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“You deserve presents,” Alessio responded, his voice gruff once more. Their eyes met and her heart exploded. She smiled weakly.
“Are you going to open it? Or just feel the wrapping paper?”
She laughed, jolted from the moment, back into reality, as she slid her finger beneath the sticky tape and lifted one side. The box was long and rectangular, like a fountain pen box, perhaps. She peeled the wrapping away until the deep burgundy colour of the box was revealed and gasped to see gold cursive script on the top proclaimingCartier.
“Alessio,” she shook her head a little. “It’s…way too much.”
“You haven’t even opened it.”
Charlotte pulled a face. “I don’t think Cartier sells gag gifts.”
“Open it,” he insisted.
Her eyes chased his, looking for reassurance, for comprehension, then returned to the box. With fingers that were now a little trembly, she cracked the lid, and swallowed back a sound of shock at the necklace that was within. Pressed into a moulded cream base was the most stunning diamond necklace she’d ever seen. Not just a single diamond, floating on a chain, this was a row of perhaps twenty diamonds, starting smaller on the outside, and growing larger towards the middle, where a teardrop diamond hung suspended. She lifted it carefully from the box and draped it over her palm, so she could look at it properly.
“Are these…real?” She whispered, eyes huge.
Alessio’s smile was amused. “As you said, Cartier doesn’t do gag gifts. Nor, I suspect, costume jewellery.”
“Alessio,” she shook her head, totally bewildered. “You know I can’t accept this.”
His nostrils flared. “Why not?”
She gaped at him. “It’s…it’swaytoo expensive, for one thing.”
“I can afford it.”
She shook her head. “Be that as it may, it’s not…it’s too much. For this. For what we are.” She forced herself to say the words, to make him understand. A token like this from a man like him would have been okay if he’d cared for her, if he’d loved her, but he didn’t. Was this what he gave all his lovers, when things were close to ending? A generous parting gift to soften the blow? Haunted, she looked up at him, trying to understand.
“I wanted you to have it,” he said after a moment, then frowned. “And I have been obsessing over seeing you wearing it since I bought it. Do you mind?” He reached across, taking the necklace from her, so she shook her head even as he was already coming around behind her to fasten it in place. Charlotte held her breath, almost unable to believe anything quite so beautiful, and precious, was about to be worn by her.
He clasped it in place, and it dropped against her collarbone, cold, and both heavy yet fragile at the same time. She lifted a hand instinctively, feeling the weight of the diamonds, the sharpness of them, then turned to face him.
“Is this what you imagined?” She asked, looking up into his face, wishing, more than she’d ever wished for anything, that she would see love there. That he would smile and pull her close and whisper those words into her ear.
“Almost,” he confirmed with a nod, as his fingers sought the belt of her robe, and he loosened it, eyes probing hers, teasing her, challenging her, before he pushed the silk from her body and she stood in the kitchen, naked except for the diamond necklace. “And now, yes. It’s more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.” He allowed his gaze to rest on the necklace a moment before sweeping lower, his appraisal of her body slow and sensual, stirring fires in her blood, before returning to her eyes. “As are you.”
Her throat felt heavy with the threat of unshed tears. It was too much. All of this was too much, but also, not enough. How could she want more? This gift was so generous, but it was the wrong kind of generosity. She didn’t want material gifts from him. She wanted his heart.
The thought dropped her back to earth, but not for long. Alessio moved closer, his body pressing to hers, and thought was no longer possible. She surrendered to him, to the moment, as he lifted and carried her through the apartment, past the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, and into her room, where he made love to her slowly at first, sensually, tormenting her with desire, before taking her fast, desperately, hungrily, as they needed, and all the while, she was conscious of the necklace she wore, the beauty of the gems, and the hurtful nature of the gift despite its many perfections—because it was a goodbye present, and she wasn’t ready for that. She never would be.
Chapter12
“THEY’RE GOING TO KNOW something is going on,” she said, nervously, eyeing Winona’s beautiful home with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Why?”
“Because I just feel like they will.”
“If you think I am incapable of keeping my hands off you for a few hours, then you are half right,” he said, wiggling his brows, leaning closer, and nibbling on her earlobe. “We will just have to make sure we find a broom closet or deserted boot room somewhere along the way.”
Charlotte sighed softly, because she liked the sound of that, a lot. But this was all so complicated. Complicated by his relationship with these people, his obvious enmity for them when Charlotte adored both. Complicated by the fact she was in love with Alessio, but he was leaving the following day. There was no sense allowing anyone to learn the truth of what they’d been doing. It would only hurt Caleb and make her working situation awkward.
“I’m serious, Alessio,” she said, quietly. “We had a deal, remember?”
He pulled back, looking at her with his dark, assessing eyes, giving nothing away now. She stared up at him and for a moment had the disconcerting thought that he could almost be a stranger.
“Yes, we had a deal,” he agreed.
