My excitement over my gift began to get mixed with some serious nerves by the time Rylan and I met back in the living room. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Personal and something that only I could give him. Something that no amount of money could buy.

Well, I guess, technically, money could've bought it, but it wouldn't have been the same.

“All right,” he said as he came over to stand next to me. “Now, I'm going to ask it because you're looking way too serious. Are you okay?”

I reached out and took his hand, threading my fingers between his. “I'm fine.” I gave him a sideways smile. “Just a little anxious about the whole gifts thing.”

“Worried you won't like what I got you?” he teased, but I could hear that he was just as nervous as I was.

“I'm sure I'll love it,” I assured him. I looked up at him. “So, how do you want to do this?” I smiled. “Newbie here when it comes to Christmas, remember? All I've got to go on are how families do it in movies and on tv.”

“Well, the first thing you need to know,” he said in a whisper. “Is that there aren't any rules.”

I laughed as the tension faded away. My voice took on a lighter note. “Then how do we know what to do?”

He laughed as well. “I guess we'll have to make it up as we go, then, won't we?” He led me over to the couch and gestured for me to sit down. “And if we're doing that, I'd like to say I get to go first.”

I nodded and sat down, pressing my hands together so that Rylan couldn't see that they were shaking. I wasn't worried that I wouldn't like what he was going to give me – I was sure that no matter what it was, I'd love it – but I was concerned about the equality of it all. I knew Rylan was rich and generous, and we were dating, but I didn't know what that meant in regards to gift giving. Maybe something so personal as my gift was a bad idea. Maybe it would make him think I was getting too serious. If' I'd only known what he'd gotten me first, or at least what it was worth. Not that I cared about how much things cost. I would've been happy with just what he'd done here. It was more than I ever could have dreamed.

Now, he was walking back over to the tree and bending down to pick something up. It was a small, flat box. Too small to be clothing. The wrong size and shape for electronics. I had a feeling it was jewelry and my heart began to beat faster. I wasn't an idiot, but when it came to this, I was highly inexperienced. Aside from the obvious of what certain pieces of jewelry meant, I didn't know what anything else would symbolize.

“Here.” Rylan sat on the edge of the couch next to me. I felt his excitement coming off him in waves.

I hoped I wouldn't disappoint him.

I slowly untied the sparkling silver ribbon and then went to work on the paper. I was careful as much because the paper was thick and beautiful as because I wanted a bit more time to prepare myself for whatever was in that box.

Then I opened it and knew that no amount of time would've prepared me.

The plain box was lined with black velvet and what laid on the velvet was the most exquisite set of matching earrings and a necklace. This wasn't some simple gold chain or some kind of flashy diamond thing. The necklace was silver, delicately crafted. At the center was a sapphire. Not too small to be lost, but not so large as to be garish. The earrings were done similarly, except instead of one stone, there were three very small ones in each web of silver.

I stared at them, unable to believe what I was seeing. There had to be some mistake. One or the other would've been more than enough. I couldn't accept this.

“If you don't like them, I can take them back.” Rylan's voice was soft.

My heart twisted as I heard him try to hide what he was feeling. I looked up at him, balancing the box on my knees as I reached for his hands. He didn't look at me.

“Rylan, they're beautiful.”

He still wouldn't raise his eyes. I reached out and cupped his chin, a gesture he'd used on me before.

“Look at me,” I said softly. He did as I said. “I love them.”

“You don't have to say that,” he said.

“I'm not.” It was a strange feeling for me, being the one trying to reassure him like this. “I think they're the most...they're perfect. Too perfect.”

He frowned at me.

“They're too much.” I shook my head.

“No.” He spoke in that firm voice that I knew not to argue with. “It's not too much.”

“We've only been dating a short while,” I tried to argue anyway. My fingers were trembling as I lightly touched the jewelry. How could I explain to him how inadequate I felt? How unworthy of a gift like this.

“Do you like them?” he asked.

I nodded, not wanting him to doubt himself again.

“Do you love me?”

The question caught me off guard. “Yes.”

“Then accept them.”

Dammit.

“I want you to understand something,” he said, covering my hands with his this time. “I didn't buy these because they were expensive and I thought that's what you would want or because I felt like I had to spend a lot of money.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I didn't think that about him, but snapped my jaw shut when he gave me a sharp look. Not a mean one, but rather one that said he wasn't done yet.

“Black Friday, Suzette always drags me out shopping with her,” he said. “This year, Suzette met up with a couple of friends halfway through the day and let me off the hook. I walked past a store window, and there they were. The moment I saw them, I knew I had to get them for you.”

He raised a hand and wrapped my hair around his finger before brushing his thumb across my cheek.

“I couldn't imagine anyone else wearing them.”

I wrapped my hand around his. “I didn't mean to be ungrateful.” I pulled his hand around to kiss it. “I've just never had anyone give me a gift before, a gift of any kind, much less something like this. It's a lot to take in.”

