“I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Bree.” Gavin rested his head on the pillow, peering at her through sleepy, half-closed eyes.
“Me? There’s nothing special about me.” She kicked herself for giving in to the familiar urge to run herself down.
A frown furrowed Gavin’s brow. “Everything about you is special.” He stroked her chin with his thumb. “You’re warm and kind and caring. You’re clever and creative and artistic.”
Bree swallowed. She’d heard those before. They were the kind of compliments her starchy aunts offered, usually after critiquing her posture and lamenting her lack of marital prospects.
“And you’re the best looking woman in San Francisco.”
“Only in San Francisco?” She couldn’t help teasing. His smoky gaze roamed over her naked body making her feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.
“Definitely in the whole Bay area. And the State of California. And the entire West Coast.”
Bree mock pouted. “And there I was hoping for the Midwest, as well.”
“I haven’t spent much time there so I’m not an authority.” His narrowed gaze twinkled with mischief.
“Never mind then.” She tossed her curls. Gavin took one in his fingers and tried it on like a ring. “That’s rather suggestive,” she murmured.
“Perhaps that’s my intention.” He cocked his head slightly.
She bit her lip to stop a naughty smile sneaking across her mouth. “Shouldn’t we get some sleep? Tomorrow’s a workday.”
“Actually, I’m on vacation. Had to use it or lose it.”
“Lucky you.”
“But if you have a busy day, I quite understand.” He twirled her curl softly around his finger.
“Actually, I don’t.” She didn’t have any plans at all, in fact.
“Then I have an idea.” His brow furrowed again. “A big idea. A crazy, mad, wonderful idea.”
Curiosity prickled through Bree. “What?”
He shifted until he was sitting up. “I’ll be right back.”
With a navy towel around his waist, Gavin strode to the study.
Crazy.
Definitely crazy, but the idea had seized him. Maybe because everything about Bree felt so right. Their lovemaking was sensational. Bree was every bit as passionate and erotic as he’d imagined, and that unbelievable body of hers…. He frowned at the erection already getting started again.
Mad.
No question he was mad. Everyone would tell him that. Heck, Bree would probably tell him that. They’d only known each other for two and a half weeks. But sometimes the universe was on your side and everything came together, like the time he won the big Stayco account.
No. This was nothing like the time he won the Stayco account. That was a business relationship. This would be a lifetime commitment.
His chest tightened. A lifetime with Bree. Right now that seemed very appealing.
In the study, the display on the digital clock gave off just enough illumination for him to see the drawer handles.
Yes, the one million dollars offered by her father was an enticement. But it wasn’t the only one, not by any means. It was more like a pearl necklace around the neck of a beautiful woman: it enhanced her appeal, rather than overshadowed it.
Wonderful.
That’s how things could be if everything went according to plan. He and Bree could buy a nice house somewhere—maybe even Russian Hill, he’d always liked that area.
He could finally start his own company and settle into an exciting yet comfortable existence as a man in charge of his own destiny.
Excitement swelled inside him. He pulled open the top drawer and reached into its dark interior. Past the paper clips and stapler, his fingertips settled on a smooth leather box. He picked it up. The gold embossed around the edges glowed in the green light from the clock. He’d had no idea what to do with this ring when he was given it, but suddenly it seemed like just another perfectly fitting piece in the puzzle of his life.
He flipped open the lid to reveal a lovely Art Deco ring, three flawless diamonds—a large one flanked by two smaller ones—in a pretty setting. Most people probably would have sold it, but he couldn’t do that. It had belonged to his grandmother, one of the most amazing people he’d ever met. She’d encouraged his creative ambitions, taking him to drama class and music lessons, paying for summer arts camp when his parents had disapproved.
She’d left him the ring in her will. At the time he’d wondered why, but now he knew. She wanted him to give it to the woman he loved.
Gavin drew in a ragged breath and plucked the ring from its satin bed. Would Bree be offended by the offer of a used ring? She was an heiress, after all, able to buy whatever she wanted without a thought.
The ring glittered as he examined it. Bree wasn’t flashy or pretentious, he thought. Deep down, he suspected the sentimental value of a ring might be more important than its market price.
He had no idea if it would fit, but that would be easy enough to fix. He left the box on the desk and tucked the ring into his palm.
Bree lay on the bed, curls sprawled on the pillow, the sheet draped over her delicious body. She smiled as he stood in the doorway. Adrenaline surged through Gavin’s body—how would she react? Might she reject him out of hand? Then his plans would lie in ruins and he’d have to tell her father he’d failed to hold up his part of the bargain.
Her dark lashes flickered as she looked at him, expectant, probably wondering why he stood over her, hesitating, one hand behind his back. The ring prickled against his skin, hard facets of diamond goading him to ask her his burning question.
He walked to the bed and sat down on the covers next to her. The heat from her skin warmed him and eased the tension in his limbs. “Bree, I know we haven’t known each other long.” His voice sounded oddly gruff. Her eyes widened. “But sometimes life offers you a rare opportunity, something you weren’t expecting and couldn’t even have hoped for.” He swallowed. “Bree, will you marry me?”
Five
Bree blinked. Obviously she was asleep and dreaming.
But it felt so real.
Gavin sat next to her on the bed, muscles honed by the soft lamplight, a towel wrapped around his waist like a toga. In his fingers, something sparkled. A ring. Just like in fairy tales when the handsome prince gets down on one knee and …
“I know it’s sudden.” His voice interrupted her thoughts. “I’m sure you’re surprised. I am, too. I had no idea I could develop such strong feelings for a woman so quickly.”
Chest tightening, Bree pushed herself up onto one elbow. “I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Gavin’s handsome features creased into a smile. “No, you’re not. I’m as real as you are.” He caressed her thigh through the sheet. Her skin hummed under his touch.
“And I’d like you to be my wife.”
She swallowed. Gavin Spencer wanted to marry her? This couldn’t be real. For a start, they’d known each other less than three weeks. Plus, he was gorgeous, a drop-dead knockout who must have women trailing after him wherever he went. Why would he want to be stuck with one woman for the rest of his life—least of all her?
“It’s too sudden, isn’t it?” He tilted his head.
“No.