The kiss intensified with his every demanding thrust. She met every one. Every kiss. Every thrust. She let him swallow her moans as his body rode hers expertly to a second climax that was met a moment later by his.

His weight settled comfortably on her, but she knew it wasn’t all of him. His face nuzzled the side of her neck as she littered tiny kisses along the seam of his shoulder. Her arms clasped him tightly to her.

“Please don’t be a dream,” she whispered against his skin.

His response was the turn of his head and the violent claim of his mouth over hers in a kiss that dissolved her bones and sent the room spinning all over again.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she murmured some time later as they lay in a tangled mess across the rumpled expense of her bed.

She lay partially on top of him as he traced the bumps of her spine with lazy fingertips. Her head rested against his chest and she could feel the steady patter of his heart thumping beneath her cheek. One leg tucked comfortably through his as she drew lazy circles against his exposed skin with a finger.

“Wasn’t going to,” he said quietly into the top of her head. “But I couldn’t think of anything, except to see you again.”

She lifted her head and peered down at him. His beautiful face was barely visible beneath the curtain of darkness, but his eyes shone with their own inner light that never failed to mesmerize her.

“Stay the night?” she asked.

Fingers smoothed stray locks of hair behind her ear. “For a few hours.”

Juliette’s heart sank. Her shoulders drooped.

“None of that now,” he said. “What kind of example would we be setting for your sister if I stayed?”

He was right and she was ashamed that she hadn’t even thought of Vi.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You’re right.”

Even concealed, she could see his features softening. She felt it in the gentle glide of his fingers tracing the side of her face.

“I would if I could.”

With a sigh, she lowered her head and rested her brow against his chin. “Thank you for coming.” She raised her face and peered down at him. “I missed you.” She flattened her hand against his cheek and pressed her thumb over his lips before he could speak. “I know you’re going to tell me I shouldn’t—”

He took hold of her wrist and gently drew her hand away. “God help me, but I missed you, too.”

Elation sent her heart tap dancing in her chest. His words stole all her senses, even disappointment over him leaving in a few short hours. Juliette beamed as she dropped her mouth and kissed him.

He was gone when Juliette woke up only a short few hours later. The blankets had been drawn tightly around her, but the heat of his body was no longer enveloping her. If it wasn’t for the sweet thrum between her thighs and the fact that she was naked, she might have mistaken the previous night for a dream.

Grabbing her clothes, she quickly dressed before the rest of the house could wake up. She righted her room. She was in the process of tossing her roped sheets into the hamper when she spotted the thin, black box on the nightstand, next to a card and Jake’s phone. A fat, red ribbon circled the case, contrasting brightly against the dark velvet. Juliette stared at the thing. She knew full well that it hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed. Her heart skipped a beat as she reached for the card and turned it over.

Her name winked up at her from the back in perfect, scrawling penmanship and nothing else. She set the card down and reached for the box. It was real velvet, not the sort that anyone could just buy at the dollar store. It bristled lightly against her skin and she had to suppress the urge to stroke it to her cheek. Instead, she turned her focus to easing a finger beneath the bronze little latch. The top popped open with only a slight squeak from the hinges. More velvet filled inside with a layer of silk. Against the navy bed lay the most beautiful pendent Juliette had ever laid eyes on.

Early morning light danced off the elegant curve surrounding a flawless sphere and caught on each of the four stones embedded in a bed of gleaming silver. Vines twisted in jagged knots around the pale face of a beautiful girl in a Victorian gown. Her long, unbound curls lay in perfect waves around bare shoulders and was held in place by a lily pinned to the side of her head. Juliette turned the cameo in her hand and early light skated along the swirling scripture etched into the silver slat on the back.

“Your happiness drives me.”

The writing was faded, like it had been done years ago and she wondered if Killian had found it in a pawn shop or some antique dealer. It didn’t even matter. The pendent was by far the most thoughtful gift anyone had given her in years. She’d almost forgotten what that felt like.

Moving quickly into the bathroom, she slipped the delicate chain about her throat. The cool metal settled lightly against her skin. The pendent nestled just inches below her collarbone. She fingered the carved gemstone and grinned at her own reflection.

Excitement thrumming, she grabbed Jake’s phone and sprinted downstairs. Jake, Phil, and Melton were in the kitchen, surrounding the island with steaming mugs of coffee when she rushed in. All three jumped. Melton hissed when scalding liquid sloshed over the rim of his cup and burned his hand.

“Sorry!” she said, unable to stop grinning. “Do you think you’re up for a drive?”

Jake set his cup down. “Ma’am, we go whenever you’re ready.”

Too geared up to tell them she didn’t mind waiting until they were finished their coffee, she handed Jake his phone and nodded.

“I’m ready.”

Leaving them, she hurried to where she’d left her coat and purse in the dining room. She moved quietly to avoid waking Javier, who most likely got the nightshift. Laurence glanced up from his position at the window when she stepped into the foyer, swinging her things on.

“Ma’am,” he said in the way of greeting.

She smiled at him. “Morning.”

Jake and Melton were on the front porch when she joined them. Together, they marched down the walkway to the SUV. Melton held the door open and she scrambled inside.

Maybe it was because she was practically crawling out of her skin with anticipation, but the drive seemed to take forever. It wasn’t until Jake took an odd turn off the major road and through a deserted side street that she realized they were changing routes.

“Is there really someone following us?” she asked.

“It’s only precaution, ma’am,” Melton answered.

No one said anything else as they ambled their way up the side of Killian’s hill. The gates opened at the top with a rusty shriek and they pulled to a stop next to the fountain. Juliette opened her own door. She hopped out and darted up the steps.

Despite having left her bed in the wee hours of the morning, Killian was showered and dressed and wide awake when she poked her head into his office. There was a black mug on the desk, no longer steaming, so she wondered how long it had been sitting there forgotten. The owner had his face buried in a stack of papers. He had his serious face on as he scanned the pages. It was the one that puckered the place between his eyebrows and pulled at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t notice her walk in until she cleared her throat.

His face shot up and the lines on his brow immediately vanished. “Juliette?”

In a handful of determined strides, she closed the space separating them and took his face between her hands. There was a split second of surprise on his part, but the moment her mouth closed over his, it had dissolved into a look of pure satisfaction.

“I take it you got my gift,” he teased once she’d drawn back.