Page 22 of Billion Dollar Baby Deal

“Well perhaps I should indulge more often — it seems to be working perfectly fine for you.” Noah tensed, realizing halfway through that he shouldn’t have said that. Hopefully Sophie didn’t mistake the bite in his voice for rudeness.

She didn’t show any reaction, her voice neutral as she replied, “Guess you can’t miss what you’ve never had.”

Now that they had slept together, maybenotflirting with her would be harder than he thought. He had to be more disciplined.

They were quiet as they pulled into the large shopping mall. Technically, they only had a little under an hour before they had to get back to work. But in reality, they could take as long as they needed; Noah was the boss, after all.

They parked by the nearest entry point, so they were only a few steps away from the store when they entered.

He had brought her to Pearce’s, the finest jeweler in Olympus City. The only place with quality worthy of his future bride. Or more accurately, the qualityexpectedof Noah’s future bride.

They were greeted upon entry and were directed towards the rings.

Noah looked away as Sophie bent over the counter to observe a ring, pretending to look at another piece.

She had worn a silky gray blouse and a tight, knee-length black skirt, her brown hair in a slick ponytail. Noah didn’t want to admit his attraction for her but told himself that it was a good thing; it was expected that he would marry someone as beautiful as Sophie.

“Would you like to take a look?” the jeweler asked.

“Please,” Sophie said.

The man behind the counter unlocked the glass case and presented the ring to Sophie. “It’s a set, comes with both the engagement and wedding band.”

Noah went to her side to view the ring.

The jeweler helped Sophie slide the stackable rings onto her manicured finger.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Sophie held her hand up, examining the sparkling diamond in the light. “I love it.”

“A perfect fit, too,” the man commented. “As if the set were made for you.”

Noah asked the man how much.

When Sophie heard the price she frowned, slipping the rings off and resting them back in their box.

“What are you doing?” Noah asked.

“I can’t,” she murmured. “It’s too much.”

“Sophie, if you love these rings, we’re getting them. It’s not even that much; don’t worry about it.”

“Noah, that’s like a year’s worth of my rent. I can’t let you spend that kind of money on me!”

“If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right. Seriously, whatever ring you want, it’s yours.”

“I can’t let you—” she protested.

He pushed the box towards the cashier, cutting Sophie off. “We’ll get this one.”

“Noah!” she said again in a hushed tone.

He ignored her and pushed the box closer to the man. The jeweler smiled and began the process of ringing it up. A few moments later, he handed her the small bag.

Sophie’s lips upturned slightly. “Thank you.”

Noah grinned. “You’re going to be my wife, Sophie. Get used to it.”

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