Page 45 of Dr. Stone
She approached the table, wearing a sleek black pantsuit, and served us without a word, placing two plates of something impossibly delicate and fragrant in front of us before disappearing quieter than a mouse.
“Chilean sea bass, white truffle risotto, and grilled peach,” Titus said, glancing at my plate, then up at me. “Unless you’d rather have something else?”
I laughed. “No, this will do. But next time, I’ll have to request a pizza or something.”
“Why’s that?” He smirked as we started eating the mouthwatering meal.
“Because, quite honestly, I would love to see you eat the same food as all of usregularhumans, and if I had the chance to watch you partake in such a meal, I’d like to see it happen on this luxurious jet,” I pointed back toward where the flight attendant walked in, “brought out by her and set on these silver plates.”
He chuckled. “I do have a very casual side as well, Andie,” he said, then blotted the napkin to the corners of his mouth. “I’ve been known to eat a burrito from a food truck and even a McDonald’s cheeseburger that Jim Mitchell demanded I try, as he felt the same as you about my meal preference.”
“And how did they taste?” I questioned before taking another bite.
“The burrito was decent, but the burger I couldn’t stomach. Jim still gives me shit for it.”
I laughed, “Perhaps you can acquire a taste for it?”
A smile touched the corner of his lips while he swallowed and then took a sip of champagne. He set the glass down, “I can’t imagine why I would do such a horrible thing to my body. That burger made me feel like a horse at a salt lick. You can taste nothing else.”
“Wow, you definitely were raised on another planet.”
“No, I just know what I like, how I like it, and what to do with it when I have it. That is what drives my constant desire to have you join me whenever you can.”
“I’m quite flattered,” I said, taking another bite of food and unable to keep the conversation going.
Just as we finished our meal, Titus stood. “Please stay here. I have something for you,” he said casually, walking to a lacquered storage cabinet near the rear of the jet.
“Titus, you don’t have to do this every time, you know?” I said, trying to let the man know that he didn’t always have to spoil my ass rotten with expensive gifts.
“I know.” He pulled out a sleek black garment bag and a small velvet box.
My stomach fluttered, but shit, whose wouldn’t? I knew he’d had something made for me when he told me not to bother buying a gown for the grand opening, but the jewelry box? This was a first.
He brought them over, setting them on the table like precious offerings. He became more serious. “This resort Jim and I built together,Solara Alta, started as my mother’s dream. Before she died, she used to talk about this special place—this coastline on the Papagayo Peninsula of Costa Rica—as if it had a heartbeat.”
He slowly unzipped the garment bag, revealing the gown inside. It was a floor-length, deep emerald silk gown with subtle gold threading that shimmered like sunlight through leaves. The design was otherworldly, somewhere between goddess and heiress.
I was speechless.
“My precious mother had a saying,” he said softly. “Wear something that turns heads slowly, not all at once—elegance is never rushed.”
He opened a velvet box to reveal jewels resting on midnight-blue silk—pieces that perfectly embodied his mother’s words. I sat in stunned silence, my eyes fixed on a matching set of earrings and a necklace. Rare green sapphires, set in antique gold, so delicate and intricate they looked as if they had been crafted from the very leaves of the Costa Rican rainforest.
“These were hers, and I humbly ask that you wear them to the opening to help me honor her memory and the resort created for her.”
I blinked. “Titus, I can’t wear your mother’s?—”
“You can,” he interrupted in a low, serious voice. “Because you are the only woman I know who can walk into that place wearing my mother’s jewels and make them more beautiful.”
Things seemed to be much different with Titus this time, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Titus stepped closer, brushing my hair behind my ear as if he had already imagined putting the earrings on himself. Instead of pushing him away, I welcomed the warmth of his gentle touch and the way he treated me as if I were as important as the gown and jewelry.
“Allow me to spoil you tonight and this weekend, Andie,” he whispered. “I have so much to offer you if you’ll just allow me.”
I exhaled all those nerves I fought off whenever I was around this man and his overly charming words and gestures. Jesus, I didnotexpect this from him tonight. Spoiling me? Yes, that’s what I’d gotten used to. Honoring his mother at the grand opening of the hotel he and Jim had designed and created? Uh, I wasn’texactly mentally prepared for that.
He stepped closer, eyes glittering gold in the low light. “You live in my world now. And in my world, I make sure the woman on my arm is the most breathtaking thing in the room.”
