favorite scent and, she had discovered, Caleb’s as well.
“Perfect. How did you know that I needed some more of those?” she asked and glanced down at the remaining small, silver-wrapped box.
He picked it up from the table and placed it in her hands with a hopeful expression, prefacing, “The best for last.”
She removed the paper delicately from the box to reveal a soft, black leather casing. Her fingers slowly pivoted the lid open, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of two perfect emeralds suspended from gold earring posts.
“Oh, Caleb, they’re beautiful,” she whispered appreciatively. She felt a small pang of guilt as she realized that they must have cost him a great deal of money, given their exquisite cut, clarity, and size.
He beamed with satisfaction and offered, “When the light catches the gems just right, they remind me of your beautiful, glowing eyes.”
She was both impressed and deeply touched and turned to embrace him. She nestled her nose against his neck, kissed his supple skin and moved to his lips.
“I love them,” she murmured. “And I love you.”
They held each other at length, relishing the closeness. Then she pulled away from him, gazing into his eyes with approval. It was definitely a memorable Valentine’s Day for her, the first in so many years. And now it was her turn to make it memorable for him. She took him by the hand and suggested, “Now, come with me. I have something for you to unwrap. It’s a gift I think you’ll find keeps on giving.”
He grinned and gratefully followed her down into the sublevel chamber.
During Katrina’s five centuries of existence, she had mastered a number of talents and skills, including the refined art of lovemaking. And while Caleb was no novice to sex, she reveled in the opportunity to explore a number of techniques that were wholly new to him.
Following their intimate time together, during which time Katrina made him work up an appetite, she served him a wonderful barbecue dinner. She also gave him a new Rolex wristwatch, engraved on the back with his initials. He had been shocked to receive such an expensive gift on Valentine’s Day.
Later that evening, they changed into comfortable clothes and lay on the couch together watching a romantic comedy in the living room. Before long, they heard Paige and Gil returning from their evening out, and Caleb quietly slipped from Katrina’s arms, kissing her on the cheek beforehand. She smiled and pinched him on the rear as he got up, resulting in his smirking back at her.
“Take your time,” she offered quietly as her attention returned to the movie.
“I’ll put the flowers in some water while you go upstairs to shower,” Paige’s voice emanated from the kitchen. “I’ll be up before long.”
“Sounds good, babe,” Gil replied eagerly as he strode through the kitchen.
Caleb leaned against the kitchen door jamb, casually folded his arms across his chest, and watched her retrieve an empty glass vase from one of the cabinets. She began arranging the dozen roses in it, then glanced up at him with a curious expression.
“Nice flowers,” he observed pleasantly.
She smiled wanly. “Yeah, that was sweet of Gil, actually.”
“What else did he get you?” he asked carefully, uncertain whether it was a good idea to ask.
She wrinkled her nose. “Lingerie. Black lace with pink accents, and skimpy, of course. I asked him to take it upstairs with him when he went up to shower.”
“Hey, you have the body to wear it, so be happy,” he offered with a smirk.
She shrugged and ran water from the tap into the vase. “True, I suppose.”
He regarded his friend soberly, realizing she wasn’t particularly happy. A pang of sadness ran through him, and he was suddenly pleased he had made the gesture to do something nice for her. He had the feeling a surprise was exactly what she needed at the moment.
“I took him to dinner at a nice seafood place downtown,” Paige said as she set the vase of flowers on the counter. “Reservations were hard to come by, but I sort of charmed my way into one last week, since I had anticipated we’d still be in town. Gil was really happy about that. Food is definitely one way to his heart.”
“Have time for one more surprise tonight?” Caleb asked as he stared into Paige’s pale blue eyes.
She grinned at him and replied slyly, “A surprise? From you?”
He feigned an indifferent shrug. “Maybe.” He glanced in the direction of the dining room