Ashes(23)

There were glass-covered cases with several tubs of different colored – and, according to the sign, award-winning – ice creams. But instead of customers lining up at the counter, they sat comfortably while waiters took their orders.



"I had no idea this was here." Then again, she'd had no reason to come to these places before meeting Knox.



Harper plucked the menu from the stand. Damn, there were so many choices – so many different flavors, so many different toppings, and so many different syrups. They had everything, from typical flavors like vanilla and chocolate to others such as cotton candy and piña colada. 



When the host appeared, she ordered a waffle cone of salted caramel covered in butterscotch syrup and little chunks of honeycomb. When the waiter walked away, she frowned at Knox. "You're not ordering anything?"



"There's no point," he said.



"Why?"



"Because I'll get so distracted watching you eat that my ice cream would end up melting all over my hand."



Chuckling, she returned the menu to the stand and then rubbed her chilled hands together. It was a lot colder than the hotel lobby, but Harper supposed it had to be or the ice cream would easily melt. It was only right then that she noticed that Levi and Tanner hadn't followed them inside. "Where are the sentinels?"



Knox gestured to the glass wall behind her. "Waiting for us." Giving them some private time while also guarding them.



As a yawn crept up on Harper, she did her best to suppress it. She failed.



"You went back to work too early," he admonished. "You should have taken the day off to fully recover."



She gave a soft snort. "Says the guy who's probably never taken a day off in his life."



"There have been a few."



"I don't mean days where you worked from home. I mean days of no work whatsoever – no calls or texts or emails to business associates. Can you honestly say you've ever had one of those days?"



No, he couldn't. "Point taken. But you still should have taken the day off instead of pushing yourself."



"Those bastards aren't disrupting my life."



He sighed. "So stubborn."



"Proudly."



Tapping his fingers on the table, he said, "I want to ask you something. It's probably not fair of me to ask this of you – it's not a customary thing among demons and is more of a human convention, but I'd like you to do it."



Dubious, she frowned. "You're not going to ask me to get married in a church, are you?"



Mouth curving, he took her hand. "No. These rings say we're bound." He smoothed his thumb over the black diamond, adding, "I'd like you to take my surname."



Her brows almost hit her hairline. "Well, that wasn't something I'd have ever expected you to say. Maybe I should have. Your possessiveness knows no boundaries."



"I won't deny that."



"At least you're admitting it. Changing my surname doesn't seem necessary. I mean, it's not like people are under any doubt that we're together."



"It's important to me."



"No, it's important to your possessive streak."



It was more than that. "I want my mate to share my surname."



"Keeping my surname doesn't mean I'm not fully invested in this relationship or that I don't believe it will last," she assured him.



"I know that. And I fully admit that I want you branded in as many ways as it's possible to brand someone." Knox didn't even care that that was unhealthy. He'd made his peace with it long ago. "But this isn't about taking possession of you."



"Then what is it about?"


      ///
       
         
       
        



"I understand that your family name means something to you – the Wallis imps supported and loved you while your maternal family rejected you." For that reason, they'd always have his respect and backing. Well, all except for her father anyway. "I don't have a family to welcome you into. We'll be making our own family, and I want us to do that with one name."



Her chest tightened. "Did you really have to put it that way? I don't know how to argue that." It was too sweet.



"So don't." He leaned forward. "At least think about it."



"I'll consider it."



"Thank you."



The waiter then reappeared, and Harper took the bumpy waffle cone with a wide smile. "Thank you." She licked at the piece of art and groaned; the salted caramel ice cream was smooth and cold on her tongue. "You're totally missing out," she told Knox.