TEN

GABRIEL’S POV

“What?”

She withdrew from my grasp, her eyes blazing with disbelief.

I had certainly taken her by surprise. I realized that she would never feel comfortable unless I opened up to her. I needed her for so many reasons, and I didn’t want her escaping again—she had a knack for that. So, what better way to keep her than to ask her to marry me?

“Are you out of your mind? I just told you I don’t want any part in this, and you’re asking me to marry you?” Her gaze narrowed, disbelief etched on her face.

I let out a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. “I need you to be calm.”

“How can I be calm? You just dropped a bomb on me!” She protested, her feet tapping anxiously against the floor.

“Do you find me so unattractive? Don’t I possess the qualities you seek in a man?”

She shot me a glare, her voice sharp.

“It has nothing to do with that. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t trust you, let alone love you.”

“No one’s talking about love here,” I replied, frustration bu