Page 186 of Should Our Stars Collide

“Hm?”

“There’s something I need to ask you.”

Ash stops stroking him, and shifts as if he’s trying to sit up.

“You know what? Me too.” He gently rolls Kieran off him and gets out of the bed. “Give me a sec. I need to get something first.”

Kieran sits up too and swings his legs over the edge. “Yeah, met— What?”

Ash frowns. “What?”

“What are you getting?” Something smells fishy here.

Ash opens his mouth. Closes it. Narrows his eyes. “What areyougetting?”

“Just…something from the closet.”

Ash steers his gaze towards the closet, then returns it to Kieran. His eyes narrow into tiny slits. “No, you’re not.”

Oh shit.

Kieran flings himself towards the closet, and promptly trips over nothing. He scrambles to his knees with a curse, and starts to stand up.

“Tequila, stop him!” Ash shouts.

The attack comes out of nowhere, as does Tequila. With a battle cry that’s more squeak than roar, she launches herself straight at Kieran’s calves before he even gets his legs under himself properly.

“Gah! That’s cheating! Let go, asshole!” Kieran stumbles, trying to shake her off, but the traitor clings on like she’s been waiting her whole life for this opportunity.

Time to pull out the big guns.

Kieran reaches back, shoves a hand between his calf and Tequila, and strokes her belly.

She flies off him as if someone yanked her by an invisible leash, running off with a defeated hiss.

“You’ll pay for this!” Kieran yells after her and hobbles over to the closet, sliding the door open. Adrenaline pumps through his veins as he digs around in the pockets of his khaki jacket, praying that past Kieran put the ring back where he’d found it.

His hand closes around the distinctly square shape of a velvet-soft box.Ha!

He spins around, a scream of victory on the tip of his tongue.

Ash is in front of him. On one knee. Grinning like a loon. Holding a nearly identical box.

“Nooo!” Kieran stomps his foot. “You asshole!”

“You snooze, you lose,” Ash informs him smugly.

“I wasn’t snoozing, I was attacked! Overpowered!”

“Hmm.” He flicks the box open, presenting Kieran with a ring. Shocker.

It’s a nice ring, fairly simple but elegant. Silver, with a tiny diamond sitting in the middle. Very Ash.

“Kieran. Marry me.”

Kieran’s heart soars. His stomach flutters.

He sniffs, crossing his arms. “No.”