When he’d walked into the jewelry store, he’d been unsure of what he wanted. At first he’d picked out a ruby and diamond pendant. It had been something his sister or his brother’s girlfriend would have loved. The more he looked at it though the more he realized it wasn’t Ruth. It was too flashy and not something she would wear often. Then he’d noticed the locket, and he’d known it was the gift for her.
“It reminded me of the one you had.” When they’d first met, she’d almost always worn a simple gold locket her grandmother had given her. Unfortunately, she’d lost it swimming in the ocean one day.
“You remember everything, don’t you?” She kissed him, making it impossible for him to answer.
***
“Are you ready for dessert now?” Warren stopped kissing her neck just long enough to ask.
She almost protested when he removed his lips. “Depends. What’s for dessert?” It would take something special to get her to move. And who could blame her? She sat in the arms of the man she loved, who was also the most handsome guy she’d ever seen.
“Sachertorte.” He went back to kissing her neck again.
“Never heard of it. Is there chocolate in it?”
He laughed, his breath warm against her skin. “What do you think?”
“Knowing you, I’d say yes.” She let herself enjoy the tiny explosions each of Warren’s kisses set off inside her. “I’ll agree to dessert now as long as you promise we can come back to this later.” On the off chance she was dreaming, she wanted to spend as much time in Warren’s arms as she could before she woke up.
“Promise.”
It took several more minutes before Warren stopped kissing her long enough to stand up.
While they’d been in the library, someone had cleared away the dinner dishes and prepared the table for dessert. They had even set out new candles.
“You’re going to love this.” Warren pushed her chair in for her and then sat after moving his chair next to her.
Ruth suspected she could be served a bowl of prunes and not even notice or care. “Besides chocolate, what else is in this dessert?”
Warren gave her a precise description of sachertore including what part of Europe it originated in. While he did that, she touched the locket he’d given her with her initial engraved on the front. He loved her. It seemed impossible, but the proof was all around her. Closing her eyes, she replayed the time they’d spent kissing tonight.
“Would you like some coffee?”
At the feminine voice, her eyes shot open. “Yes, please. That would be great.” Coffee and cake appeared in front of her.
“Do you require anything else tonight, Mr. Sherbrooke?”
“We are fine, Marsha. Thank you.”
Warren waited until Marsha exited before he spoke again. “Are you working tomorrow?”
Ruth couldn’t resist the cake calling to her. “No. A friend wanted today off, so we swapped days.” She took a bite of the cake, and the rich combination of chocolate and apricot bombarded her taste buds. “Wow.” She went for another forkful.
“Delicious, right?”
“That word doesn’t adequately describe it.”
Warren dug into his own cake. “Let’s spend tomorrow together.”
Ruth pretended to think about it for a moment. “Promise to have more of this cake, and you have a deal.”
“Ouch. Now the truth comes out. You’re here only for my cake.” He put a hand over his heart.
“Not only for the cake.” She leaned over and kissed him, cutting off anything else he might say.
Warren pulled her onto his lap. “This is the most enjoyable dessert I’ve ever had,” he said when he pulled his mouth away.
“Me too.”