25. Chapter Twenty-five #3
His entire body shudders against mine, breath releasing in a groan of relief, of reverence. He captures my mouth again as he follows me, joining our bodies and hearts so deeply I lose track of where I end and he begins.
He holds me after, pressing soft kisses to my hair, my cheek, my jaw, over and over, murmuring quiet Spanish against my skin, voice cracking open, raw and unguarded:
“Eres mi vida, Camille. Mi luz. Mi todo.”You’re my life, Camille. My light. My everything.
And as I lie beneath him, tangled in sheets and silence and sweat, his words echo through me like the softest promise, anchoring us both:
Forever.
Together.
Bound in every way that matters.
***
It’s early afternoon when Kane walks into the room, sunlight cutting sharp golden lines across the floor, illuminating him from behind like something mythic and dangerous.
He pauses in the doorway, eyes locked onto me as I stand barefoot by the open balcony, wrapped in a silk robe, the warm Miami breeze playing gently with the loose curls around my shoulders.
He’s holding something small, dark velvet resting in his palm.
I look up from my tea, instantly stilling.
“Come here,” he says quietly.
My heart trips over itself as I set my cup down and step toward him. The silk whispers around my legs, soft against suddenly sensitive skin.
He takes my hand, guiding me to sit on the edge of the bed, then kneels slowly in front of me, not subservient, never submissive, but with that quiet reverence he only ever shows me. His thumb strokes my knuckles gently, deliberately.
“I promised you,” he says, voice rough and deep, eyes locked fiercely onto mine, “I’d give you everything. Not just my name, but my loyalty. My heart. All the things I never thought I’d offer anyone.”
My breath stutters.
“Kane…”
His thumb stills over my finger, eyes never wavering.
“You said yes to forever,” he murmurs softly. “This is me promising you the same thing.”
He opens the velvet box slowly.
Inside sits a ring, simple yet impossibly perfect. An emerald-cut diamond, strikingly clear, held firmly by delicate gold bands. Elegant. Timeless. Unapologetically bold without ever screaming for attention.
Just like us.
I lift trembling fingers to my lips, unable to speak.
“It was my grandmother’s,” he says softly, eyes watching me closely, expression guarded but vulnerable beneath the surface. “My father kept it hidden, untouched for years. He never thought it would belong to anyone again.”
Emotion tightens his voice.
“It belongs to you now, Camille.”
I look at him, this powerful, violent, ruthless man, kneeling in front of me, offering the one thing he never thought he’d surrender: his future, his history, his entire heart.
“It’s perfect,” I whisper shakily.
He carefully takes the ring, sliding it gently onto my finger. A perfect fit. Heavy, warm, grounding.
He kisses my knuckles softly. “Eres todo para mí, mi cielo.”
You’re everything to me, my heaven.
I hold his gaze, tears blurring my vision as I lean forward, cupping his jaw in my palm, brushing my lips gently over his.
“Te amo,” I whisper. “Forever.”
His mouth curls into a slow, rare smile, as brilliant and devastating as sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
“Forever, Camille.”
***
We find Lena lounging dramatically by the pool, huge sunglasses on her face, cocktail in hand, legs stretched out on a pool chair like royalty. When she sees us approaching, she peers over the rim of her sunglasses, immediately suspicious.
“You two look annoyingly well-sexed,” she declares loudly. “Can you tone it down? Some of us are still tragically single and violently jealous.”
I laugh softly, holding up my left hand.
For once, Lena is speechless.
Her sunglasses slide slowly down her nose. Her mouth drops open dramatically, cocktail dangerously tilting in her hand.
“Oh my fucking God,” she whispers.
Then louder: “OH MY FUCKING GOD.”
Kane’s eyebrow twitches slightly, amusement flickering beneath his usual hard stare.
“Is that an engagement ring? Did Miami’s hottest morally questionable power couple just go nuclear-official?
” Lena scrambles out of the chair, nearly faceplanting, before rushing toward me and grabbing my wrist, practically shoving the ring to her nose.
“Holy shit, Camille! He really locked you down with a rock that could finance a small coup.”
“Actually,” Kane drawls softly, “it probably has.”
Lena stares at him. “Was that…did you just joke?”
“Careful,” he replies evenly. “I’ll deny it.”
She barks out a laugh, turning back to me. “Bitch, you did it. You domesticated the scariest man I’ve ever seen in my life. Where’s the fucking champagne?”
“You’re already drinking a cocktail,” I say, laughing.
“Yes, but this is a champagne-level situation.” Lena turns dramatically, shouting toward the kitchen, “JAVI! Your overlord knocked up and proposed to my best friend. Bring me bubbles before I faint dramatically into the pool!”
