Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Luke rights himself, lets out what can only be described as a battle cry, and rushes toward Damien, head butting him. Luke wastes no time grabbing Damien's forearm and twisting it, just like he did to Andy. Damien yelps and drops the knife. Luke kicks it, then swings Damien around like he weighs nothing. Damien hits the ground with a thud. Luke pulls his foot back like he’s going to kick him in the face.
He stops at the last second, stumbling away, looking around as blood drips from the gash across his hand. The security guards are jogging toward him. Luke gestures at Damien, and they jump on him, holding him down.
I feel like I’ve been frozen in place this whole time. Now, I run outside, pushing past the reporters.
“Luke.” I sob, tearing off my jacket and taking his hand, applying pressure. “Are you okay? Oh, God.”
“I had to kick the knife away,” Luke growls. “Sera, I would’ve used it on him. I would’ve ended him. I… I almost did.” He looks around as if for somebody else to fight. “I’m sorry, my love, my angel.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, wrapping the jacket around his hand. “Squeeze down. You need to put pressure on the cut.”
“This is where it ends,” Damien yells as the security guards pin him down.
I glare at him, but he looks so pathetic pinned beneath the two men, a patch of hair missing from his head. I can’t even hate him.
“Mr. Cross, who was that?” a reporter yells.
“Mr. Cross, was he involved in the sabotage?”
“I wanted to kill him for what he did to you,” Luke snarls.
“Get out of the way,” I yell, waving a hand at the reporters. “Luke isn’t in any state to answer questions.”
“It’s okay, Sera,” Luke says, clenching his hand into a fist, keeping his other hand on my arm. “Yes, that man had something to do with the sabotage. But he’s done far worse than that. He blackmailed people, threatened a woman with a terminal illness. Worst of all, he threatened and intimidated, and tried to kidnap the love of my life: the only woman I’ve ever cared about.”
The reporters stare, rapt.
“I call Sera my Sparkplug because when she gets passionate, that’s what she’s like…” He looks at me with emotion-filled eyes. “But there’s another reason. She’s sparked something in me, something I never knew was there. I didn’t plan on this piece of filth crashing this press release, but it’s a good thing he did, because now there’s nothing stopping us from being together.”
The world goes blurry as my eyes fill with tears. He lets go of me, reaching into his pocket, taking out a jewelry box.
"Luke." I gasp, covering my mouth, everything else fading away until it's just us. Damien and the guards and the sea of reporters might as well be the emptiness of the Grand Canyon as Luke, with his injured hand, opens the ring box to reveal a glistening, exquisite diamond. "Oh my God, Luke!"
"You asked if I wanted to show the world my love for you, Sera," he says. "There's nothing I want more. You're the only woman I ever want. My partner. My rock. You're my everything. From the first moment I saw you, Sparkplug, I knew I loved you."
When he kneels down, emotion overwhelms me. Tears stream down my cheeks, love and belonging making my heart pound.
"Seraphina Vale, will you marry me?"
"Say yes," somebody calls from the crowd, sounding equally tearful.
I laugh, wiping my cheek. "I knew you were touching your pocket for a reason... yes, Luke. Yes! Yes, yes!"
The reporters cheer as he takes the ring and slides it onto my finger. He springs to his feet and pulls me into his arms. When we kiss, it's like I can feel the helicopter rumbling beneath us, see the Vegas lights glittering from Top of the World, hear the click-click-click of the roulette wheel.
"I planned on doing it after the press conference," he says when he pulls back from the kiss, his hand resting possessively on my hip.
When sirens pierce the air, I say, "This was perfect. Except your hand. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I would've taken much worse to make sure he could never hurt you again."
"I love you, Luke. I can't wait for our life together. I can't wait to wake up to you every single day. To work with you. To be with you."
The reporters soon call for a photo. We turn away gladly from Damien – from the past – and toward the cameras.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Luke
On the private jet, the four of us sit around the table. Me, my woman, Eleanor, and Graham. Upon arriving in LA, Eleanor and Graham were shocked to find a video on their phones of me taking down Damien. Hell, I was shocked too. I didn't plan on rushing out there. But when I saw him, I lost it. I thought about him cornering my woman in the bathroom, what would've happened if she hadn't been so brave and fought him off.