Dare Me (Take Me 2)

Mrs. Castillo said, “That is the cleverest thing…” Her gaze fell on Nikki. “Where on earth did you find that?”

“The shop next door to where I bought your ornament. Fiora’s cousin sells them—mostly for seriously filling in one’s brows, but there were also some decorative stampers and I couldn’t pass this one up.”

“It’s perfect,” Damen murmured as he joined her in the seat Mads had just vacated.

Nikki smiled. “The kid has an amazing spirit, Damen. Just needs nurturing.”

“You’re absolutely right.” His gaze lingered on her for a few moments. Then he said, “We have a gift for you as well, from the family.”

Mads brought it to Nikki and plopped down on the other side of her.

“Open it, open it, open it!” she urged Nikki.

With a soft laugh, she unwrapped the beautifully crafted package. Lifted the lid off the box and…

Her eyes squeezed shut for a moment as emotion prickled the backs of them.

She gave a slight shake of her head and said, “Well…talk about the perfect gift.”

It was a digital camera.

“I picked out the photo album,” Mads eagerly said. “And there’s a mini-printer, too.”

Nikki peeled back the mound of shimmery tissue paper to reveal the multi-colored album—which was compact in size. It’d fit easily in her luggage or her laptop bag.

“This is wonderful,” she told Mads and Mrs. Castillo. “Thank you.”

She turned to Damen, fighting the emotion creeping in on her.

“Point taken. Backup copies of my new favorite pictures.”

“And you can still take them everywhere you go.”

“Well.” Nikki swallowed down the lump rising in her throat. She sniffled and then more steadily said, “Why don’t you all stand by the tree and you’ll be my very first photo.”

It was a bittersweet moment, to be sure.

And yet… Nikki was grateful to have captured this particular memory.

Mads asked, “You still have the present I gave you this morning, right?”

“Of course, I do. I’m saving it for Christmas Day.”

“Awesome,” she beamed. And cleaned up the mess they’d all created.

Later, when everyone retired and Nikki and Damen were in his suite, she told him, “I didn’t really find anything for you when I was in Little Tijuana. I’ll have to think on it some more.”

He closed the gap between them, his head dipped and he murmured, “No need. I know precisely what I want. No purchase necessary.”

His lips swept over hers.

Nikki’s insides ignited.

As much as she wanted to resist him, as much as she knew to resist him, she whispered back, “Tell me exactly what you have in mind.”

“I’d rather show you.”

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