Page 57 of The Specialist

She shook her head, but I saw her smile as she lifted the wineglass to her lips. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out a box, sliding it across the table. “For you.”

Her eyes grew wide and slightly panicked. I chuckled. “Not a ring, Sofia. A small token of our trip for you to remember.”

She took the box and opened it, delight written across her face. “Those earrings I admired earlier when we were walking around! But I didn’t say anything. How did you…” She trailed off. “Egan, they are lovely.”

“I saw how you looked at them. And they suited you. When I told you I had left my phone, I ran back and got them. Please wear them for me.”

She took them from the box, fastening them on her ears. The colors of the topaz against the gold were pretty. They glittered in the light and suited her. She could wear them every day, even at the hospital. A small golden topaz sat on her earlobe, and a larger smoky-colored one hung under the lobe, held together behind the ear so all you saw were the stones.

She stood and came around to my side of the table, bending low and kissing me. “Thank you,” she murmured against my mouth. “I love them.” I received another kiss. “I love you.”

She sat down before I could respond the way I wanted, which was to pull her onto my lap and kiss her senseless.

“You are spoiling me, Egan. The painting, the perfume, this trip.” She touched her ear. “And these.”

“I like to spoil you. I plan on doing it for the rest of our lives.”

“Do you know what my favorite gift is?”

“The earrings?” I guessed. She had been surprised, enthusiastic, and gracious with all the gifts, so I was curious which her favorite had been.

“No.” She reached across the table and took my hand. “Your heart.”

For a moment, I said nothing. Then I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”

Our meals arrived, and we looked at each other. I glanced up at the waiter. “Could you box these up for us, please?”

“Is everything all right, sir?”

I met Sofia’s eyes. “Everything is perfect.”

* * *

I looked around, making certain we hadn’t forgotten anything. I walked down to the dock, where Sofia waited. I wrapped my arm around her waist, tugging her back to my chest.

“Saying goodbye?” I asked.

“Can we come back?” she whispered.

“Yes. You tell me when you can have more time off, and I will book it. I know the owner.”

She turned in my arms. “It’s been magical, Egan. I love it here. Just us.”

I bent and nuzzled her lips. She was right. It had been magical. No stress, no phone calls, no worries. Her and me alone. We’d eaten well, made love often, fucked a few times, and talked. Shared. Teased and laughed. Sofia’s walls were down completely, and I never wanted them resurrected.

“We’ll come back,” I promised. “If you love it here, I’ll buy a place, and we can come all the time. I’ll ask Bentley if he is interested in selling this one.”

She gripped my arms, tilting her head back to smile at me. “You would, wouldn’t you? Buy a place just to make me happy.”

“I would do anything to make you happy, but it would be for me as well. I love how relaxed you are here. You’re with me every moment.”

“I wish I didn’t have to go back to the hospital, but a few days were all I could get at short notice.”

“I know. I have that job the day after tomorrow as well as a few coming up in the next while. We’ll head back to reality, but you book a week or two as soon as possible and I’ll give the dates to Bentley and rent this place again.”

Her eyes lit up. “Maybe Thanksgiving? It would be beautiful in the fall.”

“Bit cold for swimming, but the hot tub would be well used.”