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He crooked his finger in the air, indicating for her to move towards him, and she did so, a little unsteadily, crossing the floor and standing close enough to feel warmth emanating off him in waves.
Her breath was audible as he unclasped the box and turned it to face her, revealing a necklace made of pure diamonds. She gasped, because she couldn’t imagine ever seeing something like this in real life, let alone being asked to wear it.
Eyes huge, she looked up at him.
“What is this?”
His smile was slightly mocking. “A gift.”
Her heart twisted, and she shook her head a little. “It’s beautiful.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“I do,” she frowned. “But it’s too much. I can’t accept it.”
He stilled, lifting the necklace to her neck. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” her voice softened with a hint of ambivalence, so he lifted it into place, reaching behind her to clasp it together. On her person, it hung perfectly around the base of her throat, each diamond sparkling and throwing a thousand little light fireworks across the room.
“It looks perfect on you.”
But the idea of accepting something so lavish from Anastasios rubbed Phoebe the wrong way. Even after the day they’d shared, she couldn’t forget the genesis of their relationship, the things he’d thought about her, the cheque he’d written her.
“I’ll borrow it for tonight,” she compromised. “Then you can have it back.”
“It’s not really my style,” he said seriously.
She laughed. “You could pull off anything.”
He lifted his finger, gently tapping the underside of her chin so their eyes met. “You look very, very beautiful, Phoebe.”
Pleasure warmed her cheeks. “It’s just the dress.”
“No, it’s most definitely what’s beneath the dress.”
Desire made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.
“It’s a little fancy for dinner on the deck, though,” she murmured.
“Just as well we’re going out.”
Her stomach swished. “Where to?”
He leaned closer. “It’s a surprise.”
Her pulse was thready. She pulled back, to meet his eyes, then wished she hadn’t as pieces inside of her locked into place, making her feel…complete.The word breezed through her, inspiring a warning, as well as a thrill, because the word was perfect. It was just how she felt. Just in that moment, just for tonight.
“Another first,”she said, forty five minutes later, as the helicopter circled over Rome and Phoebe craned to see everything she could of the ancient city.
Her enthusiasm for things was novel and addictive. The women he usually dated—if a drink in a bar before taking them to bed could be called dating—were so sophisticated it hurt, and would never have shown even a hint of the pure, unadulterated delight Phoebe was expressing.
“Oh, Anastasios,” she said quickly. “I’ve seen so many pictures, but I never dreamed it could be so pretty.”
Her words came to him through the headsets they both wore, and she spoke quickly, her voice high pitched.
“Where are we going?”
His response was simply to grin, and bring the helicopter in lower, for the second time in as many days, over the Xenakis Corporation’s high rise, where a helipad stood at the top. He landed with ease, flicked off the instruments, unfastened his seatbelt before reaching over and laying his hands on hers. It wasn’t necessary. She was more than capable of unclicking the thing herself, but having his hands so low on her hips lit a fire in his gut that powered him.
