She lifts her hand and studies the ring, then wiggles it between herfingers. “I love it. But I refuse to wear the earrings and necklace every day.”
I bark out a laugh. “I think we can agree to that. Your guards are already high strung as well as on anti-anxiety meds. Let’s not make them complete nervous wrecks.”
A smile dances on her lips. “I knew this day would come, but it felt like it never would.”
“You didn’t have faith in me,” I chide.
“No. That’s not true. I had complete faith in you. I just didn’t know what you were waiting for. I’d grown up. I was in college and you still didn’t come for me.”
“You had to come to me,pchelka.”
“Wish you’d left me a clue about that. I’d have stalked you at your lair last year.”
I press a kiss to her ring. “Only the best for my queen.”
She shivers. “Umm, I like that. You need to add that to your coterie of endearments.”
“Gladly,tsaritsa.” I slide my hand into my pocket. “I have another gift for you.”
She sits up. “More gifts! Yay!”
I hold out the box for her to take. Her fingers slide over the crushed velvet but her eyes lock on mine.
“You spoil me.”
“Always.”
She bites her lip, her teeth gnawing on the inner curve. “What is it?”
“Open it up and find out.”
A touch giddily, she flips the lid. “Oh, Maxim, I adore it. You remembered!”
“How could I not,korovka?”
Itis a tiny hair pin. The tiniest.
“It’s darling!” Her features crumple. “I love it so much. I-I—Thank you.”
She strokes the guilloche enamel ladybug with her pinkie finger before plucking it from the velvet bed and sliding it just above the upper curve of her ear. “How does it look?”
“Beautiful. But you cannot improve perfection.”
More laughter tumbles from her lips. “I think I prefer it to the ring,” she confesses.
I arch a brow. “You should. It was stolen from a private collection.”
Eyes round, she gapes at me. “No way!”
“Yes way. It’s also a part of the Romanov collection. 1890s. Probably sat on one of the last Tsar’s daughters’ heads.”
That earns me another gasp.
“No!”
“Yes.”
“NO!”
