right now is how good I taste.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles.

I throw the door open and freeze in my tracks. The room is covered in rose petals, candles flickering on every surface.What the fuck?I step inside, looking around in shocked curiosity.

“What’s going –?”

I turn around and the sight before me makes me forget the rest of what I was going to ask. Gage is on one knee, presenting me with a diamond ring glistening from a jewelry box. I begin to hyperventilate, pressing my hand to my sternum.

“Marry me,” he says simply. No speech, no professions of love, not even a question, really.

I approach him carefully, watching as he removes the ring from the box. He takes my hand, slips it on, and smiles up at me.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“You want me to marry you?”

The sarcastic asshole looks around the room then back to me with a raised brow. I smack his hand away as he stands, but he tugs me into his arms.