“But—”
“Vienna.” Zane gets up from his chair, and a moment later, he’s sitting on his knee, holding my hand. “We d-don’t want to unneces-ssarily delay. As s-soon as the tests are done, doctors can s-start the treatment.”
“But Monday? It’s too soon. What about our wedding?”
“You sh-should be home the next day, and th-then we’ll get married. Everyth-thing will be fine.”
My head starts to ache, just imagining the events at the hospital on Monday.
“Hey, what’s-s up?” When Zane squeezes my hands, I realize I’m digging my nails into his palms.
My chest constricts tight as I shake my head.
“T-tell me.” His stuttering voice sounds raspier than usual.
“We’re sitting in this gorgeous office. You’re looking insanely hot on one knee, and for just a second, I don’t want to think about being sick. I wish next week was nothing but celebrations. I wish you weren’t telling me how everything will be alright on Monday, but rather proposing to me.”
I close my eyes, and tears find a way, running down my cheeks. I’m still cursing my fate, my luck, and being shit scared, when Zane clears his throat.
I open my eyes and see him holding a ring box. My heart stops and for a beat I wonder if my sick brain has conjured up this image. I blink a few times, but he’s still there, looking impossibly handsome and plucking the shining ring out of the box.
“Vienna, th-this is an eternity band. A full circle of d-diamonds to tell you that I’m going to s-stay. With th-this ring, I promise you’re not alone. I’ll be th-there with you on Monday, dr-riving you to the hospital, and on T-Tuesday, bringing you back home, where Mys-stery and Tassels will eagerly greet you. I’ll be waiting for you on Th-Thursday at the altar. D-do you want me all th-those places beside you? Will you mar-rry me?”
15
ZANE
My heart thrashes against my rib cage, even though I know this proposal isn’t real. I’m just offering her my company so she isn’t alone in a tough time. There’s no promise of love of a lifetime, but just a short-term togetherness. Yet, this feels like one of the most potent moments of my life.
Vienna’s soft lips open and close as she looks between the ring and me. And then a beat later, she throws her arms around me. Her sobs feel like they erupt from her and somehow enter my body. A pang of pain grips me, and I clutch her tightly against my body.
At this moment, I vow to do anything to reduce this pain, this hurt. She grabs me tight, and a mixed feeling of sadness, misery, pain, and a tinge of hope, runs through me.
When she finally pulls back, her face is only inches away from me. Her eyes are red with tears and her cheeks rosy. Her grip on my jacket hasn’t loosened a bit as she says, “I’d love to be your wife, Zane Teager.”
My heart is still lurching when she places her lips over mine. This kiss is different from the one in her apartment.
This time it’s not me trying to get a good grade on my…first ever kiss.
But this time, it’s her taking everything she needs. Everything I hid behind the veil of my proposal.
I close my eyes, and she tumbles further into me. Her hands glide up my back and caress my arms until resting for a beat on my shoulders. Finally, she grabs the back of my neck. Her warm, soft lips coax me to open mine, and her tongue nudges past my teeth. I stifle back a groan when she advances further, urging me to lean against the foot of the heavy leather chair and then crawls up my lap.
My inexperienced hands don’t need any training as they pull her closer, on top of me.
She groans and I’m sure I’m hiding nothing from her, as she’s now settled right on top of my rock-hard dick. My brain is in such a daze, excited and anxious about what she’s going to do next that I almost don’t hear a clearing of a throat.
But when Vienna pulls back when there’s a loud knock, I look up toward the door. It takes my dazed brain a second to register that it’s Zander holding my office door open, with Rose blushing and hiding behind him.
“Um…Zand-der.” I stammer more than usual. “Wh-what are you d-doing here?”
“Rose had to pick up some stuff.” He lifts a small bag up in the air. “Security told us that you guys were here, so we thought we’d say goodnight before leaving. But seems like you plan to stay longer.” The curl of his lips clearly shows how delighted he is to find us.
“Um…no. We w-were also leaving.”
Vienna and I clumsily get up, avoiding eye contact with each other. I silently plead with my brother to leave, even motioning with my head, but that bastard just stands there with an amused expression.
For the first time ever, one of my brothers has found me in such a quandary. It doesn’t take a genius to know the reason for his shit-eating grin.