Page 101 of Unruly Obsession

I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles gently. Her expression softens as she watches me, but the moment I begin to slide the ring on her finger, she stiffens, and her hand yanks back.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I stare at her, bewildered, as the driver starts the car and pulls away. “Isn’t it obvious? You'll be my wife.”

“Wh-what? Wait. What? No, Lorenzo. No, we need more time. You didn’t even propose,” she says, stumbling over her words, and I can’t help but smile, still acutely aware that although my beautiful woman has grown so much, there’s still that shy, flustered part of her deep within. A side of her I’ll only allow myself to see. I’ll gouge any fucker's eyes out if they even catch a glimpse.

“I didn’t see it as a question, so why would I propose it?”

Her eyes bulge. “You can’t just shove a ring on it, Lorenzo. This needs careful thought, planning, and agreement. What if we get sick of each other? What if I don’t want marriage?”

My eyebrows drop. The busy questions that explode her mind are overwhelming even to me, when I thought all of this was quite simple.

“I want all of those things. I want you in every way. As a wife. Mother of my children, if children are what you want. Hell, I’ll even deliver the flowers from your shop to your customers. Do younotwant these things?” I thought Lily would, in many ways, be a woman who wanted a traditional lifestyle, and I'm willing to make it happen as best as I can in every way.

She stares at me, dumbfounded.

“It’s rather simple, Lily. The moment you decided to choose me was your agreement. There is no getting out of us unless it ends with me in the ground. And let me assure you, even if youattempt to move on to another man, I’ll haunt that motherfucker from my grave.”

Her mouth is still gaping. “You can’t be this intense all the time,” she says, staring at the ring. “When did you even get that? I was literally with you all night.”

“It’s my mother’s.”

Her hand goes to her heart. “Lorenzo. This is important.”

“Youare important.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “I want to say yes, but there’s still so much we need to figure out, and?—”

I slowly fold my fingers in with hers. “You have a beautiful, busy mind, my love. But I’m in this. I’m not letting you go. So, whether you decide to wear this ring now or later, it doesn’t change our future in the slightest.”

She still stares at me, disbelieving. “You’re telling me if I refuse to wear this now, you’re okay with that?”

“No.”

“Lorenzo, you’re being unreasonable,” she says, shaking her head, but when she looks at me, the corner of her mouth tics. “Don’t stare at me with those puppy-dog eyes. How about I wear it on a necklace? I’m not saying yes or no right now. I just—we need time.”

I frown. It really is as simple as yes or no. Not that no is an option.

Her hands cup either side of my face. “Lorenzo, we have all the time in the world now. You don’t need to rush this. I'm already yours.”

Something in my chest shifts, and I know I’ve lost this battle for now.

I know without a doubt Lily Taylor will be my wife.

She’ll be my obsession until I die.

But if she wants to play this game until I drag her down the aisle myself, then so be it.

“Do you promise to deliver flowers from my shop in Italy?” she asks.

My eyebrows furrow. “You want to come to Italy with me?”

She casually shrugs. “I think it’s time we both have a fresh start.” Her lips brush against mine, and that soft, gentle kiss of hers spreads a peace and contentment through me that I’ve become entirely addicted to.

I want to pull her back and question her decision, but I’ve learned to stop doing that. Once she’s made her mind up about something, she no longer wavers on it or asks for others' opinions.

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