Page 58 of Last Shot at Love

When his finger disappeared, I whimpered. He’d left me aching and empty. I lifted my eyes to his face, only to find him licking the evidence of my arousal from his finger, his tongue working with a dexterity that should be illegal.

“Ohh… Cerulean,” I breathed, unable to take my eyes from his mouth.

“I have something for you.”

I was hoping it was his mating tentacle, and was slightly disappointed when he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a thin black box.

“I have something for you too,” I murmured, still working to get my galloping pulse under control.

“You do?” His eyebrows rose.

“Yes, but you can go first.”

Releasing my wrists, Cer caught me around the waist and sat down on the nearby sofa, pulling me down so I sat sideways on his lap. There was no way I could have straddled him without pushing the dress up over my hips.

Cerulean held out the box. “Open it.”

Lifting the lid, I found a three-strand pearl necklace on the black velvet. But these pearls were unusual. Each pearl glowed as though it were under a black-light.

“Cerulean! It’s beautiful. I’ve seen black, pink, and white pearls, but never pearls like these.” I tilted the box to the side, watching how the colors shifted.

“They are from the Deep. There are many things there that are hidden from land-dwellers. Aurora pearls, like these, are one of my favorites.” Cerulean took the necklace from the box and placed it around my neck.

“Aurora? Like the aurora lights?” I asked, lifting my cascading hair out of the way so he could latch the tiny hooks.

“Exactly.” Cerulean pressed a kiss to my throat.

I fingered the pearl necklace, blinking hard to keep my tears at bay. The man had turned me from a shark to a woman who cried at romantic gestures. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

And I liked it more with each passing day…

Clearing my throat, I whispered, “Okay, my turn.”

I opened my tiny black clutch and pulled out a gold ring.

“The yellow of the gold reminds me of the golden hue of your tentacles, and the ring of sapphires circling the band represents your blue rings.” I reached for his hand and started to slip it on his ring finger, but paused. “May I, husband?”

Cerulean swallowed hard, his rings flashing wildly. “Yes.”

He watched me push the ring onto his finger, then lifted his hand to the light. “You brought it with you? How could you have known about the gold and blue if you didn’t know what I was?

“I didn’t know. I’d brought a standard wedding band I’d intended to give you, but I decided I wanted something different—something personal.”

A flush traveled across my skin at my admission. “I acquired a company a few years back from a sweet gentleman who has tried to make me custom jewelry for the past year. When I contacted him, he was delighted to rush this for me. He finished this morning and gave it to the courier I’d hired to fly it down to me. It arrived this afternoon.”

“Beryl! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve turned into a romantic.” Cer wrapped me in a hug, squeezing until I was laughing and begging to be released. “I love it, darling.”

“Maybe.” I placed a chaste kiss on his lips, knowing that anything more and we’d never make it to our dinner reservation.

Cerulean’s eyes sparkled. “What are we waiting on? I can’t wait for the world to see that you put a ring on it.”

Without giving me time to respond, Cerulean stood, steadied me on my heels, then rushed us out the door.

We arrived five minutes before our reservation time. Our table was ready, and the smiling hostess seated us immediately.

I’d have preferred a private booth, but we sat at a four-seat table in the middle of the restaurant. Thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t overly crowded, and they spaced the tables apart to give some privacy to guests.

Cerulean pulled out my chair and bent to kiss my cheek as I sat down. As he stood, his gaze fixed on the partially obscured bar area on the other side of the restaurant.

---