I aimed at the target and put my finger on the trigger. “And this trigger is as close to a hair trigger as you’ll ever get.”
“I’m asking Nikolai to marry me tonight.”
The sound of Jude’s voice coming over the PA system registered but it took a split second to process what he’d said. When my brain managed to replay the words, my entire body jerked.
And my finger hit the trigger.
The blast of the gun tore through the room, but the bullet hit nowhere near the target I’d been aiming at. Instead, it hit one of the huge LED lamps in the ceiling, shattering it and sending sparks flying.
Holy hell.
There were about two seconds of stunned silence before the guys around me began laughing their asses off.
“Dude, it happened!” someone yelled from behind me.
I ignored the raucous celebration that broke out because Jude was still talking over the loudspeaker.
“I’m flipping the fuck out, Dannie,” Jude admitted. It was clear he had no clue he was on speaker.
“Um, Jude,” I heard Dannie begin to say.
“I know, I know, he loves me, and he wants to be with me. But it’s been such a hard year and maybe it’s not the right time. He’s my entire world, Dannie.”
“Yeah, I know, Jude, but—” Dannie tried again.
“What do I do if he doesn’t want the same things as me? Like kids. We’ve never talked about that. I didn’t think I’d ever want to be a dad but being around his family… I do, I want it. I haven’t told him this yet, but I found this piece of property near his parents’ bakery. It’s big enough for two houses. There’d be enough room for a yard for Natalia and Maks and our kids but what if he doesn’t want to live next to his family forever—”
“Jude!” Dannie shouted.
“What?” Jude asked, clearly shocked by her outburst. Dannie’s next words were muffled so I didn’t know what she was saying but I had a feeling she was telling Jude he’d somehow managed to accidentally turn on the PA system because Jude said, “What?” again, his voice now filled with dread. I found myself smiling as there was a scramble to turn the PA off.
Everyone behind me had fallen silent. When I turned, I handed the weapon to the nearest guy and moved past the men and women. A couple of them patted me on the shoulder and Harvey, the guy I’d berated so long ago for allowing his crush on Dannie to be a distraction, good-naturedly called, “Go get ’em, boss!”
I had every intention of doing just that.
I hurried to the stairwell and took the stairs two at a time. Once I reached the main floor, it was easy to find Jude. He was slowly making his way down the open stairs that led to the third floor. Every eye in the room was on him and I could see that his face was beet red. When he spotted me, he didn’t run, though. In fact, he lifted his chin a little and continued down the stairs like nothing had happened. When he reached the bottom of the steps, he turned toward me instead of making a break for the exit.
I was so fucking proud of him.
I didn’t move as he walked to where I was standing in the center of room. The men and women who should have been working out or training had all stopped to watch the show, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the man walking toward me.
“Nikolai, I’m sorry—” he began.
I dragged him to me and kissed him hard. Jude’s arms went around me and he kissed me back without hesitation. When I forced myself to break the kiss, I whispered, “You beat me to it.”
Jude’s beautiful blue eyes went wide as he realized what I was saying. “Really?” he asked.
I nodded. “You’ll see it when we get home.”
“What did you do?” Jude asked as his fingers stroked my jawline.
“Let’s just say it involves a lot of rose petals and Post-it notes,” I said.
He laughed. “It sounds perfect.”
“It should be. I had to endure a two-hour history lesson on roses before Cliff would give up a few.”
“You went to see Cliff?” Jude asked in surprise.
“Had to,” I said softly. “Needed your family’s permission.”
He began to blink rapidly. “You asked Cliff if you could marry me?”
I nodded as I reached up to wipe away a tear that slipped down his cheek. “I love you,” I murmured and then I claimed Jude’s mouth again.
“So is that a yes?” someone yelled. It sounded a lot like Mike.
I took my time ending the kiss. When I finally forced myself to release Jude’s mouth, I pulled back a little but kept my eyes on him as I answered. His smile told me he already knew what my answer would be.
“It’s a yes,” I said softly.
It took a few seconds before the person closest to Jude and me could convey the response to everyone else. I took the opportunity to kiss Jude again before pulling him into my embrace and settling my mouth next to his ear. “It’s a hell yes… to everything.”
The crowd around us broke out in applause but I barely heard any of it because I was too focused on Jude. I felt his smile against my shoulder and then his fingers were caressing the back of my neck.
“Take me home, Nikolai,” he whispered.
“Always, Jude,” I said as I pressed a kiss to the skin just below his ear and reached my hand down to link our fingers together. “Always.”
The End
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Also by Sloane Kennedy
(Note: Not all titles will be available on all retail sites)
The Escort Series
Gabriel’s Rule (M/F)
Shane’s Fall (M/F)
Logan’s Need (M/M)
Barretti Security Series
Loving Vin (M/F)
Redeeming Rafe (M/M)
Saving Ren (M/M/M)
Freeing Zane (M/M)
Finding Series
Finding Home (M/M/M)
Finding Trust (M/M)
Finding Peace (M/M)
Finding Forgiveness (M/M)
Finding Hope (M/M/M)
Love in Eden
Always Mine (M/M)
Choosing Fate (M/F)
Tempting Fate (M/M)
Pelican Bay Series
Locked in Silence (M/M)
Sanctuary Found (M/M)
The Truth Within (M/M)
The Protectors
Absolution (M/M/M)
Salvation (M/M)
Retribution (M/M)
Forsaken (M/M)
Vengeance (M/M/M)
A Protectors Family Christmas
Atonement (M/M)
Revelation (M/M)
Redemption (M/M)
Defiance (M/M)
Unexpected (M/M/M)
Shattered (M/M)
Unbroken (M/M)
Obsessed (M/M)
Protecting Elliot: A Protectors Novella (M/M)
Discovering Daisy: A Protectors Novella (M/M/F)
Pretend You’re Mine: A Protectors Short Story (M/M)
The Four
Forgotten: Luca (M/M)
Foreseen: Lex (M/M)
Non-Series
Four Ever (M/M/M/M)
Letting Go (M/F)
Short Stories
A Touch of Color
Catching Orion
Twist of Fate Series (co-writing with Lucy Lennox)
Lost and Found (M/M)
Safe and Sound (M/M)
Body and Soul (M/M)
Above and Beyond (M/M)
Crossover Books with Lucy Lennox
Made Mine: A Protectors/Made Marian Crossover (M/M)
The following titles are available in audiobook format with more on the way:
Locked in Silence
Sanctuary Found
The Truth Within
Absolution
Salvation
Retribution
Logan’s Need
Redeeming Rafe
Saving Ren
Freeing Zane
Forsaken
Vengeance
Finding Home
Finding Trust
Finding Peace
Four Ever
Lost and Found
Safe and Sound
Body and Soul
Made Mine