Page 181 of Before Dawn

I nodded, unable to form the words.

He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear. “It’s settled then.”

My heart fluttered at his words and I nodded once more. “Alright.”

He picked up the watch we viewed earlier. “And I’ll take this one for myself.”

Ross beamed. “An excellent selection, Mr. Suarez.”

“Mikkel Sua–” I began, but he silenced me with a swift kiss.

“Let me take care of you,” he whispered, leaving no room for argument.

Then the jeweler typed in the total—$150,589.25—and I damn near stopped breathing.

My stomach churned at the number, but Mikkel handed over his card without hesitation, completely unfazed. Within moments, Ross had the items neatly boxed in green velvet and passed them to him.

“It’s always a pleasure, Mr. Suarez,” Ross said and then turned to me, “Very lovely to meet you,bellissima110.”

“Likewise,” I whispered, offering a smile though I was in a bit of shock.

Mikkel smiled. “Take care, Ross.”

With the bags in hand, we stepped back onto the bustling walkway. The luxury of it all still clung to me as we strolled througha few more stores, each one filled with beautiful things I admired but had no intention of getting. Then, as we reached Coach, a black wristlet in the display window made me pause.

“You like it?” Mikkel’s voice came from behind me.

I bit my lip and nodded, my fingers grazing the smooth leather. “I want it.”

“Then it’s yours, baby.”

Mikkel flashed that heart–melting smile and handed it to the sales associate. “We’ll take this.”

“Just the wristlet, or the set with the matching handbag and crossbody?”

I froze, caught off guard. “The set?” I glanced at Mikkel.

He nodded slightly, his gaze unwavering. “The set,” he confirmed, his tone leaving no room for debate.

I opened my mouth to protest, but the look in his eyes silenced me. There was no arguing when he was this determined to spoil me.

The associate smiled. “Will that be all, Mr. Suarez?”

“Yes,” Mikkel replied smoothly, pulling out his card.

“Your total is three thousand dollars,” the associate said, typing on the register.

Threethousanddollars for the set and almost sixtythousanddollars for the bracelet.

This was making me lightheaded.

“Mi amor.” He turned to face me with warm eyes. “Get out of your head, you’re worth it.”

I bit the inside of my cheek at his words.Worth. I didn’t know how to respond. Doubt crept in as past memories resurfaced. I’d spent so long convincing myself I didn’t deserve even the smallest gestures of kindness that now, receiving so much generosity, felt jarring. Not because of him, but because of me—because of my past.

As we stepped out of the store, I glanced at the bags in his hand, emotions swirling within me.

“That’s all you wanted?” Mikkel asked, his voice light but edged with concern.

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