[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
She tilted the box toward him. What s this?
Open it and find out.
She pulled the ribbon off, cracked the lid, saw the emerald necklace and gasped.
Ben, it s gorgeous, but I can t accept this. It s too
He stood. I saw it and thought of your eyes. It s a gift. I won t accept it back. He
pointed at the other two boxes. Open them.
Ben&
Come on, Savannah, you know you re curious.
She smiled and took the second jewelry box. Inside she found a matching pair of
emerald drop earrings. They re too expensive, she objected.
He shrugged. I m a big boy. I spend my money how I want. He took the largest
box and set in her lap. Open this now.
She pushed the top off the box and gasped when she saw the green and gold
evening dress. Oh, my God, Ben. It s absolutely breathtaking.
If you don t like it or it s not the right size we can exchange it.
38
Edge of Sweeteness
She ran her finger down the dress. Is this something to remember you by, then?
Sadness flickered over her face.
That s for us to decide. But I d hoped you d wear that dress and the jewelry out on
a real date with me tonight.
She glanced up at him and smiled. Yes, I d love that.
He plucked the necklace from the box and said, Gather your hair.
She gathered up the fall of her hair. He slid the necklace around her neck and
locked the clasp at her nape. The largest of the jewels nestled in the hollow of her throat.
Gorgeous, he said, holding her gaze. He wasn t talking about the necklace.
She lowered her gaze and touched the main stone. Thank you.
It was my pleasure to buy it for you.
Ben. She looked up at him. Ben, I do remember you from six months ago.
He sat down on the bed beside her and moved the dress box from her lap. On the
street?
She nodded. It was raining that day. I was crossing an intersection and you were
on the other side. You didn t have an umbrella. She smiled. You were soaked. I
remember how we locked gazes for those few moments that seemed so much longer.
You missed the light.
Then we meet in a hotel bar on the other end of the city six months later.
Yes. We meet and I find the one man who can give me what I ve always wanted.
Ben didn t say anything for several moments. I wonder what all that means, he
finally murmured.
What do we do now? I mean, what do we do with tomorrow?
That s the great part, Savannah, we can do anything we want. He paused. We re
both free to part. He paused. Or to explore this a little more. I know which one I
want.
39
Anya Bast
She fell silent for a moment, maybe choosing her words. I want to spend more
time with you, Ben, she said finally.
He tipped her chin up so her eyes could meet his. A smile curved his lips. I was
hoping you d say that. We ll start with tonight.
She sighed. If I fall, will you catch me?
He didn t know what to say to that. Her beautiful eyes were misted with tears and
her voice sounded so filled with emotion, it nearly broke his heart in two.
Because I ve fallen before and the people I thought would catch me& didn t.
He drew her against him and stroked her hair. I ll catch you, Savannah.
40
Edge of Sweeteness
Epilogue
Savannah made her way through the maze of boxes in the kitchen to pour herself a
cup of coffee. Behind her she felt Ben wrap his arms around her waist. She leaned back
against him, letting the scent of his cologne soothe her.
The movers are just about done, he murmured in her ear. Now we just have to
unpack everything.
Savannah smiled at the note of unhappiness in his voice at the prospect of tackling
that huge job. They both had managed to acquire far too many possessions in their life
and having them all centered together in their new house was a mite overwhelming.
They d dated each other for six months before they d decided to take the next step
and move in together. Instead of selecting her house or his, they d sold them both and
started fresh.
Savannah had never been happier in her life.
Leaving her coffee cup unfilled, she turned in Ben s arms. Smiling, she went up on
her tiptoes and breathed against his mouth, Well, there s no hurry, Ben. We can take a
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]