“It’s too much. This wasn’t part of our agreement.”
“No, but you’ve earned it.”
Her eyes skittered to his and her heart thundered to a complete stop. “Matthieu, what we’ve been doing these last three weeks, that wasn’t ever part of the deal. If you think you can give me payment for—,”
“Hell, no, cherie, I didn’t mean that. I was referring to the way my aunt spoke to you. She had no right to upset you in that manner.” He lifted it from the box. “May I?”
She nodded silently.
“Plus, I saw it the other day and imagined how perfectly it would suit you.”
“It’s way too expensive, Matthieu.”
“I can cope.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean for you to buy, I mean for me to wear. Have you forgotten I’m a farmer?”
“Then you can sell it,” he shrugged, as though it didn’t matter, and the world stopped spinning, because Skye knew she’d never sell the necklace. The ring was different: he’d given it to her in lieu of payment, with the understanding it would be sold to help pay for the farm. But the necklace was something else altogether. The necklace was a thoughtful gift, something he’d chosen just for her. She would never be able to part from it. And in years to come, when she was home alone, she would put it on and touch it, and know that it was a connection she’d always have to Matthieu, even when he’d moved on and she was living a wholly different life. There would always be this.
“I love it,” she said simply, her voice cracking a little. “Thank you.”
He kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome.” His lips lingered against her temple for a beat too long and then he pulled away, smiling in a calm, rational way, as though everything was normal, just like it always had been, so Skye followed suit, smiling at him even when she felt as though her insides were changing shape.
“My driver’s downstairs.” He reached for a suit jacket from the back of a chair, so she eyed him for a moment. Firstly, to appreciate his masculine beauty, but also because he looked so stunningly formal, and untouchable, that it was impossible to reconcile this man to the one she’d spent days on end in bed with.
“Are you sure you want to break the seal?”
He lifted a brow.
“To the outside world? I quite like being in a sort of sensual siege with you.”
He grinned. “The siege will be here when we return.”
She nodded, wondering why she felt as though they were breaching some important barrier, then telling herself she was being self-conscious. At the door, she grabbed her own coat, a simple black jacket she’d bought in London, when she’d first arrived. It was nowhere near as dressy as Matthieu’s but it was nice and she liked it. Besides, he was right. The diamond necklace was a total showstopper.
“Matthieu,this place is not just a restaurant.”
He looked around them, seeing it through Skye’s eyes. Though he came here often, he supposed to the outside, and in fact, to most people, the Michelin starred restaurant at the bottom of an executive hotel might have seemed imposingly formal.
“They serve food, bringing it to your table. You’ll like it.”
She wrinkled her nose in that adorable way she had, so he had to dig his hands into his pockets to stop from pulling her into a huge bear hug. “I like pizza from a box,” she muttered. “And chips wrapped in newspaper. This is—I’m not dressed appropriately.”
“Stop, you look fine. You look better than fine.” He dropped his mouth to her ear. “You look good enough to eat, and later, I intend to do exactly that.”
She stared up at him. “If you’re trying to make me forget how nervous I am, then you’ve succeeded.”
He nodded. “That’s exactly what I wanted to do.” He placed his hand in the small of her back, guiding her towards the large glass doors, rimmed in gold.
They were opened as Matthieu and Skye approached, to reveal a waiter’s stand behind which an elegant woman dressed all in black perused a name list.
“Ah, Monsieur de Garmeaux, what a pleasure it is to have you with us tonight. A table for two?” She asked, encompassing both Skye and Matthieu in an affectionate smile, as though they were old friends.
Skye’s nerves settled a little further. “Somewhere out of the way,” he agreed. “And let the chef know we only have time for one course.”
“That’s a shame. We have an exceptional seasonal menu at the moment.”
“We will come back another time to sample it.” He reached down and laced his fingers through Skye’s. “Tonight, we want only a quick meal.”