Sinful Ecstasy || Park Jimin ✓

45: Endearing

"Marry me, Jie."

What? Did he really just—
For the second time in less than half an hour my world stops.

Holy hell. I stare at the deeply fucked-up man I love. I can't believe what he's just said once again.

Marriage? He’s proposing marriage? Is he kidding? I can't help it—a small, nervous, disbelieving giggle erupts from deep inside.

I bite my lip to stop it from turning into fullscale hysterical laughter and fail miserably. I lie back flat on the floor and surrender myself to the laughter, laughing as I've never laughed before, huge healing cathartic howls of laughter.

And for a moment I am on my own, looking down at this absurd situation, a giggling, overwhelmed girl beside a beautiful fucked-up boy. I drape my arm across my eyes, as my laughter turns to scalding tears. No, no . . . this is too much.

As the hysteria subsides, Jimin gently lifts my arm off my face. I turn and gaze up at him. He's leaning over me.

His mouth is twisted with wry amusement, but his eyes are a
burning, maybe wounded. Oh no.

He gently wipes away a stray tear with the back of his knuckles. "You find my proposal amusing, Miss Lee?"

Reaching up, I caress his cheek tenderly, enjoying the feel of the stubble skin beneath my fingers.

Lord, I love this man. Park Jimin. I gaze up at him as words fail me. He smirks at me, but the crinkling around his eyes shows me that he’s hurt. It's sobering. I sit up and lean over him, placing my hands on his knees. I stare into his lovely face.

"You're cutting me to the quick here, love. Will you marry me?"

I press my lips together to show my displeasure but also to lighten the mood between us, "That wasn't the most romantic proposal."

He tilts his head to one side and his lips quirk up in a smile as he asks. "So that's not a no, right?" I sigh.

"No, Jimin, it's not a no, but it's not a yes either. You're only doing this because you’re scared, and you don’t trust me."

"No, I'm doing this because I've finally met someone I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Oh. My heart skips a beat and inside I melt. How is it that in the middle of the most fucked-up situations he can say the most romantic things? My mouth pops open in shock.

"I never thought that would happen to me," he continues, his expression radiating pure undiluted sincerity. "Please, marry me, Lee Jie."

I gape at him, searching for the right words. "Okay." His eyes search mine and after a beat, he leans forward and tucks my hair behind my ear.

"I promise you that I'll love you till my last breath and protect both of you." He kisses me quickly on the lips.

"Not very romantic, eh?" He raises his eyebrows, and I give him an admonishing shake of my head.

"Chocolates and flowers? A diamond ring maybe?" he asks softly. I nod and he gives me a slight smile.

"You're hungry?"
"Yes."
"You didn't eat." His eyes frost and his jaw hardens.
"No, I didn't eat." I sit back on my heels and regard him passively.

Jimin shakes his head and rises gracefully to his feet. Oh, finally we can get off the floor. He holds his hand out to me."Let me fix you something to eat," he says.

"Can't I just go to bed?" I mutter wearily as I place my hand in his.
He pulls me up. I am stiff. He gazes down at me, his expression soft.

"No, you need to eat. Come." Bossy Jimin is back, and it's a relief. He leads me to the kitchen area and ushers me toward a bar stool as he heads to the
fridge.

"Jimin, I'm really not hungry." I say but he turns to pass me a hard stare. "My wife is hungry and I'm not listening to anyone."

----------------------

Jimin's POV

I walk towards my dad who was sitting on the couch reading some documents.

Can I reconcile with him who disregards my feelings?

"Father," I call out but he doesn't look up from the papers. "So what do you want?"

I place the marriage registration documents on the table. "I want you to accept Jie as my wife."

"That girl isn't right for our family. And she agreed with it herself."

"Didn't you force it out of her, father?" He finally looks up at me. "She has completely poisoned your mind. Don't waste your life like that."

I chuckle at him. "Why do you think being with Jie will ruin my life? Are you so worried about your so-called reputation?"

"Jimin!" He yelled at me, glaring at me. I knitted my brows at him too.

"I loved you more than my mother who abandoned us. I always admired you." I scream at him but he scoffs before reaching for the documents and throwing it on my face and yells back.

"Then wake up. Stop making a fool of yourself."

**************

Double update today since it's the last week of this book?