Page 64 of Beautiful Cruelty

One. It's going to beveryeasy for the two of us to look convincing.

Two. It's going to beveryhard to convince myself that any of this is pretend.

19

VADIM

The cool airof the jewelry store is a welcome relief from the heat building between Lacey and me. My cock is still hard from our interrupted moment in the car, and I shift my stance to hide it.

Damn Demyon and his timing.

"Mr. Stravinsky, welcome." The jeweler glides forward to greet us, her professional smile unwavering. "I'm Aria Crestfield, and I'll be assisting you and your fiancée this morning. As requested, you'll have the store to yourself, so that this experience can be a completely private and intimate one."

At the wordintimate,Lacey's eyes find mine, and that familiar electricity crackles between us. The memory of her wet heat around my fingers makes my jaw clench, and she quickly looks away.

"Thank you, Ms. Crestfield," I say, keeping my voice steady. "The first set, please."

Aria brings out tray after tray of exquisite rings and starts giving us the detail on each one. Princess cuts. Emerald cuts. Cushion cuts set in platinum and white gold. Five carats. Seven carats. Even a twelve-carat monstrosity. Each one is more stunning than the last.

And each one fails to capture Lacey's attention.

Her eyes keep drifting to a display case behind us filled with necklaces.

I follow her gaze and find her staring at one necklace in particular, one with a medium-sized center stone. On either side are two slightly smaller teardrop-shaped diamonds.

It's nothing like the ostentatious pieces a pakhan's wife should wear.

Yet there's a unique beauty in its simple elegance. Even from here.

Lacey's fingers absently touch her neck as she looks at it, and something inside me stirs. Not desire—though that hasn't faded—but a deeper need to understand just what is drawing her to that particular piece.

"Ms. McKinney?" Aria holds out another ring, but Lacey's eyes are still fixed on the necklace.

"Sorry." Lacey tears her eyes away from the necklace display. "What were you saying about the rings?"

"These three are our most exclusive engagement rings,” Aria says, presenting a new velvet tray.

Aria presents three stunning pieces. The first, a seven-carat oval diamond set in a double-twisted platinum band covered insmaller stones. The second, a rare pink diamond that could buy a small island. The third, a massive emerald-cut flanked by two slightly smaller diamonds.

"This one." Lacey points to the first one with an overly sweet smile. "It just screams belonging to someone powerful, don't you agree?"

I catch the challenge in her eyes. "If you're trying to irritate me by picking the most expensive piece,zvyozdochka, you'll have to try harder."

Her eyes flick to my face, gauging my reaction as she slips it on.

"Up close, though, it looks a little small." She wiggles her fingers, making the stone catch the light. "What do you think,darling?"

"You're absolutely right." I know exactly what she's doing. "Seven-carat might be too understated. Perhaps the ten?"

Her smile falters for a split second before she reaches for the large pink diamond. But her gaze drifts once again to the display case and that simple necklace.

"Ms. Crestfield," I speak up. "Might we look at your necklace collection?"

"Of course." Aria smiles as she leads me and Lacey—crutches clicking with each step—to the display case. "These pieces are all one-of-a-kind."

I notice how Lacey's breath catches at the understated piece, and see her fingers ghost over her collarbone again.

Up close, I can better appreciate the delicate craftsmanship of the necklace that keeps drawing Lacey's attention. The silver-white chain is embedded with small diamonds that get smalleras they move away from the center, like stars fading into the night sky.

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