Page 65 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

“Here, maybe it’ll help you forget the peaches. It’s just a small dish,” I said as I handed it to her.

“It’s cute,” she said.

I sat in my chair and slowly ate my sorbet as I watched her eat hers. As her ball of raspberry-flavored dessert slowly disappeared, I wondered if I had possibly given her the wrong bowl.

“Theres…” she said as she shifted her eyes to her bowl.

“Something in here. It’s…” she placed her spoon to the side, lifted the bowl and peered inside.

She shifted her eyes toward me.

I shrugged my shoulders and attempted to act preoccupied. As I caught a glimpse of her fishing in the bowl with her fingers, I glanced over the table.

She pulled the bracelet from the dish and held it between her thumb and forefinger, dangling it over the table. Raspberry sorbet dripped from the end of the string of diamonds as she stared at it, still obviously not knowing exactly what it was. It looked like a small string of red beads.

“What’d you find?” I asked.

Her lack of response prompted me to stand, grab my glass of water, and walk to her side.

“Here,” I said as I reached for the bracelet.

I took it from the tips of her fingers, rinsed it in the glass of water, and wiped it as clean as I was able in her napkin. After drying it off fully, I placed it in my palm and extended my hand.

She gazed into my hand, gasped, and shifted her eyes upward. As she stood from her seat she turned to face me, opened her mouth and said nothing. She stood with her mouth agape and her eyes filled with surprise as I carefully clasped it around her wrist.

She didn’t speak. She really didn’t have to, her eyes said everything words would have been able to, and even more. As she leaned forward, I was fully aware we were about to kiss once again, and nothing, at least at that particular moment, could have made me happier.

The kiss was more magical than the kiss prior to it, and far more passionate than any kiss I had ever experienced. I think, on that night, Katie gave me a part of her that she had been reserving for when she realized I had given her all of me there was to offer. It had nothing to do with the bracelet or the diamonds, it had to do with my heart, and hopefully she realized I had given her no less than my heart and soul.

I had no more of myself to give her, she was the recipient of all I had to offer her, and all I could do was hope having me in her life was enough to please her half as much as she pleased me.

As our lips parted and our eyes met, I was sure of one thing and one thing only.

I had truly been blessed.