Page 85 of S.O.S. Perk

“We can hope,” she added, then took the present, looking a little nervous. “This isn’t anything…toospecial, is it?” she rasped.

“Not yet,” he responded honestly. “I’m waiting for our current case to be wrapped up before I ask for anything more serious.”

“More serious,” she repeated, her brown eyes meeting his with an intensity that spoke of promises to come. “I think… Okay. I like that idea.”

Perk’s entire world suddenly seemed perfect, and even though it might not be the exact right time, he couldn’t stop himself. Sloane was relaxed. They were by themselves… “That’s good, Sloane, because…I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Her mouth dropped open and she spluttered, which didn’t concern him in the least. He’d been prepared for a possible, full-on meltdown, so this was good.

“Uh, uh,” Perk said, bringing her lips back together with a finger under her chin. “You don’t get to say anything right now. You simply nod, and enjoy the moment, because I certainly am. I’ve never said those words to any woman before, and having gotten them out, I feel a huge sense of relief, and… I’m really warm inside.”

“Warm, huh?” She blinked.

“Yup. So think about what I said, and when you’re ready to address it, we’ll talk.”

Sloane swallowed hard, and color moved up into her cheeks. “I guess I can live with that,” she told him softly, but he could tell she liked it, and that was icing on his Christmas cake.

“Well, are you going to open your present, or what? My mother isn’t going to wait all day you know.”

Without any more preliminaries or interruptions, Sloane yanked off the pretty pink bow and tore away the sparkly wrapping paper to reveal a jeweler’s box.

“Perk…” she warned, shaking her head.

“No. It’s not that. I swear,” he assured her.

Anticipation zipped through his limbs, hoping she liked what he’d picked out.

Sloane lifted the cover, and…

“Wha…?” she gasped. “You said—”

“Breathe, Sloane. It’s a friendship ring,” he assured her. “All the kids at school are wearing them these days.” That wasn’t a lie. He’d met a number of couples where one or both of the pairhad been sporting a twist of metal representing two halves of a whole. Most that he’d seen were on the cheap end, but Perk had opted for something a little more special.

Sloane sent a trembling hand down to lift the delicate weaving of gold bands from its velvet nest. Two gems sparkled up at her, surrounded as they were by small diamond chips.

“What are they?” she asked in a whisper, stroking the stones.

“They’re called boulder opals,” he replied gruffly, wondering if he’d chosen well.

Brown stones weren’t exactly what most women would want, but with all the flecks of color in the opals, they reminded him of her eyes. “They’ve got ironstone in them, which gives them those gold and green bits. That’s the reason it’s also called an ‘opal-in-matrix’ stone.” Perk took the circlet from her grasp and slipped it onto Sloane’s right-hand ring-finger. “Do you…like it?” he asked nervously.

“Oh, Perk,” Sloane murmured, holding it out to catch the morning light. “It’s…”

Without warning she launched herself at him, knocking him back against the headboard where she kissed his face all over. When she’d finally covered every inch, she drew back and regarded him with something in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. If Perk had to name it, he’d say it was love, but he wasn’t going to demand the words from her. She’d give them up in her own time.

Sloane held his face in her hands, cradling his cheeks. “This is the nicest thing anybody has ever given me.”

He could have spoiled the moment, reminding her it was probably close to theonlything anybody had ever gifted her, but he didn’t want to lose the awe he saw in her eyes.

“I’m glad,” he answered.

And yes, they were going to be late for breakfast.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sloane didn’t know what she expected when she walked through the door of Perk’s childhood home, but it wasn’t the slightly bemused welcome she received. Perkhadlet his family know he was bringing a friend for Christmas, but they still seemed…taken aback at seeing her.

Odd.

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