Beautiful Beast - Page 131

“Thank you,” Adam says, passing him a bill and taking the leather briefcase from his hand.

I’m not tired anymore. The salty sea air is reviving me, and besides, I’m so scared that I’ll miss something that I don’t want to go to sleep. I need to soak everything in and take as many pictures as possible.

“I have a surprise for you,” Adam says.

He lifts me from the wall, kisses the top of my head, and then sets me down on the white cushion of a very comfortable outdoor couch.

There are bright red roses in vases all over the balcony, and I imagine they’re inside the villa too. The color contrast looks incredible, and I have no doubt Adam specifically requested them.

I wish like hell that he had more time with his mom and that I could have met her.

“Unlike you, I love surprises,” I tell him.

He smiles, sits beside me, and roots through the briefcase, pulling out a wrapped rectangle. I can tell right away that it’s a book, the weight and shape of it familiar in my hands.

I eagerly tear the paper off and gasp at the first edition copy of Homer’s Odyssey.

“Oh, my God. Thank you so much.”

“You’ll have a new book at each place we stay.”

We’re planning to make sixteen stops, and I can only imagine what so many classic, first edition books cost, not to mention the time spend finding all of them.

“You’re the most incredible, thoughtful man in the world. You’ll have to build me another library.”

“That won’t be a problem because I plan to give you the whole world.”

“You already have,” I whisper.

There is nowhere that I feel more loved and accepted than in this man’s arms, and that’s a gift I’ve craved for my entire life.

“Are you excited to go on the yacht tomorrow?” Adam asks.

“I’ve only been on one boat in my life and it was a ferry, so I’m thinking this will be an upgrade.”

Adam chuckles. “I certainly hope so. I bought you something to wear.”

“Is it a teeny tiny thong bikini?”

Since we’ll be the only people on the vessel, I’m sure that we’ll be spending half of our time nearly naked and the rest totally naked.

Even though we’ve been together for over a year, our sex life hasn’t slowed down in the least. Adam is insatiable and always pushing my limits. Some things I had never heard of have now become my favorite fantasies.

“Of course, it is,” he confirms.

“I bought you a speedo.”

“At least we’ll match.”

Adam reaches back into the briefcase and drops down to a knee at the same time he flips his wrist to show me the small, velvet box in his big, strong hand.

My jaw literally drops and Adam can’t hide his grin.

“As much as I love the view of your perfect, sexy body in a thong, there’s something else I want you to wear for me tomorrow. And for the rest of your life.”

Adam opens the box and reveals a beautiful pearl ring with a triple halo of diamonds around it.

“This ring belonged to my mother, and I had the diamonds added on for you. I can’t think of anything more perfect than the two most important women in my life sharing a ring. She would love you as much as I do, and she would especially love the man I am because of you.”