Page 14 of Ceremony of Lust
With the door closed and the lights off, I slip into bed and try to quiet my mind, but it constantly races with rumors and nightmares.
When morning finally arrives, I’m exhausted from a lack of sleep.
“You can’t go in there.” I hear my grandmother say on the other side of the door. “It’s not proper.”
“Then you can chaperone us,” Zev’s deep voice responds.
Moments later, my bedroom door is thrust open, and my grandmother hurries inside ahead of Zev.
“I told him he couldn’t come in,” she insists, sitting on my bed.
“It’s all right, Grandmother. I suspect Zev the Wolf is used to huffing and puffing his way into places,” I mutter.
Zev chuckles. “You have a very smart mouth for such a young girl.” He pulls out a small white box. “As promised, I came to deliver your engagement ring.”
“Couldn’t it have waited until the afternoon?”
“Yael, don’t be so grouchy,” my grandmother scolds me as her temper toward my visitor begins to cool.
Zev holds up a hand. “It’s okay, Mrs. Blum. I deserve it. I’m sorry for coming so early, but I’m having my penthouse remodeled, and I need to be there to supervise.” He looks at my grandmother and asks her for five minutes alone, which she reluctantly allows.
When the door is shut, Zev turns, and a wolfish smile spreads across his face. “Alone at last, Yael.” He saunters toward my bed, tossing the ring box in the air. “Your grandmother said you weren’t feeling well last night.”
“It was the exhaustion,” I tell him. “They don’t let you eat the entire day. By the time I got home, my blood sugar was low.”
“Then I’ll remember to feed you.” His face softens slightly as he studies me. My body tingles and heats under his gaze. “How are you feeling now?”
I relax against the soft mattress and close my eyes. “Like shit,” I say bluntly.
“I’ll send you some soup later on.” He sits on the edge of my bed and reaches forward to brush his fingers along my cheek before suddenly pulling them back. Instantly, I miss their warmth and their weight against my skin. He places the ring box in the palm of his hand and holds it out for me. “Perhaps this will cheer you up temporarily.”
I reach for it, but just as my fingers close around the box, he closes his fist, trapping my hand. Completely enthralled, I watch as he slowly brings it to his lips and softly kisses my knuckles. My breath gets caught in my throat as everything inside me clenches with an unfamiliar sensation. When he backs away, I exhale sharply.
“Sorry,” he whispers with a smirk. “Open the box.”
With a flick of my finger, I remove the lid and pull out another ring box. I open it and gasp. The ring inside is stunning, like nothing I’ve ever seen. Diamonds and rubies combined in glittering perfection.
“I caught a glimpse of your ring last night,” Zev says, pointing at the ruby on my right hand. “And when I saw this, I thought it was perfect.”
“You can’t take my ring,” I blurt out, cradling my right hand against my chest. “I have the proper paperwork.”
“I’m not going to take your ring, Yael. I simply noticed it last night, that’s all. It’s beautiful, like you.” Zev takes the box from my hand and picks the ring out of its cushion. He reaches for my left hand, letting his slide beneath mine, and then slips it onto my finger. “There. They look good together.”
I hold my hands up and study them, realizing he’s right. His engagement ring is the perfect complement to my grandmother’s.
“Thank you,” I tell him softly.
He stands, and I finally notice how his large frame fills the small space. He’s much too big for this room, but he doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, there is no trace of Zev the Wolf. Maybe Grandmother is right, and I judged Zev too quickly. He leans forward and brushes his lips against my forehead.
“I’ll send the soup and check on you tomorrow,” he says. “Get some rest.”
When he’s gone, my grandmother reappears as quickly as she disappeared. “That was longer than five minutes,” I exclaim, even as I glance back at the doorway, wishing him to return.
She smiles innocently. “Was it? Well, I seem to have lost my watch.”
8
Zev