Chapter Ten

Roman

After I kiss her, I watch as a change comes over her. It happens slowly. We walk along the shops, heading back to the penthouse. She’s quiet but looks up at me every so often.

“Have you done this before?” she asks.

I pull her close, tucking her under my arm where she fits perfectly. “Have I done what before?”

“Brought a girl home and kept her until you got bored of her or whatever?”

I don’t say anything for a moment. I’m not sure if her words are ridiculous or annoying as hell. Probably both.

“I’ve never done this before, Tessa. I’m not a guy who brings girls home until I get bored with them. You’re the only woman who has spent the night in my home.”

She gives me a skeptical look.

And you’re the only woman who ever will spend the night in my home…

I haven’t dated in a long, damn time, because I’m tired of the dating scene. I meet plenty of women at evening functions. After a while they all seem the same. The biggest problem, I realize now, was none of them were Tessa. She’s what I’ve wanted all along. She’s what I was waiting for, I just didn’t know. Now I do, but I have to prove it to her.

I need to make things official, so she doesn’t think I’m gunning for an easy lay.

A few blocks from home, we pass a jewelry shop. Braun Jewelers has been around since the 1920s, when Emil Braun, a Swiss immigrant, set up shop right here in this store. His grandson runs the place now. I started bumping into Charles Braun several years ago at various Westmoreland fundraisers. Not long after, he asked me to take care of his security detail, and for the last three or four years Savage Security has hired and vetted guards for Braun Jewelers.

To my surprise, they’re open. I smile. This must be fate. Charles is a surly older fellow. He has no compunction about closing because he wants to play golf or take a week off so he can visit his grandkids. And he’s open today, when half of Westmoreland is closed.

I steer Tessa into the jewelers. “Come on, let’s get you something shiny.”

I’m not going to say the r-word, because she might balk if I do. She murmurs a few words of surprise and steps inside as I hold the door open for her. We stamp off the snow. A young man takes our coats and asks if we’d like a refreshment.

Standing off to the side is one of my men. His eyes register an instant of surprise, but it’s gone just as quickly. He gives me a polite nod, nothing more.

Tessa says something to the man who took our coats, but I’m not paying attention. I’m drawn to a case with rings. Soft but strategic lighting makes the rings dazzle. Tessa comes to my side, holding a delicate cup and saucer. It’s a cup of hot chocolate. I wait for a gasp of shock or some comment about the spread of diamonds, but she’s more impressed with her drink.

“I love this place. The cocoa has handcrafted marshmallows.” She blows on her drink, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’m a big fan of marshmallows. I’ve never heard of handcrafted marshmallows but I’m sure never going back to plain old supermarket marshmallows. Not after this. I’m a ruined woman.”

Then she lowers her voice and whispers, “You’ve ruined me, Mr. Savage.”

Charles Braun himself appears at that moment and hears her whispered comment. His eyes widen. His face reddens slightly. He recovers quickly, though. I’m sure he’s heard worse than that. He gestures to the display of rings. “In that case, Mr. Savage, might I interest you in a diamond solitaire?”

I grin and nod. “Yes, please, Charles.”

We shake hands and I note the bemused look he gives Tessa.

“Wait…” She stares at us, the hot chocolate a few inches from her mouth. “What?”

“I’m buying you a ring.” I lean against the counter, waiting to see how she’ll respond.

She drops her gaze to the rings. Her eyes get big and when she returns her attention to my face, she looks completely bowled over. Stunned. “You haven’t asked me to marry you.”

I glance at Charles. He gives me a blank look. I’m sure he’s seen a thousand different scenarios play out when helping a couple choose a wedding ring, and over time, he’s perfected this blasé expression.

“I’ll ask you later. This way, when I do ask you to marry me, I’ll have a ring to put on your finger.”

She takes a sip of her drink, gazing at me over the rim. Lowering the cup slowly, she nods. I can see the disbelief clearly etched around her eyes. “Okay.”

Charles opens the case and removes two rings. He sets them on a swathe of velvet. “Let’s start with platinum, shall we? I have the distinct impression Mr. Savage will insist on seeing my finest pieces.”

Tessa holds back as if she doesn’t dare get close. I motion her to come to my side. She takes a few hesitant steps, puts her drink down and looks at the rings with wonder. Neither she nor I know much about diamonds, so Mr. Braun takes the next thirty minutes talking about cut and clarity. He shines a special light on the rings to show us how some diamonds have tiny imperfections, and some are flawless.

