Unknown
***Ethan***
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
She giggles at our simultaneous reactions. She looks downright
ravishing. Her makeup is perfect, just enough to accentuate her natural beauty.
Her hair hangs around her face in gentle waves and the dress… Good God, the
dress! It highlights her body perfectly, clinging to her curves. Her creamy
thigh peeks out at me from between the slit in the skirt. Wait a minute….
“It’s too late to change, Sheriff. Deal with it.”
“Are you reading my mind, minx?”
“It’s not very hard.”
“Oh? What am I thinking now?”
“You’re thinking that I look spectacular and you won’t leave
my side all night.”
She’s right; that’s exactly what I was thinking. “Very good.”
I take her hand and gently kiss the inside of her wrist. She shivers at the
contact. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
With a slight bow, I present her the jewelry box I’m holding.
“For you, my lady.”
She takes it, her eyes not leaving mine, until she’s flipped
the lid.
“Oh, my God, Ethan! It’s beautiful. Are these…?”
“Diamonds? Yes. Set in white gold.”
The diamonds in the seven-carat necklace graduate in size as
they get to the biggest one in the center.
“Ethan, it’s too much.”
“No, it’s not.” You deserve a million more, and I will
gladly buy them for you.
“I can’t accept this. How did you even—?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I cut her off.
I remove it from the box and step behind her to place it
around her neck. She moves her hair to the side so I can clasp it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, your chariot awaits.”
I take her hand and lead her to the car, watching as she
fiddles with the necklace. Abruptly, she stops and tugs her hand from mine,
staring at the car in wide-eyed shock.
“What’s that?”
“My car.”
“That’s not a car, that’s—”
“A Lamborghini Veneno Roadster.”
“It’s yours?” she asks in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Seriously? Did you rob a bank, or am I missing something?”
“No, I didn’t rob a bank, Casey.”
“So, what? You’re a genius billionaire philanthropist who
wears an iron suit and fights crime?”
Throwing my head back, I laugh, taking her hand once more. I
open the door and help her in.
“I’m not Iron Man, either.”
When I climb in next to her, she turns to me.
“Then who are you? I mean, the house, the dress, the
jewelry, the car… and Clara, which you did not have to do and will not
do again.”
“You know who I am. You just don’t know the balance on my
bank account.”
“So, you’re one of those trust fund babies… or a stock
market whiz… or are you from old money?”
“A little bit of all three I guess.”
Which isn’t a lie. Being around for more than a century,
technically my money is old. I did get an inheritance from my parents,
and I was able to get in on some lucrative investments from their beginning
stages.
“What are we talking about here, millions?”
With a sigh, I look out the window. “Not exactly.”
“More?” she shrieks.
“Is it important?”
“No. No, it’s not.”
She goes quiet and turns to stare out the window
reflectively. I wonder what she’s thinking. I hope she doesn’t think I was
deliberately keeping this from her, but I don’t see the need to go around
flashing my financial status. I leave her to her thoughts until we pull up to
the hotel.
“Nothing’s changed, Casey.”
She looks over at me and gives me a smile that doesn’t quite
reach her eyes.
“I know.”
The valet opens her door and she steps out before I can say
anything else. By the time I get to her, people have already begun to converge
on us. I place my hand at the small of her back and she cringes at my touch.
Fuck.