Page 141 of Reputation (Tempt)

“Knox has a few pieces, but I got the bulk of her collection. I’m saving some of them for Brooklyn.” He smiled. “But my mom would’ve wanted these pieces to be enjoyed.Iwant them to be enjoyed by someone who appreciates them. By you.”

I stopped when I came to a framed picture. It was of a woman and a little boy, who had to be Nate. He was sitting on her lap, and she had her arms draped around him. Her wrist was covered in diamond bracelets, and they both wore the biggest smiles.

Nate came up behind me, pulling me into his chest. “I wish she could’ve met you and Brooklyn.”

“So do I,” I said, setting the frame back down and turning in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, playing with the hair at his nape. “Any other hidden passages or secrets you need to tell me about?” I teased.

He considered it a moment then said, “I love you.”

I laughed. “That’s not a secret.” I kissed him. “And I love you too.”

“Mm?” He swayed us from side to side. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

I pressed my lips to his. “Neither can I. But…”

“But what?” he asked.

“I guess I’m just surprised. I had resigned myself to the fact that you might never want to marry, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around this change of heart.”

“Em—” He clasped my hands and placed them over his heart. “Haven’t you realized by now that I would give you anything?”

“I—” I shook my head, stunned. “Yeah. I mean, yes. But I don’t want you to marry me because you think it’s what I want. I want it to be something we agree to. Something we both desire.”

“I wouldn’t have proposed if I didn’t want you to be my wife.”

I was afraid to ask, but I couldn’t hold back. Not now. Not after all we’d been through. “And kids?”

He lifted a shoulder. “If you want to grow our family someday, I’m open to it.”

Open to it? I’d never expected him to say those words.

I was still stuck on that when he backed away, looking through the drawers until he found whatever he’d been searching for. “Face the mirror,” he said. I turned, and he draped a large, multistrand diamond-and-sapphire necklace over my chest.

My nipples immediately pebbled, and he dragged the stones up my chest in such an erotic way. Goose bumps broke out along my skin, and he pressed his hips into me, letting me feel his desire. He secured the clasp, then smoothed his hands over my shoulders.

“It suits you.”

“It’s beautiful,” I said, delicately fingering the necklace. The setting was an older style. Something that looked like it had once belonged to a monarch.

“And this,” he said, adding a few bracelets. A ring to my right hand. A tiara. Arealtiara.

“What a set,” I breathed. “Incredible.”

“It’s called aparure.A matched set of pieces intended to be worn together. The word comes from the French verbparer,which means ‘to adorn.’ And it once belonged to the Queen of Sweden.”

Holy…

I would’ve felt like a girl playing dress-up, but it was all real. And his touch was so tantalizing.

He slid the shirt from my shoulders, leaving me naked, apart from all the gems adorning my skin. The weight of them was heavy, but it was nothing compared to the way Nate was looking at me.

He met my gaze in the mirror as he slid his hand down my stomach, teasing my clit. “You are exquisite. Everything about you is.”

I was already so aroused, I thought I might come from that alone. I released a shaky exhale, wanting to touch him. Kiss him. But he kept me locked in place, his touch making it impossible to move.

I moaned, my legs starting to wobble.

“That’s it, Em.” He kissed my shoulder, and it sent sparks dancing over my skin.

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