Page 123 of Savage Empire

He gasps, pretending to be offended. “Well, it’s not my fault I’m not allowed to help you cook. You hit me with towels when I get in your way.”

Rolling my eyes, I point my knife toward the strawberry in his hand. “That’s because you eat everything you touch. You’re no help at all.”

“I can’t help it that I’m a growing boy,” he protests, sporting a grin.

“Go shower.” I huff half-heartedly. “He’ll be here soon.”

“I’ll be quick,” he says, chomping into his berry. “Wouldn’t want to leave you two alone for too long. You might kill each other before I get my prime rib and potatoes.”

“I can still hit you with a towel,” I warn, watching his hands shoot up innocently. He backs away, watching me closely with a boyish smile, like I might run after him if he turns away.

Once he makes it to the stairs, he turns and rushes up them, leaving me to chuckle at his dramatics. After a few minutes of prepping strawberries for dessert, my phone buzzes on the counter.

Apollo

Let me in without alerting Yordan.

I frown at the message, confused. Wiping my hands on my waist apron, I head to the front door. My breath catches as I swing it open, struck by how handsome he looks. He’s always in a nice suit, but something about him seems different—more magnetic, even.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve seen him without the suit. I know what he looks like naked, and what he feels like inside me. Something tells me it’s going to be harder to ignore his good looks from now on.

“He’s in the shower,” I say by way of greeting. “You can come in without him seeing you, but why?—”

I can’t get the rest of my question out before he’s inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. He takes my hand and tugs me back into the kitchen without a word, and I’m too bewildered to question him.

“I have something for you,” he tells me once we’ve stopped walking.

“Something Yordan can’t see?” I ask, eyebrows drawing in. “If this is a sex thing, now is definitely not the time.”

His eyes flash and his head tilts ever-so slightly. “My, my. Sex still on the brain days later,micina?”

“No,” I lie stubbornly. “I figured it was for you. I’m difficult to forget.”

“Yes, you are.”

Gulp.

“But this isn’t a sex gift, love,” he continues, reaching into his pants pocket. “It’s something much more wholesome, I promise.”

At the sight of a small black box, I hold my breath. Once he opens it, I nearly pass out. My knees go weak and my head swims.

Sat in a plush satin pillow is a giant round diamond, halo setting with what must be eight or more carats in mass. It’s crystal clear, polished, and fucking flawless. The kind of engagement ring you’d see on the ring of a literal princess or a billionaire’s wife.

Holy shit.

Eyes scanning my face, he doesn’t need to hear me react to see what he needs to know. “You like it, then?”

“Apollo, this ring…” I trail off, tongue feeling heavy. “This must have cost a fortune. It’s too much.” It’s too perfect. Huge, round, sparkly, and gorgeous—exactly what I would want in a fairytale dream.

“Sienna picked it out,” he says calmly. My whole chest feels like I’ve just been hit with a warm shock.He consulted her?“She said you would like it.”

“I love it,” I confess in a rasp, watching with wide eyes as he lifts my left hand and slides the ring into place. It fits perfectly. “I can’t believe you asked her. It’s beautiful, I just didn’t expect?—”

“I told you that our marriage wouldn’t be cold,” he interrupts softly. “We’ll come to care for each other, Rayna, no matter how we feel now. We’ll share a child. We’ll share years and years together. We’ll share a bed. I won’t look down at your hand ten years from now and feel ashamed that I didn’t put a ring deserving of you on it.”

“O-okay.” I swallow hard, processing his declaration. “That makes sense, I guess. Thank you. It’s lovely. I’m kind of sad that I have to take it off until we tell him.”

Apollo smiles like I’ve just complimented him in some way, and I don’t know how to react to that. “Well,” he says, offering an amused look. “You could simply keep it on and break the news that way.”