Authors: Opal Carew
His to Claim (28 page)
“Does this mean you and I are now engaged?” She pressed her lips to his shoulder,
tracing the line of one of his tattoos.
“As a matter of fact it does.” He kissed the top of her head, then stepped back, still
holding her close.
She straightened her legs and then he scooped her up and carried her toward the beach.
Once on shore, he settled her onto the grass. “Come on. I have something for you back
at the house.”
* * *
After a quick shower together, Melanie and Storm settled into the living area in his
private suite, still in their robes.
“I wanted to get you a special gift and I know how much you like nail polish,” he
said.
She nodded with a smile.
“But,” he went on, “since I gave Jessica a bottle of nail polish to express my love,
I wasn’t quite sure how to make this more special than that. So it occurred to me.
Jessica wanted something inexpensive, that didn’t use the Ranier wealth. You haven’t
put any such requirement on me, so I went out to buy the most unique bottle of nail
polish that exists. Something that is one of a kind, just like you are.”
Melanie took the small box, wrapped in black glossy paper with a white bow. She unwrapped
it carefully, ensuring she didn’t tear the paper.
Storm grinned. “You know, it’s the gift inside that’s special, not the paper.”
She nodded, but proceeded with care. Inside she found an elegant black box. She opened
it, and gasped.
She’d seen this bottle in many blog posts. It was one of a kind. Everything about
it said diamonds. The bottle was faceted. The polish was infused with diamonds. And
even the platinum cap was studded with diamonds.
“But this one bottle costs—”
“It’s not polite to discuss how much it cost.” His eyes glittered with amusement because
neither of them much cared about politeness in that way. “Anyway, a large portion
goes to charity.”
A part of her felt she should reject it. It was too extravagant. Too
insanely
extravagant.
But Rafe Ranier could afford it, and if she rejected that … if she rejected his wonderful
gesture which was based on him wanting to give her something very special, wouldn’t
that in a small way be rejecting him?
He smiled broadly. “Good. I can see by your face that you’ve decided to accept it.”
He pulled her into a kiss. “I wanted to give you something as unique as you are.”
He kissed her again, his lips brushing hers tenderly. “Now I have something else for
you, too. Something to match your new nail polish.”
He pulled something from his robe pocket and held up a purple velvet box and opened
it. Inside was a lovely solitaire marquis-cut diamond ring.
“Oh, Storm. It’s beautiful.”
He pulled the ring from its cushioned bed and slipped it on her finger. She stared
at it, light glittering from its faceted surface.
“I … don’t know what to say.” Tears of joy swelled in her eyes.
“Say you love me and will always be by my side.”
She smiled, her heart aching with the intensity of her love for him. She cupped his
face. “Storm Ranier, I love you and I will always be by your side.” Then she kissed
him.
He rolled her back on the couch and prowled over her. The nail polish bottle dropped
from her fingers and landed on the carpeted floor, and was immediately forgotten as
Storm opened her robe, exposing her naked body.
Life with Storm would be wild and crazy, and filled with joy. And together they would
realize all of their dreams.
A
LSO BY
O
PAL
C
AREW
Bliss
Forbidden Heat
Secret Ties
Six
Blush
Swing
Twin Fantasies
Pleasure Bound
Total Abandon
Secret Weapon
Insatiable
Illicit
His to Command
His to Possess
About the Author
Opal Carew is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of fourteen previous erotic romances for St. Martin’s Press. To
learn more, visit her on the Web at
www.opalcarew.com
.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed
in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
HIS TO CLAIM.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew. All rights reserved. For information, address St.
Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
The following chapters in this book were previously published as individual e-books.
His to Claim #1: No Strings.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
His to Claim #2: Savage Kiss.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
His to Claim #3: Rock Hard.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
His to Claim #4: Wild Ones.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
His to Claim #5: Breaking Storm.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
His to Claim #6: Perfect Rhythm.
Copyright © 2014 by Opal Carew.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases,
please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-05282-7 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4668-5468-0 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466854680
First Edition: September 2014
