Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
It was unquestionably unique and if the situation had been right, which it wasn't, it could have been an engagement ring. Her heart banged loudly in her chest as she ran the tip of her finger over the upraised diamond, wondering at his intent. She stood up and walked to the drawer where she had stashed the other jewelry before her bath. Immediately, she saw that the boxes were two different colors. Upon further inspection, the names emblazoned on the inside were from different upscale jewelry stores. Although the pieces resembled each other, they weren't a matching set.
She sat back down with the ring box in her hand, her mind going a mile a minute. His manner had been so casual just a moment ago that it was almost deceiving. But she couldn't let go of the sensation that he'd been worried about her reaction. He'd said the pieces were part of a set, which they clearly weren't. So, her blood ran swiftly through her veins as she put two and two together and came up with four, or four and a half, as she tried to calculate his intent.
The answer she came up with was dangerous because she didn't know if she was going in the right direction. Marco had wanted her to have a ring. She slipped it from the box and held it between her fingers, studying it.
It was exquisite and she desperately wanted to slip it on her left ring finger, because it was an intimate gift from him, not because she was naive enough to think they were engaged. She swallowed deeply and slid it on her right hand instead and twisted her hand this way and that, watching it catch the overhead light and glisten brightly. There was no question that it fit her ring finger perfectly, so the only choice she had was which hand to wear it on.
She absolutely didn't want to be presumptuous and wear it on her left hand, but there was an insidious little whisper in her brain that was telling her that he wanted her to wear it on her left hand. If she put it on her right hand, he might never say anything and it would then have to remain on her right hand.
If she put it on her left, she might please him and the worst that could happen would be complete humiliation if he told her to move it. She knew one thing; she had to go slowly with him.
She bit her lip in indecision and then shoved it on her left ring finger. She gasped out loud from the perfect way it felt on her hand and from the comfort she derived from it.
Now if only she had guessed correctly and she was allowed to keep it there.
****
Marco watched as Natalie left the bedroom and entered the living area of the suite. They hadn't made any definitive plans for supper, but she was dressed in a new, slinky pantsuit that defined casual elegance and could be worn in comfort at home, or would stand up in public as well. Around her neck was the necklace he'd given her, and he could see the earrings glittering through the fall of her pale hair.
He swiftly looked to her hand to see if she'd put the ring on as well. Satisfaction, hard and piercing, ran through his blood when he saw his diamond on her left ring finger. The ring was big enough and noticeable enough to ensure the kind of attention she'd been attracting in the last few weeks when they went out would go away. He didn't like the looks she'd been getting, not a damned bit. She was bright and vibrant and her face glowed with a compelling, innocent beauty that never failed to attract attention wherever they went.
And he hated it.
But short of keeping her locked in all the time, he couldn't think of a single fucking way to keep all the goddamn eyes off her. But at least now when they looked, his ring would be prominently displayed on her hand and she would be marked as his.
Now if he could only get her to agree to have his initials tattooed across the top swell of her breast, he'd be a happy man. The erotic thought ran through his mind only in jest but took hold firmly in his brain and he couldn't seem to shake it.
The image wouldn't go away and he knew without hesitation that if she'd ever allow it, he would jump all over that shit.
****
New York had been brilliant. The week had been brilliant and their relationship had improved and grown from the experience.
Natalie hugged the thought to her as they travelled together up the elevator to the penthouse when they arrived home. No doubt he'd been pleased when he'd seen the ring on her finger, and even more so the next day when she'd worn only the ring and not the rest of the set when he'd taken her sightseeing.