Page 95 of Secret Seduction

Her hair is down in waves, and her makeup is on the heavier side with some black shit on her lids, making her violet eyes pop. But her lips … she kept them bare, with only a hint of gloss.

“Marry me,” I half joke, making her throw her head back in laughter.

“Lorenzo!” she chides. “I’m serious. I made this dress the other day, and I’m not sure about the way it drapes across the front.”

“You look stunning.” I pull her into my arms. “Everything about the dress is perfect. Including the woman wearing it.”

She flushes a beautiful shade of pink, and I wonder how I’m going to live without this woman in my life when she leaves.

“I’m going to need to stop someone to take a picture of us,” I murmur, nuzzling my face into her neck so I can inhale her floral scent.

Reluctantly, I pull back, and when my eyes land on her again, I remember something. “I have a gift for you.”

I grab the square black box from my luggage and hand it to her.

“What is it?” she asks, glancing from the box to me.

“Open it.”

She gently unties the gold ribbon and then pops the box open, gasping when she sees what’s inside.

“Lorenzo,” she breathes, “this is⁠—”

“A symbol of our time together,” I finish, refusing to let her say something ridiculous, like it’s too much.

Inside is a thin platinum necklace with a pendant of the queen of hearts playing card hanging in the middle.

“When I was trying to figure out which card to have made, I looked up the meanings since a wild card can be any card, aside from the joker.” I take the necklace out of the box and lay the card in my hand. “I looked up queen of hearts, and it said that it represents a woman who has stolen hearts with kindness and beauty.” My eyes meet hers. “And I couldn’t think of a more fitting card to represent you.”

Tears brim her lids. “This is beautiful,” she chokes out.

“May I?” I lift it up, and she nods.

Turning around, she gathers her hair into her fingers and exposes her slim neck so I can put it on her. When she turns around, it rests in the center of her chest, right above her breasts.

“There’s something you need to know,” I tell her. “The necklace isn’t just a necklace. It’s a tracking device as well.”

Her eyes go comically wide. “What?”

“When I asked Kane for the jeweler he used when he had Bri’s wedding rings designed, he mentioned that his guy could also put a tracker in any piece of jewelry. Bri has one in her wedding band. So do Peyton and Dani. It’s how Kane was able to find Bri when she was kidnapped. I would never use it to keep tabs on you …”

“I know,” she says. “Thank you.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “For the beautiful necklace and for caring enough to want to make sure I’m safe.”

“I’ll never stop,” I murmur, needing her to know how I feel. “No matter where you are, I’ll never stop caring.”

33

Vanessa

This is all too much.

The weekend away.

The necklace that isn’t just beautiful, but meaningful.

The sweet words from Lorenzo, telling me he’ll always care.

It’s not fair.