She can’t decide, or maybe she doesn’t want to decide. Charles has seen this before too, and finally, he convinces her to try a ring with a pear-shaped diamond. She slides it onto her finger and I hear her breath catch. Charles winks at me.

“Take the ring, my dear. Wear it for a few days and see what you think.” He smiles at her kindly. “You can always bring it back and try on something else.”

“I didn’t know you could try out a ring,” she says.

“Mr. Savage hires my guards. He’s hand-picked the best and the brightest. I’m more than happy to extend a professional courtesy to him.”

I lift my brow. I appreciate the gesture and reach for my wallet because I assume he at least wants my credit card on file.

He shakes his head. “There’s time for that later.”

I thank him, and Tessa murmurs a few words of gratitude. Mostly, she just stares at the ring on her hand with amazement.

“I don’t know what to say, Roman. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Her voice is breathy and soft as we put on our coats. We head outside into the cold, windy afternoon. A gust of arctic air blasts us with the reality of the enormous blizzard that engulfs Westmoreland. I pull her against me for the walk home. We don’t get a break from the wind until we get to the George V entrance.

Standing in the entrance is a newscaster from the local television station. She looks fresh out of journalism school, young and windblown, her face red and chapped. She smiles when she sees us, giving us a sort of desperate, pleading look.

“I’m looking for people braving the storm. Could I ask you two for a quick interview, so I can go home?”

“Sure, why not?” Tessa says. Then gives me a questioning look.

I usually avoid cameras, preferring to keep a low profile, but Tessa’s eyes sparkle with excitement.

My fiancée.

Tessa looks so beautiful, I can’t help agreeing to answer a few questions. Bundled up with hats, scarves and winter coats, we’re barely recognizable. That’s what I tell myself as I ignore my usual wariness.

“What do you want to know?” I ask. “Yes, it’s cold. Is that good?”

“Ha! I wish,” the woman replies.

She motions to a cameraman who looks like he’s half frozen. The networks always send out their newest hires to do these extreme-type weather casts. It’s their way of getting the less-than-committed to quit. I’ve used the same tactics with my company. If you want to know if someone can hack it, give them a few trial runs and then send them into the storm of the century. Separates the wheat from the chaff in a hurry.

The cameraman moves into position. A light on the camera gleams as he starts filming. The newscaster beams at the camera, without a trace of the misery she showed a moment before.

“This is Jessica Alden reporting for Channel Six. We’re in downtown Westmoreland, getting some footage of folks brave enough to venture out in the storm.”

Tessa scoots closer to me and grabs my arm. I can tell she regrets agreeing to this, just from the force of her grip. Her panic makes me chuckle, but I can’t help feeling a wave of protectiveness too. I wrap my arm around her shoulders. I lean down to whisper, “no last names.”

“And I’m talking to…” The newscaster pauses so we’ll give our names. She holds out the mic.

“We came out to see the snow and get something to eat,” I say, ignoring her question.

“And get engaged,” Tessa says. “He proposed, sort of. I mean not yet, but he’s going to.”

I want to say that Tessa has gone off-script, but I can’t really since there was no script. I don’t even care. She sounds giddy and her happiness spills over to make me happy too.

Jessica is every bit as pleased as we are. Her eyes are as big as plums and I can practically see the promotion she anticipates playing out in her mind. Her jaw drops. She recovers quickly.

“A proposal,” she gushes. “Isn’t that romantic?”

“It is romantic,” Tessa snickers, suddenly warming up to the camera. “And pretty darned unexpected.”

“I love it!” Jessica exclaims.

Suddenly, I’m no longer part of the interview as Jessica focuses all her attention on Tessa. “Let’s see the ring, girl.”

Tessa gives me an apologetic look, pulls her hand from her pocket and shows off the ring. I let her chat for a moment, and then I cut off Tessa and Jessica’s bonding over the ring. Amid the oohs and aahs of the soon-to-be evening anchor, I manage to get a word in edgewise.

“We need to get inside,” I announce. “And I’m sure your crew is ready to head home.”

Jessica turns back to the camera and offers a few more words, signing off. I pull Tessa inside, out of the frozen afternoon. We stamp the snow from our boots and start peeling off the winter layers as we wander over to the elevator.

The doors open. We step inside and before they close, I have her backed into the corner. “I haven’t kissed my fiancée yet. And I can’t wait anymore.”

With that, I give her a hard, possessive kiss, holding her in my grip as the elevator ascends to the penthouse.