Page 122 of Dangerous King
"No," I say, pulling up to a small, dark-paneled building on a quiet corner. The lights inside are dim, warm, and welcoming. "Although that does sound tempting."
She frowns as I kill the engine. "This looks like…"
"A jewelry store," I finish, getting out and opening her door again.
Her mouth parts. "Enrico…"
"You said you didn't care about a ring," I remind her, offering my hand. "I said I did."
The moment she steps onto the sidewalk, the door unlocks from the inside. A tall, thin man in a silk vest and wire-rimmed glasses greets us with a professional smile.
"Signore Sartori. Everything is ready."
He leads us in, flipping on the lights with a flick of his fingers. The room glows. Velvet trays stretch across the entire mahogany counter, rows and rows of rings, each one more blinding than the last. Solitaires the size of quail eggs. Halos that sparkle like galaxies. Not a single stone under five carats. Just like I ordered.
Cat gasps softly. Her hand tightens in mine. I lean in, voice low and rough against her ear. "Pick whichever one you want, Piccolina. Or three. Hell, take a whole tray if it makes you smile."
She looks up at me, eyes wide with disbelief. "Enrico…"
"This isn't about status or proving something," I say softly. "It's about you. And me. And the promise I made. You're mine now. You deserve something that makes the rest of the world take one look and know it."
She exhales shakily and turns back to the sea of diamonds. I watch her, chest full, already knowing none of those rings will ever shine half as brightly as the girl beside me.
Cat turns to me, wide-eyed. "You booked out the whole store?"
I shrug one shoulder. "You deserve more than browsing between strangers."
She hovers near one of the many displays, uncertain. "They're all so beautiful," she whispers, overwhelmed. "I don't even know where to start."
I step up beside her, scanning the trays until something catches my eye, a deep, golden yellow diamond in a platinum setting, framed by delicate halos of white diamonds. It gleams like sunlight trapped in crystal.
It reminds me of her eyes. I glance at her just as she notices the shift in my gaze.
"You like that one," she says softly.
I nod once. I don't want to take this choice from her, but something about this ring screams her name. She looks down at the ring, then up at me. Her entire face lights up; her eyes shine, and her lips part in a smile so radiant that it makes my pulse skip.
"It's beautiful," she says, her voice barely above a breath.
"It's you," I say simply. "Warm. Bright. Impossible to miss."
She swallows hard, eyes on mine. The jeweler, sensing the moment, gently lifts the ring and offers it to me. I take it, then turn to her, heart pounding.
"May I?" I ask.
Her fingers tremble as she holds out her hand. The ring slides on perfectly, as if it had been made for her. Like it always belonged there. She stares down at her hand, blinking slowly, like it hasn't quite registered that this is real.
"That's… that's a lot of diamond," she whispers, awestruck.
I raise a brow. "Too much?"
She shakes her head, eyes still fixed on the ring. "No. It's perfect. I just… I've never had anything like this." Her voice cracks slightly on the last word.
I gently tuck a loose curl behind her ear. "You're not justhavingit, Cat. It's yours. Like I'm yours."
She looks up at me, and I see the tears glistening, but she doesn't let them fall. She stands straighter, swallows once, and whispers, "Then I'll wear it with pride."
The jeweler smiles softly, discreetly reaching beneath the counter to pull out a velvet box. "Shall I wrap it, Signore Sartori?"
