Page 46 of Sins (The Sins Trilogy 1)
Chapter Eighteen
Ivy
Hunger wakes me. I rub my eyes, cover a yawn, then smile when Tony’s face fills my vision.
“Hello, sleepyhead,” he says, looking down at me.
“Hi. I’m hungry.”
He nods. “It’s a little after one.”
I gasp. I lay down for a short nap at a quarter till noon, and didn’t mean to sleep for so long. I was up after he fell asleep last night, thinking about the tattoo and where I should put it.
“Sorry, I had no idea. You should’ve woken me,” I say, flushing with embarrassment at having made him wait for so long.
“Why? You were sleeping so peacefully, and I don’t mind. I could watch you forever.”
“You always know exactly what to say to make me happy.”
His gaze grows tender. “All I have to be is honest with you.” He brushes the pad of his thumb over my jaw. “You can’t possibly know how liberating it is to know that’s all it takes to put a smile on your face.”
I hold his hand and kiss the fingertips. “Let’s eat lunch.”
“Wait,” he says, catching my wrist before I hop to my feet. “I have something for you.”
I raise an eyebrow. It isn’t my birthday, and I don’t think there a one-month anniversary or anything special like that.
“Here.” Tony pulls out a necklace from a long velvet box. An intricate medallion with the sun, the moon and some stars. The celestial objects are made from yellow, white and rose gold. It’s so beautiful I’m struck speechless.
“I designed it myself and had it specially commissioned.” He clears his throat. “Seems fitting. A one-of-a-kind necklace for a one-of-a-kind woman.”
His sweetness is killing me. “It’s gorgeous. Perfect. Thank you.”
He smiles. “Turn around.”
I turn and pull my hair to one side, eager to wear his gift. Pressing a kiss to the base of my neck, he puts it on me.
I look down at the cool disk resting on my chest, a warm lump in my throat. This is such an incredible symbol of his love for me. I lift my gaze to meet his. “I love it.” I smile. “I lo—”
He takes my face in his hands and kisses me hard. “Love you,” he whispers before claiming my mouth again.
I let my lips grow pliant and wrap my arms around him. Since he won’t let me say it, I’ll show him instead, hoping that whatever block he has about hearing me say the words isn’t stopping him from knowing that I truly love him. Soon I won’t need to say anything, I remind myself, vowing to get the tattoo done before we leave for the trip to California.
