“Marry me.”
What?!Her soundless question was louder than words.
“It’ll wash away any negative implications on you if the public perceives this as a real romance.”
“No!”
“We lost fourteen years together already. I don’t want to lose any more time. Marry me.”
Vihaan tapped gently under her open jaw, an action that had her irritated and swatting him away. She tried to step back, finding herself blocked by the dressing table behind her. “You can’t be serious,” she exclaimed, fists clenching by her sides.
“The only thing Ican’tbe is away from you.”
“I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.”
“You can do better than using that clichéd line, Princess.”
Vera’s low growl at his supercilious comment relieved him. He was glad to see that her spirit was intact. If he’d broken that, he could’ve never lived with himself.
“Okay,” Vera snippily replied. “How about ‘you can be the final man in existence across all the seven realms and I would still choose to die alone, you ass-butt!’”
“Well done,” he chuckled. “You finally sound more like the spitfire I plan to marry.”
“You condescending litt—”
Her words died in an embarrassing squeak when Vihaan leaned forward to place his palms on the table, caging her between his chest and the dresser behind. He wished he could peek into her soul and become a part of the person she was so that she would have no choice but to accept what was so clear to him. Dark eyes stared back at him when he bent toward her, the momentary flash of something other than dislike deepening his resolve.
“I may not be the last man on earth, or in the seven realms, sweetheart, but I am the only man who will share a life with you. News about us started to spread before we stepped on that stage.”
“We’ll lay low for a bit,” she slowly suggested, the seriousness of their predicament reflected in her worry. “We can contest the credibility of the news. This will blow over and we can go back to our lives.”
The sarcastic snort that escaped him had Vera glowering furiously. If she could shoot laser beams out of those gorgeous eyes, he’d be the cartoon version of a roast pig on a spit. When she shoved against his chest in obvious ire, he stepped away. This was going to be hard enough without antagonising her further.
“I’m Vihaan Oberoi. I’m not known for commitment, and I supposedly proposed to you. No matter what we say, there will be plenty of scrutiny.”
Vera grimaced, knowing he was right.
“I really am sorry,” he continued. “I thought we were alone when I. . .”
“Of course you did. You’d never kneel in front of the world.”
Vihaan huffed out a sad laugh. “I don’t give a damn about that. I would’ve kneeled on stage if I didn’t think you’d hate me afterward for that kind of public display. Hurting you is my biggest regret.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching for Vera, the need to touch her constantly for assurance having spiked with the understanding that she was determined to fight their connection.
Vera had looked at him with such censure on that stage, every word striking him like a poisonous dart. He’d wanted so badly to believe that his sincerity would rupture her iron will that he hadn’t considered how his actions could be misconstrued. A proposal? Hah, Vera would sooner shave her own head and join a nunnery than marry her worst offender.
Despite this clarity, Vihaan wasn’t self-sacrificing enough to let her off on a technicality. Knowing her stubbornness, she would thrust them both into a lifetime of loneliness and misery simply out of spite. He couldn’t let that happen. Not when he’d just found her again. Not when he knew in his bones that they were endgame. He’d been gifted this opportunity and he fully intended to take advantage of it.
“Keep being angry,” he said softly, acknowledging that her timeline for forgiving him would not match his. “Keep hating me. Ruin my peace if you need to find yours. Just do it as my wife.”
“You’re being completely irrational.”
“We’ve already established that I am not a good man. You’re right. I am selfish. I can be rash, unreasonable, even downright horrible. But if being bad means that I get to keep you, I’ll be the worst villain in the world.”
“Why?!” she snapped.
“Because I love you.”