Page 144 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

"I'm planning something appropriate.Something meaningful."

"Tonight would be meaningful," Alex suggests."Full circle moment.Halloween.Two years to the day since you met."

"I can't just—" I begin, but my protest dies as the yacht's entrance suddenly illuminates with new arrivals.

Karina steps aboard, flanked by her sisters, all three dressed in coordinated costumes that take me a moment to recognize—the Fates from Greek mythology.

Viktoria as Clotho with golden thread and spindle, Susanna as Lachesis measuring life's thread with a ruler, and Karina...

My heart stutters as I take in her appearance.

As Atropos, she carries decorative golden shears, but it's her dress that renders me momentarily speechless.

Midnight blue silk that shifts between indigo and black as she moves, adorned with constellations that seem to twinkle with her every step.

Her dark hair falls in loose waves, crowned with a circlet of stars.

She spots me across the deck and smiles—that subtle sexy smile that never fails to make me hard no matter where I am.

"I think your moment just arrived," Connor murmurs, nudging me forward.

I move toward her as if magnetically drawn, barely registering my friends dispersing behind me.

"You look..."

"Appropriately mythological?"she suggests, eyes twinkling."The scissors are fake, I promise.No life-threads being cut tonight."

"You're stunning, darling.And slightly terrifying, which I suspect was intentional."

"The terrifying part was Viktoria's idea," she admits."She thought it added appropriate gravitas."

"It suits you."

She studies me in return, appreciation evident in her gaze."You finally wore the kilt."

"Don't sound so surprised.I do own several."

"Yes, but you've been remarkably resistant to wearing one in public since the whole hashtag situation."

"Perhaps I'm embracing my cultural heritage…Or perhaps I knew you'd appreciate the historical accuracy."

"The girlfriend or the marketing director?"she teases.

"Both.”I offer her my arm."Though I prefer the authentic Karina to all other versions."

She slips her hand through my arm, the warmth of her touch grounding me as we begin circulating among our guests.

The yacht glows with Halloween decorations.

Elegant rather than garish, with carved pumpkins, autumn floral arrangements, and thousands of fairy lights strung across the decks.

For the next hour, we play host to a gathering that would have seemed impossible a year ago—corporate executives mingling with Karina's neighborhood friends, Fiona holding court with tech journalists, Dr.Finnegan explaining Armenian medicinal herbs to fascinated venture capitalists.

Even Alana has come, dressed as a "hashtag fairy" complete with a wand topped with a glittering # symbol.

"Your friends are plotting something," Karina murmurs as we momentarily find ourselves alone near the dessert table.

"What do you mean?"