Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
The irony is not lost on me.
Drake’s face hardens, a low growl rumbling in his chest as he rolls down the window. “Hey, asshole! You saw I was turning into that space.”
The suited man doesn’t even pause, lifting his hand high and flipping Drake the bird.
“Oh, fuck no, he didn’t,” Drake snarls as he slams the Tahoe into park. He jumps out and takes off after the guy. I follow at a more sedate pace as I know Drake won’t hurt him, but he’s going to scare the fuck out of him.
The man hears Drake’s thundering footsteps, glances over his shoulder and only sees a hulking figure bearing down on him. I see the panic on his face as he makes a run for the stairwell door, but just as he tries to jerk it open, Drake is there and slams his hand against it so it stays shut.
The man no longer looks so full of himself as he takes in Drake’s large frame, the tattoos, the scowl etched on his bearded face. I lean against the passenger door, watching with interest.
“Wait a minute,” the man stammers as his eyes go round as saucers. “You’re Drake McGinn.”
“Or as some like to call me, the man who’s going to stomp your ass if you don’t move your car from that spot.”
I snicker.
“Oh, shit, man, I didn’t realize… here, let me move my car.” The dude babbles, practically tripping over his words in his haste to get to his BMW. “I wasn’t thinking. I was in a hurry and there were more spots just on the next level—”
“Less talk,” Drake growls. “More moving of your car.”
It takes only a minute for the BMW to back out and jet out of sight and for Drake to pull in. “You’re so badass,” I say, a true compliment to my brother.
Drake chuckles. “What a way to start the day, huh?”
“I can’t wait to tell Brienne about this,” I say, wiping a tear from under my eye because I can’t stop laughing.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he says as he turns off the ignition.
“Afraid of her?” I taunt.
“No,” he growls, nabbing his keys and phone from the center console. “It’s just… if you tell her, then she’ll ask what we were doing here and I don’t want to mess up the surprise.”
“Uh-huh,” I drawl, knowing that he is indeed worried about how she’d react to him scaring the piss out of that guy.
We exit the parking garage and enter the boutique jewelry shop that I found after some careful research of local jewelers. They’re selective and I was able to make a personal appointment so Drake could look in privacy.
Entering through the glass door, we’re met by a beautiful woman with sparkling hazel eyes and an elegant silver chignon. I couldn’t even begin to guess her age because although her hair is silver and she’s dressed conservatively, her skin is as flawless as porcelain.
“Welcome, Mr. McGinn,” she says, offering her hand. “My name is Bella Tisdale.” She then turns my way. “And you must be Kiera. It was lovely talking to you the other day while setting up the appointment.”
Bella leads us down a hall and into a private room that has a round table made of cherry wood with cream-colored leather chairs. On the table sit several trays of diamond rings nestled in royal blue velvet and in the corner, an armed security guard.
After we enter and sit down, the guard walks out and closes the door.
“This is our premium collection.” Bella reaches out, turns the trays and arranges them to face Drake. He studies them as she educates us. “Diamonds are graded on cut, clarity and color. The better the cut, the better the sparkle. The clarity refers to the absence or inclusion of blemishes, and the higher quality diamonds are colorless. You’ll note that the rings aren’t all necessarily large in carat weight as sometimes the cut, clarity and color can provide all the brilliance you need.”
It’s silent as Drake peruses the various rings and I find it endearing how serious he’s taking this. It’s truly a testament to how much he loves Brienne, and I’m not talking about his willingness to buy an expensive ring, but that he wants to learn and make a personal choice that speaks to his heart, knowing it will speak to Brienne’s.
Drake points to a ring and Bella plucks it from the cushioned fold. There’s a delicate string on the bottom with a tag. She reads it and then hands the ring to Drake. “This is an exquisite choice… a round cut, three-carat diamond ensconced in a halo setting. It’s GIA graded D, which is the apex of the scale, and utterly flawless. The price is $98,000.”
I make a slight choking noise but Drake doesn’t even flinch. He studies the ring and then turns to me. “Give me your hand.”