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Black velvet with an ornate gold label. I don’t know why I was so hesitant to touch the box. Doing so didn’t mean anything and certainly wasn’t a commitment. Plus, there was a chance I was wrong and inside were cufflinks.

The only time I’d seen the powerful man in cufflinks was at the gala.

Where the adventure had really begun.

Except that wasn’t true.

What if I hadn’t taken a walk that day? What if I hadn’t finally said enough was enough and kicked Steve to the curb? Would I have ever met Maxsim? Would I have found someone so dynamic and handsome yet so challenging?

I finally found the courage to take the box into my fingers, the soft velvet soothing. Even exciting. Of course, I should simply return it to where I’d found it without looking. That would be the decent thing to do.

But I was curious. One look couldn’t hurt. Right? I found myself glancing over my shoulder. Did I really think he was going to be standing right there, wagging his finger and telling me that I deserved to be punished for snooping?

Maybe that’s what I hoped would happen.

Only there was nothing but a view of the bed from where I was standing. I laughed softly to myself and finally opened the lid. “Oh, my God.” I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

With someone like Maxsim, I would expect that he’d want others from across the room to know I belonged to him, which meant a huge diamond, every light casting prisms.

While the diamond was flawless, so gorgeous the sight took my breath away, it was the setting and how it was surrounded by rubies that truly captured my eye. Rubies were my birthstone and my favorite jewel. Was it possible he knew that?

Well, of course it was.

With another quick look over my shoulder, I indulged myself further by carefully pulling the ring from the box and holding the stunning piece in the light. How many times in just a few days let alone weeks had an ache formed in my heart?

I could stand here while staring at the ring going over the reasons I couldn’t marry him. Then I could turn around and think about all the reasons I’d fallen in love with him, including how protective he was. He was a true alpha male.

This time, I bit back a silly laugh. And why? Because even after the statement he’d made to his men, he hadn’t asked me to marry him.

Something stopped me before I slipped the ring back into the box. This was the true epitome of a girlie moment. I slipped the ring onto my finger. As I flexed my fingers, I held my arm out even further. You bet I had to look at myself in the mirror.

My goodness. I’d never been so foolish before. Had I lied about being a kid and thinking about my wedding? No, I hadn’t. All little girls thought of the perfect prince, but that period of time had lasted all of a couple of months.

Even still, I found myself waltzing toward the dresser, placing my hand over my heart and striking a pose. How absolutely ridiculous, but as the ring glistened in the afternoon light, the memories of the amazing times I’d shared with Maxsim from our passion to sharing a glass of wine and especially in instructing him how to turn on a set of beaters were wonderful.

I wiggled my fingers, wondering what it would be like as his wife. He wasn’t some controlling mafia dude like in the books. Or was he? Hmmm…

I finally chastised myself for taking so long and was about to head back to the closet when movement outside the set of glass doors caught my attention.

With everything that had gone on, I was very mindful of any activity around me. I didn’t see anything at first and silently reminded myself there were a half dozen guards walking the property. Almost turning away, a flash caught my attention. What was that?

“No.”

Mina and Shadow were outside and they were headed straight for the water. I flew out of the room, racing down the stairs to the back door. After throwing it open, I scanned the shoreline, forced to cover my eyes from the sun.

They were nowhere to be seen.

Oh, God, no.

I rushed down the stairs, ripping off my shoes as soon as I reached the bottom. While I didn’t want to frighten her more than she’d been that morning, since I was petrified, I took off running. By the time I reached the beach and since I couldn’t see either her or Shadow, I was close to freaking out.

“Mina! Shadow!” I heard nothing but the waves rushing in, my voice carried out to the ocean. I scanned both sides of the shore, exasperation already settling in. I could feel the heavy pulse in my neck. “Where are you?”

Where were the men who were assigned to protect us for that matter?

I allowed my franticness to take over, rushing down one side of the beach. My heart was pounding, every slam of my feet against the hard sand brutally jarring.

“Mina!” I spun around in a circle, gasping for air. Should I contact Maxsim?