capturing my mouth in a slow and easy kiss. “You’re too good for me.”
“No, we’re just right for each other.” Determined to someday convince him that he was absolutely good enough and worthy of love and a family, I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest. He hugged me tightly, and I wondered, not for the first time, if we should look into some kind of counseling for his deep-seated feelings of unworthiness. Being abandoned as a baby and left to fend for himself in an orphanage that was poorly run, negligent and abusive had left him broken inside. I wished my love was enough to glue together those pieces of him that his childhood had fractured, but I was realizing that it wasn’t.
“I have something for you.”
Glancing up at him, I studied his face for a moment, trying to decide if he was about to make a sex joke. Narrowing my eyes with suspicion, I asked, “Do I have to put my hand in your pocket to find it?”
He laughed. “You’re welcome to put your hand in my pocket anytime, but no.” He gestured to the spacious closet we shared. “The top drawer where I keep my watches.”
Loving his little surprises, I hurried back to the closet and opened the drawer. The distinctive box from Zoya’s shop greeted me, and I glanced back at him with a grin on my face. He had followed me into the closet and leaned against the door frame, smiling indulgently as I giddily opened the box and gasped at the sight of the glittering diamonds bezel-set in rose gold. “Ivan!”
“You were so excited when that invitation came,” he explained, closing the distance between us. “I wanted you to have something pretty and new for tonight.” He grazed his fingertips over my bare shoulder, and I leaned into his touch. “When you showed me the dress you picked, I went straight to Zoya.”
“That little sneak didn’t say a word!” I was only a tiny bit annoyed she had kept this a secret. I enjoyed surprises so much I couldn’t hold it against her.
“You can take it up with her when you see her later,” he suggested, taking the necklace from the box. He swept aside the silky hair of my newly installed extensions and draped the necklace around my neck. “Hopefully, her father won’t throw a drink in my face.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “I hope you’re joking.”
His focus remained on the clasp of the necklace as he admitted, “Kazimir was still angry when I picked these up this morning.”
“Angry? At you? Why? What happened outside the barre studio wasn’t your fault!”
“Zoya’s father knows what I am and what I did. He’ll never believe that what happened to you and Zoya wasn’t my fault.”
I huffed. “That’s not fair. Maybe I should talk to him.”
“No.” He managed to get the clasp hooked finally and bent down to kiss the side of my neck. “Let him be angry at me.”
“That’s not right, Ivan. You didn’t do anything.”
“Not this time,” he replied and took the earrings from the box. When he placed them in my hand, I caught his gaze. I started to say that he didn’t have to endure Kazimir’s ire as penance for something he had done years ago but decided to let it go—for now.
When I finished putting on the earrings, I moved to the full-length mirror in the corner of my dressing area. Ivan stood behind me, his big, strong hands on my waist. Our reflection made my heart flutter wildly. His crisp, tailored tuxedo fit him to perfection, highlighting his broad shoulders, and the glimmering rose gold and diamonds popped against the simplicity of my black off-the-shoulder gown. My gaze settled on the gleaming black alligator boots I had picked out for him. He had been wearing them around the house for the last few weeks to break them in, and even though he swore up and down he hated them, I could tell he secretly enjoyed them.
He tugged me back against his hard body and noisily kissed my cheek. “Ready for the ball, Cinderella?”
“Yep.”
He grabbed the custom black cowboy hat I had insisted he have made and settled it into place. I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at the corners of my mouth. He narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“You are going to wear that hat again in March,” I decided, stepping closer and sliding my arms around his waist. “You’re going to wear