“Angel, I don’t want Danny and Jeremy assigned to anyone butyou. Because you’re the most important assignment I could give them. They understand that if they fuck up and anything happens to you, I’ll have their heads.”
My jaw goes slack at that, and then I scowl up at him. “Julian?—”
“Don’t argue with me, Natasha. It’s the way it is. They protect you, with their life if need be, or they die at my hand. I might also remind you that although it’s the most important job, it’s also one they enjoy because you don’t fight them, don’t try to evade them, and you’re kind to them.”
“I’ve had guards all my life.” I shrug a shoulder. “I’m used to it. There’s no reason to be a jerk to guys who are doing their job.”
He brushes my hair behind my ear, and then reaches into his pocket and pulls out ...my ring.
Except, it’s not my ring. The setting is similar, and I’m pretty sure that’s my diamond, but there are more stones, and it’s set slightly differently.
I frown up at my husband as he turns it so I can see all of it.
“I altered this a bit,” he says casually. “This is still your stone, the eight-carat diamond. But I added pink diamonds on the sides, and it’s in a new setting.”
“Why the new setting?” I ask as he slides it on my finger, and I turn it, admiring the way the light makes it sparkle.
“Because that bitch at the pawn shop touched it. And I wanted you to have something fresh.”
To be honest, I hate that she touched it too.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur, staring down at it, and then I lean up to kiss him. “Thank you.”
He moves in for another kiss, but I hold up a finger and hurry inside to where my oversize handbag is and pull out the box I’ve been carrying around since Julian left one of the stores to take a call. “I have something for you too.”
I pass him the box with the bow, and he goes very still for a moment.
“It’s a gift,” I say with a nervous smile.
His eyes jump to mine. “You didn’t have?—”
“I don’thaveto do anything at all,” I reply, echoing his own words, and his eyes narrow. “Just open it. If you hate it?—”
“I won’t,” he says as he tugs the bow free and then opens the box, and his lips tip up in a small smile.
“I know you don’t wear cuff links often, but I couldn’t resist.” They’re yellow diamonds surrounded by yellow gold. “When I saw them, I knew you had to have them.”
“Thank you.” He tips my chin up and kisses me softly. “They’re perfect.”
I look back down at my ring. “What made you decide to go with pink diamonds?”
“A few reasons,” he says, taking my hand and kissing the back of it. “First of all, you look gorgeous in pink. These are Argyle diamonds. The mine in Western Australia closed in 2020, and aside from red and blue diamonds, these are the rarest inthe world. Your center stone is what’s called fancy white. It’s completely colorless and quite rare.”
“This ring must be worth the same as a small country.”
He smirks at that and then kisses the back of my hand again.
“Maybe.”
“How do you know so much about jewelry?” I ask him.
“This is what I do, Natasha. I’m a gem importer. I deal in extremely rare stones.”
I feel my cheeks heat. “Well, now I feel stupid.”
My husband scowls and cups my cheek. “Why?”
“Because I got you those cuff links because they’repretty. I have no idea about the clarity or color, or?—”
