Page 75 of Devil's Tulip

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he reminds me insolently, and my core clenches at the vivid reminder of just how intimately familiar he is with my body.

I cross my arms over my chest to cover my suddenly hard nipples. “What do you want?”

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he closes the space between us and lifts my left hand, turning it this way and that. Then, he takes out a box from his pocket, pops it open one-handed, and?—

Oh.

My jaw drops.

The ring inside gleams, looking like something straight out of a fantasy movie.

“Do you like it?” he asks, his voice laced with smug satisfaction.

I clear my throat, pretending my heart isn’t currently trying to punch its way out of my chest. “It’s–it’s okay, I guess.”

As he lifts it from the box, the gems catch the overhead lights, sparkling like they’re winking at me—shiny, expensive, and way too pretty for my fingers.

“I wanted a dove at first,” he muses, “to match your hair clip. A reminder to you that you’re my little dove, even though you try to put yourself out of reach.” He pauses, tilting his head. “But then I remembered—you’re bound to me now. Just like a flyingkite is bound to its owner, no matter how hard the wind tries to carry it away. So I settled on the kite design.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you trying to imply you own me?”

Michael hesitates, brows furrowing like he’s actually considering his own words. Then his lips quirk up, and I swear he’s about to say something that will make me want to smack him.

But instead, he carefully places the ring back into the box, then pushes it into my face. And damn him, I get distracted all over again.

The band itself is a uniquely shaped yellow gold beauty. Instead of the typical round band, it’s half a circle, the top forming a downhill curve with diamond stones trailing along it. The engagement ring matches, set on the same yellow gold band, and features a solitaire-cut gem in the shape of a kite, with little diamonds outlining the edges.

Together, they emphasize the kite motif, the rings sparkling prettily like they were made for me.

Because they were.

He custom-made them for me.

The realization thaws my heart a little towards him, and I frown to cover it up, refusing to let him see how much his gesture affects me. Damn him. He said he’d remember that I love jewelry, and then he went and did this. I run the tips of my fingers over the rings, tracing the delicate details.

He adjusts the box in his hand, and I let my fingers go slack as he takes out the band first. Slowly, with surprising sensuality, he slips it onto my ring finger. My pulse hammers wildly in my throat as he follows with the engagement ring, pressing it into place beside the band.

I’m still trying to process how strangely intimate this feels—just the two of us alone in this quiet room—when he lowers his head and presses a lingering kiss to my ringed finger.

My breath catches.

When he looks up at me, those electric eyes are gleaming with dark, masculine satisfaction.

Oh, hell.

“And what about you?” I ask, clearing my throat as I nod at his bare ring finger—even though a ring already glitters on his thumb.

He smirks, tucking the empty box into his pocket, then takes out another, smaller one from inside his jacket.

Inside is a simple, plain black band. I raise a brow at it. The rings on his thumb and ear are diamond, so I guess I was expecting something a little grander for his wedding ring.

“Well?” he prompts, wiggling his fingers at me.

I pluck the band from the box and take hold of his strong, masculine hand. Unconsciously, I rub the pad of my thumb over his rough ring finger, and he jerks slightly. I glance up—and immediately wish I hadn’t.

His eyes have darkened to a stormy blue, glistening with something raw, something hungry. And it calls to something equally restless in me.

Swallowing hard, I push the ring onto his finger. But no matter how nonchalant I try to be about it, a strange, primitive satisfaction surges through me, like I’m staking my claim on him. And as I turn his hand in mine to admire my work, I realize… I actually love the black band. The glossy finish stands out next to his diamond thumb ring, drawing attention without being gaudy.

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