Page 100 of Scarred Ruin

Yes, I was curious and knew the gift was from Maxsim.

The ribbon was gold.

The tissue paper as well.

The box was black velvet.

The embossed emblem inside was Harry Winston, a designer known for adorning the necks of the stars even after his death.

And inside was a stunning diamond and emerald necklace.

“Oh, my God.”

I lifted my head, uncertain how to react to both the gift and Julie’s exclamation. “Who dropped this off?”

“I have no idea. Is there a card? That is freaking gorgeous.”

“Harry Winston.”

“Holy shit, Izz. He means business. Do you know how much that is likely worth?”

My hand was shaking as I reached into the bag. “Yeah, I think I know.” I pulled out the card while gingerly placing the necklace on my desk, still in shock and not only about the money spent but the gesture.

As soon as I opened the card, I knew my choice had already been made.

I’m sorry.

Maxsim

I showed it to her and she squeezed my arm. “Have a wonderful weekend. You deserve it.”

“I think I will.” We needed to talk. About the project. About us. About… everything. Yet I made up my mind that if I did this, if I dared allowed my heart to speak first, I’d be cautious about what I shared regarding my concerns. Until I had a reason other than red flags being raised.

Because if he overreacted, I didn’t know if what we shared would survive.

I waited until she’d left before pulling out my phone and dialing his number. As expected, irritating the hell out of me, the call went to voicemail.

“Maxsim. I think there are some things that need to be said.”

* * *

The knock on my door was sharp and insistent.

As if the person on the other side had no intention of waiting. I was tempted to keep him waiting but knew exactly what would happen if I did. Now wasn’t the time to play games with a predator.

But I’d been insistent that a few things needed to be said.

But as soon as I opened the door, all bets were off as to whether a single word would be said.

Maxsim stood in my doorway, his massive shoulders almost filling the space. He was dressed in all black, as if needing me to see how much of a badass he truly was. He’d ridden his motorcycle. I’d heard the rumble as the powerful machine had approached even from a couple of floors up. He’d intended on announcing his arrival.

He took and held a deep breath as his dark eyes locked onto the necklace I was wearing.

His nostrils flared.

His jaw clenched as tightly as I’d ever seen before.

He looked at me the way a predator watches its prey. That sharp, consuming hunger in his eyes sent a cold thrill down my spine, leaving me uncertain whether to step closer or run.