Page 10 of The Marriage

Empowerment was sexy.

For her.

“A jewelry store?” she asked Roman.

He’d only promised shopping that morning, but she hadn’t thought this would be on the list.

Roman leaned in to leave a tender kiss on her temple, murmuring against her skin, “It’s one of the best in the world. I thought you’d be more excited.”

Karine eyed the two women that passed them by as they left the store. Dripping in visible wealth with not a hair out of place, it didn’t bother them a bit to look down their nose at her on the way out.

Should she be there?

“Sorry, I’ve just never paid much attention to things like this before. Not that my father would have encouraged it, even though I’m sure he could afford it.”

She quickly realized she was rambling when she chanced a peek at him and found Roman staring back at her with raised brows. Licking her lips nervously, she waited for him to say something—anything—even if she knew he wasn’t judging her. Of all the people in the world—Roman was the only one she trusted inexplicably. The marriage proved it to be true. But being that he was her husband now, Karine didn’t want to keep reminding him of exactly how naive she was.

Sometimes.

What if he suddenly decided he had made a huge mistake?

You’re being ridiculous, she told herself because it was also true. Too bad that didn’t fix the seeds of self doubt that had planted themselves into her mind a long time ago. It was going to be a while more before she ripped out the roots.

“Karine,” he said gently.

She rolled her eyes away from his intense gaze. “Why are we here?”

That only made him tug hard on her hand, snapping her attention right back on him in an instant. There was no hiding the insecurities that he found staring back.

“What’s really the problem?”

Karine shrugged. “I felt out of place for a second.”

“Your place,” he said fast, admiring the slinky yellow dress he’d picked out for her at another store, “is wherever you want to be.”

Then, he grinned in that sexy, tempting way of his. It made her own shy smile grow because it was one thing for her to deal with this man in the privacy of a bedroom, but it was another to handle him in public. She wasn’t sure she could do that.

“And where I want you to be right now is here,” Roman added. “Because it’s time we got you a ring—proper, yeah? I didn’t want to buy you something you wouldn’t like, or maybe I’m a coward and don’t want to hear you tell me you hate it. So, I want you to pick it out yourself.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I’ve set up a private consultation—they’ll make whatever you want if you can’t find something. Do you want to get started?”

Karine didn’t answer right away. There was such a thing as being overwhelmed with joy, and even though she’d experienced it more than once with this man, it never failed to shock her all the same.

The ring really didn’t matter.

Not in the grand scheme.

Karine wouldn’t have minded waiting—and no matter what he said, she would have loved any ring he picked for her whenever he did so because it came from him. Yet, he’d still made this a priority, and that meant something to her.

His voice snapped Karine out of her thoughts. “Babe, you okay?”

“I’m just ...” Karine glanced his way, blinking away the wetness in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, even if they were joyful tears. “I think I just realized that I’m happy.”

Quieter, she added, “My life is not the same.”

A sudden flash of softness reflected in Roman’s eyes when he nodded, and pulled her into his arms.