Page 41 of Brutal Heir (Ruthless Heirs #3)
A PERFECT GIFT
A lessandro
Merda , why am I so nervous?
I march to the back of my closet and jerk open the top drawer of the small armoire, sweat snaking down my neck.
It’s just a Christmas gift. It’s not like I’m asking Rory to marry me.
Marry me. Marry me.
Cazzo. Now all I see is Rory in a flowing, white gown walking down the aisle, her wild, auburn hair like a chaotic halo beneath the elaborate veil.
Dio , do I have a fever? Did I get some sort of infection from the skin grafts? It’s not possible with Rory’s meticulous care.
Shoving my hand into the drawer, I pull out the small teal box, a slight tremble in my hand.
It’s a Tiffany original, made just for my little leprechaun.
It’s amazing what Serena Valentino and a shit ton of money can accomplish in just one day.
Flipping the lid open, I peer at the butterfly pendant winking up at me.
Hand crafted in platinum with diamond and emerald accents, it’s an exact replica of her tattoo, only without the chains.
The first time I saw the design etched across her torso, I knew it wasn’t just ink. It was armor. And this necklace? I’m hoping it’s the key.
Turning it over, I skim the inscription.
For the one who broke free .
I’d agonized over the wording and nothing seemed quite right.
I couldn’t exactly spill my soul to her in this necklace, right?
I couldn’t confess I was madly, irrationally in love with her.
Had been for weeks now. It had only been a month and if I told her how much she really meant to me, she’d likely run away screaming.
She’d clearly come to Manhattan to escape something from her past, but I still had no idea what.
The last thing I needed was to push her away.
“Ale, are you ever coming back or were you planning to leave me here naked in your bed forever?” Rory’s voice tears me from the dark musings.
“Coming!” I snap the lid closed and conceal it behind my back. Without a shred of clothing on, I don’t exactly have a good hiding spot.
Rory’s lively eyes raze over me when I emerge from the closet, and I barely restrain the urge to squirm beneath that disarming gaze. Which is insane since she’s seen me fully naked dozens of times.
“Whatcha got there behind your back?”
“Just a little Christmas gift.” I slide onto the bed beside her, tucking the box underneath the pillow.
Her cheeks heat, the enticing crimson spreading across the freckles. “Oh, shite, I didn’t get you anything.”
“You’ve already given me so much, Red.” My voice is thick beneath the weight of the confession. I don’t think she’ll ever understand how much she’s done for me.
Her bottom lip trembles, bright eyes glossing over. “Now you’re going to make me cry, you sweet eejit.”
“Don’t cry. At least not until you’ve seen the present first. You could hate it.” Grinning, I pull the little teal box out, meticulously wrapped with a white bow.
Her eyes light up, mouth curving into a capital O.
“It’s not an engagement ring despite the deceptive packaging, so don’t get too excited.” I toss her a wicked grin as she pounces like it’s Christmas morning, and she’s five years old again.
I can’t help but note that she doesn’t flinch at the engagement part. Possibly a good sign.
“Gimme, gimme, gimme!” Unlacing the ribbon, she flips open the box and her jaw nearly unhinges. “Oh, Alessandro… it’s beautiful,” she whispers, emotion thickening her words.
A tear spills over as she frees the butterfly pendant from the white cushion, letting it dangle from her fingers. The diamonds and emeralds catch the light, each one sparking like starlight caught in flight.
She claps her free hand over her mouth as she continues to stare. “Feckin’ hell this must have cost a fortune.”
“Nothing compared to what you’ve given me.”
She flips it over, then scans the engraving for an endless moment.
“It’s perfect,” she finally breathes. “No one has ever given me such a perfect gift.” She throws her arms around the back of my neck and jumps into my lap, clutching the necklace in her fist. “Thank you,” she whispers against my ear.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you.” I hold her out to arm’s length and tip her chin up so her tear-filled eyes meet mine. “If you hadn’t shown up at my door all those weeks ago, I’m not sure I’d still be standing here today.”
“Oh, stop, of course you would’ve been, McFecker.”
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t be happy about it.”
Her lips crash into mine, hungry and insistent, salty tears dribbling between us.
I clutch her tighter, pouring everything I can’t seem to say into the kiss.
Every brush of my tongue is a confession of how lost I was, how she dragged me out of the darkness, how she stitched me back together piece by broken piece just by being her.
When we finally pull apart, she rests her forehead against mine, breath hitching as her fingers trace the edge of my jaw. “You didn’t need saving, Alessandro,” she whispers. “You just needed someone to remind you who you are.”
I let out a shaky breath, my thumb brushing the dampness from her cheek. “Then consider me reminded. Every goddamn day I look at you.”
Her smile is small but real, and I swear, right here in this quiet moment, I’ve never believed in anything more than I believe in us.
“Can you help me put it on?”
I nod, unexpected emotion tightening my throat as I clasp the pendant around the back of her neck.
Merry Christmas to me.
“I want the biggest, most beautiful tree they have.” Rory beams beside me as we walk down Central Park West a few hours later, a flurry of light snow kissing the air. With our hands entwined, smiling like a real couple on Christmas Day, I don’t have to pretend anymore.
This is real.
“You’re the boss,” I grumble. “I’ll get you whatever tree you want, tiny tyrant.” Despite the vow I’d made years ago never again to have a tree in my penthouse. They’re nothing but trouble, dropping pine needles all over the place.
“Just remember that when we get home, and it’s bath time.”
I shoot her a wicked grin. Clearly, I haven’t needed a sponge bath from my nurse for some time now, but she continues to indulge me all the same. “Only if you get in with me.”
“We’ll see how you behave today, Rossi.”
We turn the corner to the tree yard along Central Park, a sorry assortment if you ask me, but Rory’s smile tells a completely different story. She releases my hand and practically sprints toward the smattering of remaining pines and evergreens.
As she weaves between the snow-capped trees practically floating, I just stand there watching her, grinning like an eejit.
Dio , this woman has me by the balls. I need to tell her I love her.
Even if I scare her off. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that life is short, and everything can go to hell in the blink of an eye.
“I want this one!” Rory jumps up and down on her tiptoes, clapping her hands like a little kid.
Winding between the trees, I move beside her to examine the gigantic one she’s chosen.
“So what do you think?”
I shrug. “Looks good.”
“Just good? It’s perfect!”
“If it makes you happy, it’s perfect.”
“Do you have any ornaments at home?”
My eyes narrow as I regard her. “What do you think?”
“Guard my baby with your life, scrooge.” She releases a grunt and stomps off to the register where a few boxes of glittering ornaments still remain on the racks. Once she’s chosen her fill, she hands them over to the sales lady then signals toward me and the towering evergreen.
Three hundred dollars later, and I’m hauling the biggest Christmas tree known to man back to the penthouse.
I’m muttering curses the whole time, regretting having dismissed Sammy’s offer for a ride.
If it wasn’t for the little leprechaun grinning beside me, the trudge home would’ve been completely unbearable.
But just one smile from her, and I’m grinning back like a whipped idiot. Dio , Matteo is so right.
I’m so distracted by the happiness radiating from the woman beside me that I almost miss it. That faint prickle in the air, that sixth sense sending alarm bells ringing out across the very fiber of my being.
The roar of an engine then the sharp squeal of tires rips through the air, and I lunge for her, dropping the tree before the shot cracks like thunder echoing off the brownstones.
“Get down!”