“What are you thinking about?” Andre asked, his voice low.
“Nothing,” I said a little too quickly.
“I think you’re lying.” His lips quirked and his voice dropped even lower. I remembered too late that, for a vampire, smell often dominated even our excellent vision. He probably knew exactly where my mind was.
And just as soon as I thought the night might get really interesting, he backed off. His eyes grew troubled. “I have to leave again tomorrow for Romania.”
Romania. I was starting to hate that place without ever visiting it. Andre had been going there every couple weeks. That was where his coven was holding the hearing against him for crimes he’d committed on the night of his birthday.
“I’ll be gone for a few days, as usual. Until I get back, remember your training and keep yourself safe.”
Chapter 2
“I have one more surprise for you,” Andre said.
I stared at him across the dining room table in his yacht, my food and his wine long since gone. “Andre, you really didn’t have to.” He was going to give me unrealistic expectations about birthdays if he kept this up.
“Gabrielle,” he said, his eyes smoldering, “this gives me joy, so do me a favor and go with it.”
“Bossy vampire,” I said, a smile spreading across my face.
He came around the table and took my hand, tugging me to my feet. His head dipped to my ear. “And you like it.”
Before I could respond, Andre led me into the boat’s lounge. I took a seat on one of the couches and crinkled my brow, not sure what to expect from Andre. Oliver’s earlier words ran through my mind, and my cheeks flushed.
A sculpted eyebrow rose as Andre sat down next to me, his body dwarfing the couch. I wanted to cringe that he could smell just how hot and bothered I was.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box—the kind that contained jewelry—and my pulse began to beat loudly in my ears. A ring? Oh God, a ring?
He took my hand, his thumb rubbing slow circles along my skin. “It’s not what you think it is,” he said.
I felt a surge of relief course through me, but underneath it was a small sense of disappointment. That second emotion confused the hell out of me.
Andre’s face remained unreadable as he passed me the box. I took it from him and rubbed the velvety surface of the box, and then I raised the lid.
I sucked in a breath as I stared at the ring inside. A large ruby sat at its center, encased in a band of gold. It glinted in the dim light of the lounge.
“How is this not what I think it is?” I asked, glancing up from my gift.
Andre’s gaze was intense when he responded. “There are no strings attached to this ring, Gabrielle. No promises, no commitments, nothing. It’s just a piece of jewelry that’s dear to my heart, and I wanted to give it to someone who’s dear to my heart.”
So much more was behind his eyes when he spoke. In them I could see all the things he wasn’t saying—that he was making me a promise, that he’d always be mine.
Andre took the ring out from the box, then took my hand. “May I?” he asked, nodding to my fingers.
May he put it on. My hand. He’s putting a ring on my finger.
“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, not trusting my voice for the moment. My heart was slamming in my chest.
He slid it first on my index finger, but the ring was too small. Then he tried my middle finger. Again the ring got stuck halfway on.
Andre removed it and paused, staring at my ring finger. We both were. He lifted the ring and slipped it on. It fit. Perfectly.
As though it were fated.
“I don’t want to be a child bride, Andre.”
Happy laughter bubbled out of him. “I promise that won’t happen, soulmate. We can wait until you look more like a mummy than a vampire before we get married.”
I swatted him. “Look who’s talking, Father Time.” Then, when the rest of his words sunk in, I raised my eyebrows. “You want to marry me? Eventually?”
Andre’s gaze focused on me, and the humor drained from his face. “You’re wearing my mother’s ring,” he said by way of answer.
My eyes widened. I wore something in my hand that predated Andre. “And you’re giving it to me?”
Andre nodded.
I ran my finger over the face of the ring, the weight of the gift falling on my shoulders. This was a piece of jewelry that had over 700 years worth of personal value to Andre. And now it was mine.
My gaze drifted up from the ring. I badly wanted to tell him that I couldn’t accept something this valuable, but when I met his eyes, they were full of guarded hope. I’d throw myself in front of a bus before I dashed that hope.
“It’s incredibly beautiful,” I said. “Thank you for giving me something so meaningful.”
Sometimes I managed to say the right thing. Now was one of them. Andre’s face crinkled into a full-blown smile, making me forget for a moment that he was anything other than the man I loved. “I’m glad you like it,” he said. “I want you to always have a part of me, even while I’m away.”
Andre looked up from the ring to my face, his expression heated. I had only a moment to notice that resistance that always shone in his eyes melt away. And then his lips met mine.
The kiss was slow and scorching, and it progressed quickly into something more. Andre gathered me to him, and I twined myself around his torso. This was the problem we constantly ran into—fighting the physical attraction between us. Andre usually did a much better job of it than me, but not at the moment.
My fingers slid through his silky hair before trailing down to his shoulders and arms. Our bodies were flush with one another, and despite the layers of clothing that separated us, I could easily feel every dip and curve of his muscular torso.
Andre lifted me from the couch and moved us down the hall. My skin felt feverish as he carried me into one of the bedrooms.