“How do you know these are diamonds? Maybe this is a really good fake,” he asked, moving behind me to fasten the necklace around my neck. I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that it was a perfect complement to the dress.
“Is it?” I asked, relieved at the suggestion. He laughed and decorated one earlobe with one of the matching earrings.
“Of course not,” he said, humor shaking in his voice. “Do you think I’d buy you fakes? It’s from the Sunflower collection by Harry Winston. Lola says they’ve been sold out since the collection debuted two years ago, but she had a line on this set. It’s perfect with the dress.”
“But you can’t just…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. It seemed obvious to me. We’d only known each other a few days. His buying me extravagant gifts was over the top. Except that he clearly seemed to think it was fine. Proving me right, he said,
“I can, Leigha. I know this is hard for you to understand. You’ve worked for everything you have, and you know the value of money. I like that about you. I like that you’re not trying to get everything you can out of me. The problem is that just makes me want to spoil you more.”
He took my wrist in his hand and lifted it in front of him so he could lay the sparkling line of diamond sunflowers against my skin. The bracelet was a sculpture of glittering stones. I had a feeling the jewelry he’d bought so casually was worth more than my house had been before Steven had burned it to the ground.
“Dylan,” I said, unable to stop myself from laughing. Taking advantage of my inability to protest further, he went on,
“I don’t know how to say this without sounding like an arrogant douche, but you do know I have a lot of money, right?”
“I know you’re a billionaire, but -”
“Leigha, you’re an accountant, you know what being a billionaire means. Stuff like this has no impact on my life, other than the pleasure of giving it to you.”
“But -”
“Stop.” He kissed my temple. “We need to go. If I stay near you one more second, I’m going to forget all my good intentions and make sure we miss the wedding. Finish getting dressed and meet me by the elevator.”
He was gone before I could think of something else to say. I realized after he left that he’d still been in his jeans and button down. He must have been planning to change in the other bedroom. Catching sight of myself in the mirror, I froze. In my satin lingerie, my breasts overflowing the bodice, my waist cinched in, my neck, wrist, and ears dripping in diamond flowers, I looked like a debauched princess. The thought of what Dylan might do when he had me alone later sent a shiver down my spine.
He was right, we had to leave before we changed our minds and decided to skip the wedding. I’m not sure I could have cared less about Christie’s ceremony or reception, especially considering the pig she was marrying. But my Mom had to leave the next day to go home, and I didn’t want to let her down by blowing off the wedding.
Mindful of the spike heels of my sandals, I stepped into the dress and pulled it up my body. With a little shifting and wiggling, I managed to get the zipper up. Grabbing my tiny clutch, I left the room to meet Dylan.
My breath caught as I closed the door of the penthouse and caught sight of him standing in front of the elevator. He wore his tux with an innate elegance that did nothing to hide the strength of the body beneath. Yum. His green eyes flashed when he saw me, the look on his face carnal enough to make my knees weak. We would definitely be leaving the reception early.
The doors slid soundlessly open the second he pressed the button. I joined him inside, standing beside him, my fingers twining with his as if we’d been holding hands for decades instead of mere days. As the elevator began its smooth decent, I had the feeling that I wasn’t just heading out for the evening, I was about to begin an entirely new life.
8
Leigha
Spying the gorgeous bracelet on my wrist, I decided to try one more time to talk to Dylan about his extravagance. I was finally ready to admit this was more than a weekend fling. I cared about him, and I didn’t want money to come between us.
“I know that you like buying me things, and I think I must be crazy to be saying this, but you have to stop.”
Dylan didn’t say anything, just looked down at me and raised one eyebrow. I went on, trying to explain in fumbling words.
“It’s just that you don’t need to do this. And it feels unbalanced. Now that my house is gone, I need to get my life organized and I don’t want to feel like I’m a bottomless pit of need in your life. I want to be on equal footing. Do you understand?”