“I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” he said. He pulled my hand to him and kissed it.

I shook my head. “This wasn't you at all.” I released his hand and looked down at the still open box. “In my wildest dreams, I never could've imagined something like this. Something so special.”

“You're special,” he said, leaning over to brush his lips across mine.

It wasn't much of a kiss in the way of delivery, but it still sent warmth straight through me. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment before breaking the silence.

“Is it my turn now?”

There was an almost little boy quality to his question that made me smile. I sat back. His eyes were shining with anticipation. My chest tightened and my expression froze. It was silly, my idea. Why in the world had I thought this was a good idea? I should've gone with the expensive tie or found some store that sold cufflinks. A watch maybe or something like that.

This time, I didn't need to explain anything to him. Rylan knew what the problem was.

“I'll love it,” he said. “I don't care how much it cost or anything like that. All that matters is that you thought of me.” He grinned, a real, sweet grin that made my stomach clench. “You could have made me a macaroni necklace or ceramic ashtray.” He raised an eyebrow. “You didn't make me a macaroni necklace did you?”

The humor broke the mood and I laughed. “No, I didn't do any of those things.” I flushed as I stood. “I didn't exactly...buy you anything.” I picked up the envelope I'd slipped under the tree last night. As I turned around, I caught a flash of sadness in his eyes and realized what it had sounded like. Instead of getting serious again, I decided to go with a different way. “I didn't say I didn't get you anything.” I kept my tone teasing. I held out the envelope and his face lit up.

I walked over to him to hand it over, but I didn't sit down. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn't like that very much.

He looked at the envelope and then up at me. “No hints?”

I shook my head. I didn't trust myself to speak. My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest.

“Okay then.” He opened the envelope almost as carefully as I'd opened the box.

I clasped my hands behind my back. I didn't know what I was going to do if he didn't like it. Or if he didn't understand it.

He pulled out the single sheet of paper and unfolded it. I watched as his expression went from confusion to shock. His eyes widened and he looked up at me.

“Is this...” He couldn't seem to find the words. “Love, is this...?”

“My name,” I said softly. I looked down. “I couldn't think of what to give you. I mean, you have all this money and friends and family and I'm just me. I didn't know what to get you. What you could possibly want–”

“You.”

My head came up in time to see him get up off of the couch. His eyes were blazing in that way that made my mouth go dry.

“You're all I want.” He took my face between his hands as his mouth came down on mine.

It burned straight through me, all heat and desire, stronger than anything I'd felt before. His hands slid down my neck and then down my back. He crushed me against him and I felt him harden against my stomach. As his tongue curled around mine, his hands moved even lower, cupping my ass.

Fuck.

My fingers tangled in the hair at the base of his neck. I never wanted to stop kissing him. I loved the feel of him, the taste of him. Fuck that. I loved him. Everything about him. I loved him so much it hurt.

And I knew this couldn't go any further right now.

Every cell in my body screamed in protest as I broke the kiss.

“I'm going to guess that means you liked my gift?” I tried to keep it light, but his hands flexed on my ass and things low inside me tightened.

“The fact that you trusted me...” His eyes closed and I could see the emotion working over his face. “I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me.” His eyes opened and they were a deep, rich purple. “But I would love to spend the rest of the day showing you.”

I shivered. That was so fucking tempting. “There is nothing I would like more than to take you up on that.” I sighed and took a step back. “But you have to go see your family.”

He scowled and I caught a glimpse of what he must've looked like when he was a child told to do something he didn't want to do. “I don't have to go.”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “You do.”

He grinned at me and started to reach for me, a gleam in his eyes. “I could just tell them that I'm not feeling well.”

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't step away when his hands came to rest on my hips. “And then what?”

“I don't understand.” He looked puzzled.

“Your sister...” I used the same words he'd used before. “Isn't fond of me. I'm sure she hasn't exactly been quiet about her feelings. I don't want to give your family another reason to hate me.”

“They won’t to hate you.” He tucked some hair behind my ear. “Because I love you, and they will too.”

I didn't argue with him. “I love you, too.” I put my hand over his. “But you need to go.”

He stuck out his bottom lip in the most adorable pout I'd ever seen.

“You're trying my self-control,” I said with another sigh. “If you don't go now, I won’t be able to say 'no' and we'll spend all day in bed.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing,” he countered.

I rolled my eyes.

“All right, all right,” he said. “I'll go. But I won't like it.”

I pressed my body against his and put my lips against his ear. “Then I guess I'll just have to have something you will like when you get back.”

He groaned. “Dammit, Jenna. I’ll have to spend the entire drive to my parent’s house trying to get rid of my hard-on.”

I laughed, but couldn't really feel too badly. I liked that his body responded to me that way, and I knew it wasn't just physical. He wanted me, but more than that, he loved me.

I could hardly wait for him to come back and us to continue to spend an amazing Christmas together.