I cover my face, half laughing, half mortified.
Kane leans in, murmuring near my ear, amusement roughening his voice, “She knows Javi’s my head of security, not a bartender, right?”
“Lena doesn’t care,” I whisper back, smiling. “She just likes making trouble.”
He pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple, his voice turning low and warm. “Then she’ll fit right in.”
Lena, watching us like she’s just witnessed the creation of the universe, sighs dramatically.
“I’m planning the wedding,” she declares. “I’m seeing themes. Murder chic. Dark romance. Rich bitch gothic. You know…your entire vibe.”
I laugh softly, leaning into Kane’s shoulder.
My entire vibe.
Our entire vibe.
It’s official.
Forever starts right now.
Kane
Lucía’s laughter dances through Diego’s courtyard, sharp and sweet, on the cusp of innocence and something darker, deeper.
Strings of soft lanterns glow gently, casting quiet shadows against worn stone.
Music pulses softly through hidden speakers, blending into the warmth, the spice, and the murmur of family gathered tight under one sky.
But Diego stands apart, shoulders taut, jaw set like he’s braced for impact. His gaze scans every corner, every shadow, his hand clenched tight around his glass.
I move silently, stopping beside him, voice pitched low. “You look ready for blood instead of celebration.”
He glances sideways at me, lips twisting faintly. “We’re always ready for blood. You made sure of that.”
I exhale, slow, measured. “Maybe it’s time we learned something else.”
He stills. “Something’s changed.”
“Yes.” The word hangs heavily between us, more confession than confirmation. “I asked Camille to marry me.”
Diego freezes completely, his surprise genuine, raw. He turns slowly, eyes narrowing, calculating every nuance of my expression. “You proposed?”
“Yes.”
“And she said yes?” There’s disbelief, sharp-edged and tempered with something cautiously hopeful.
I hold his gaze steady, voice quiet but firm. “She did.”
A charged silence expands, fragile and dangerous. Diego carefully sets his glass aside, as if wary he might shatter it. “You never once wanted marriage,” he finally says, voice low and tight. “Never considered it possible.”
“Because I never had a reason.”
“And now?”
I pause, taking a breath, feeling the confession claw its way out. “Camille’s pregnant.”
Diego’s entire body reacts, muscles tightening visibly, eyes sharpening with fierce intensity. He takes a step back, staring hard, reading everything I’m not saying. “You’re having a child?”
“Yes.” My voice frays at the edges, the words cutting deep. “Everything’s different now. And it scares the living fuck out of me.”
Diego steps in closer, gripping my shoulder fiercely. His hold is iron, grounding, unyielding. “If anyone deserves a shot at something pure, it’s you, Kane. After everything…every kill, every sacrifice…you deserve this.”
My throat tightens, eyes drifting toward Camille across the courtyard, smiling, radiant, safe. Mine. “I want to believe you. But every night I close my eyes and see how quickly I could lose them.”
“You won’t,” Diego says, voice steel, his grip tightening painfully. “Because we fight, we bleed, we kill but we never fail what’s ours. And now your woman, your child…they belong to us, too.”
I turn back to him, loyalty burning hot and raw in my chest. This man, my brother in every way but blood, has walked through hell beside me. He’s never faltered. Never questioned.
“You’ve always been my brother, Diego,” I say roughly, emotion breaking through my voice. “In every way that matters.”
He yanks me into a fierce embrace, hard and unyielding. We stay locked there for one charged, silent heartbeat, promises passed without another word.
When he pulls back, Diego offers a tight, rare smile. “Congratulations, hermano. To you and your Camille.”
But the word “congratulations” has barely faded into the humid night when everything cracks wide open, violence shattering our fragile peace with brutal precision.
Camille
The laughter fractures, splintered by a scream so raw it shreds the night wide open.
My heart stops, breath frozen painfully in my lungs as Lena’s nails bite into my wrist, her eyes wild, unseeing.
Everything around us crashes into chaos, bodies scattering, paper lanterns swaying violently, strings snapping loose to spiral into shadows.
And then comes the gunfire, sharp and brutal, cracking through the air like bones breaking.
Men pour into the courtyard, dark, faceless, moving swift and precise, weapons glinting deadly under the fractured lights. My pulse hammers violently, blood roaring in my ears, throat closing tight.
“Camille,” Lena gasps, voice a choked whisper, panicked.
“Stay down!” I shove her behind a stone column, heart screaming in my chest, scanning frantically for Kane, for strength, for safety, for the vicious calm only he possesses.