I summon all of my willpower to do so. I lay back down and place the box on Logan’s chest a few inches over from where I rest my head. I stare at it continually — perhaps in the hope that it will miraculously open itself, which of course it doesn’t — until Logan wakes up I-don’t-know-how-long later. He stirs under me, making sweet, rousing noises, and then feeling something untoward on top of him, he pats his stomach until his hand finds the little box. He starts laughing sleepily when he realises that I’ve moved it.

“I found something intriguing,” I tell him needlessly, propping myself up on my elbow and leaning over him.

“Did you look?” he asks quietly, blinking his eyes open to gaze at me.

I shake my head vehemently, infinitely more awake than he is. “I’ve be willing you to wake up for ages,” I smile at him. “Where did it come from?” I ask, tapping the box.

“The jeweller came around this morning. You were sleeping,” he explains. “We could hear your snores all the way from the elevator,” he grins, stretching next to me.

I pinch him in retaliation, making him laugh. I do not snore.

Still laughing, Logan does a sit up, his stomach muscles going taut under my hand as he reaches up to kiss my lips. “I take it you slept well?” he asks me.

I widen my eyes at him as he lies back down. “You want to do smalltalk when this thing is lying here?” I ask him disbelievingly, indicating the little box once more.

He laughs again before telling me, “I just need a minute to wake up. I’m adamant that I do it properly this time.” He looks at me for a long moment, before a broad, dimple-inducing smile overcomes his face. His light-green eyes gleam as they survey me. The sight of him is so engaging, so engrossing, so distracting.

I put the box back onto the bedside table and then drape my body over Logan’s, showering his torso, shoulders, neck, and face with rousing kisses. When I finally reach his lips, his hands cup my face and he holds it to his, kissing me eagerly.

“Awake now?” I whisper into his mouth a few delicious moments later.

He nods, his eyes conveying that perfect mixture of adoration and amorous desire. “Shades,” he calls loudly, and slowly light begins to fill the room. It’s a clear, sunny day outside. Then to me, he says, “Baby, you’re going to have to get off of me.”

“I’m sorry, my hearing is bad this morning, did you say — get off of you or get off on you?” I smile against his lips.

“I’m good with either,” Logan chuckles.

Hmm, this time the celebrations can wait, I think. I’m dying to find out what’s in the box!

I roll off of him, and watch him leave the bed, standing tall and naked with his back to me, stretching his beautiful body right in front of my captivated eyes. He then turns around, showcasing his morning wood, while simultaneously picking up the little box from the bedside table and offering his hand to help me out of bed.

I take his hand eagerly, my heart rate increasing by the second, and once standing, Logan leads the way to the small open space between the window and the bed. His clothes and my underwear are still strewn everywhere, and letting go of my hand momentarily, he bends over in front of me, moving everything to the side whilst also providing me with a very eye-catching view of his male anatomy.

Giggling, I mutter, “Now there’s a sight not every girl gets to see right before she’s proposed to.”

Logan starts chuckling. “You love my backside,” he reminds me. “I’m just giving you want you want, baby,” he says, making me laugh heartily.

The clothes cleared to one side, Logan swivels around, taking ahold of my hand once more. Our laughter abates quickly as we stand looking at each other, the formality and intensity of the situation overcoming us. I know we’re already engaged, but that doesn’t stop the excitement that courses through me, nor the butterflies that take flight in my tummy.

“Gemima,” he says.

“Logan,” I smile.

He takes a breath and then sinks down onto one knee before me, and everything in me increases — my heartbeat, my smile, my anticipation. He lets go of my hand and holds up the little black box in both of his own, and due to the angle that I’m looking from, Logan’s sizeable erection is directly in my line of sight beyond the box.

My giggles return. “Your penis is distracting me,” I confess.

Logan laughs loudly. “I can’t help it. I’m happy, I’m completely in awe of your beautiful naked body, and besides,” he finally opens the box, “this will distract you even more.”

He’s right; it does! Inside the box is a silver ring with a thin, elegant band. In the centre a large, oval-shaped, light-teal stone sits surrounded by smaller, white diamonds. The central stone mesmerises me instantly. It has elements of both green and blue to it, and looks as clear as the water on a tropical beach.

Expectedly, my mouth opens in astonishment. I had no idea what to expect from Logan, but this piece of jewellery is beyond the beauty of any other I’ve ever laid eyes on. Surely, I’m not going to be allowed to wear this, I think to myself. It’s looks as though it belongs on display behind glass, under armed guard.

“Wow,” is all that I can manage to say. He’s good at distracting me, that’s for sure!

“It’s platinum with diamonds, and the central stone is a sapphire,” Logan informs me.

The next two words I manage are not an improvement. “Holy shit!”

Logan beams at my reaction.

“Baby, I’m stunned,” I tell him honestly. “It’s beautiful, Logan. It’s beyond beautiful!” Its charm is entirely ineffable! “Can I actually wear it?” I ask him, feeling wholly foolish, but having to make absolutely sure.

“Yes,” Logan laughs.

“Everywhere?”

“Anywhere and everywhere you want,” he informs me. “It’s basically indestructible.”

“Phew,” I say breathlessly, making Logan laugh again.

He takes it out of the box, and after throwing the box onto the bed, Logan takes my hand and holds the ring over the tip of the appropriate finger.

“Gemima Samuels, love of my life, woman of my dreams, will you marry me? Again,” he smiles.

“Of course I will, Logan,” I tell him immediately, and half a second later, he slips the ring onto my finger; it’s a perfect, snug fit. Smiling so widely that my cheeks hurt, I step towards him, cupping his face in my hands. “I love you. Forever,” I say, gazing down at him.

“Forever,” he nods. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” he says in response, before getting to his feet once more and wrapping his arms around me as he kisses me headily.

My hands are still on his face as we kiss and when I open my eyes, I marvel at the sight of my new ring, and I can’t keep from blurting out, “I can’t fucking believe you bought this for me!”

Knowing what I’m looking at Logan smiles into my mouth. “Do you honestly like it, because I can—”

“I love it,” I breathe, cutting him off. There’s not one detail that I would change. It’s the kind of ring I’d choose for myself only if money was of no consequence. “It cost a lot, didn’t it? It looks like it cost a lot,” I say, having to ask him.

“I’ve been saving my pocket money,” he chuckles. “Ever since I saw you at that party,” he adds, playfully. “Even then I thought this colour would suit your blue eyes,” he looks at the ring for himself, “and it does,” he smiles, looking at me again. “Endless, timeless, and easy to get lost in,” he notes.

I beam back at him. “You’re sure I don’t need a security guard to wear it outside?”

“I’m sure,” he nods, amused by the notion. “I want you to feel at ease when you wear it, if you wear it. Which, of course, you don’t have to,” he lets me know. “Us getting married is what matters, this is just an extra gift,” he says.

Although his priorities are exactly the same as mine — marriage first, presents second — I say to him, “What about your extra gift?”