Claim Me (Stark Trilogy 2)

I laugh, delighted. Not only have I never been in this Ferris wheel before, I’ve never been in any Ferris wheel. It moves slowly, but the basket sways, which would be unnerving except for the fact that it’s Damien beside me, Damien with his arm around me. And now—as the basket stops at the very top—Damien reaches for the backpack he set on the floor beneath his feet.

“What are you doing?” I cry. “Don’t let go!” I glance out at the world around us. The sun is down now, and the lights from the Pier glow. It’s like living inside a fairyland. A little too high up in a fairyland, actually. “Why aren’t we moving?” I ask.

“Passengers are loading and unloading below,” Damien says. He’s upright now and holding two wrapped presents. One about the size of a pack of index cards. The other slightly bigger. More like the size of an external DVD drive.

“You brought me gifts?”

“I did,” he says.

I am speechless. “I didn’t get you anything.”

He points to the hat and the shirt.

“I charged those to your room.”

“It’s the thought that counts. But if you don’t want the gifts …” He bends over, pretending to put them back.

“No, no,” I say. “It’s all good.”

We grin at each other. “The small one first,” he says, handing it to me. As he does, the Ferris wheel starts to move again. I carefully peel back the paper to reveal a small gold box. When I pull off the lid, there are four chocolate truffles inside. “You’ve had the fondue,” he says. “But the truffles are our specialty.”

“Your company?” I ask. “The one in Switzerland?”

“I told you I’d have Sylvia order some for you.”

I can’t help the wide grin that tugs at my mouth as I pull one out. “Want a bite?”

He shakes his head. “They’re all for you.”

I take a bite and moan with ecstasy. These are easily the chocolate equivalent of nirvana.

I finish the truffle and hand the box back to Damien to carry in his pack. “Thank you,” I say. “You really do amaze me.”

“Because I bought you chocolates?”

“Yes,” I say sincerely. “And so many other reasons as well.”

He kisses me sweetly, then passes me the larger package.

“Now this one.”

I unwrap it carefully, then gasp when I see what it is. An antique brass frame with a stunning picture of the two of us in evening wear. Damien had taken me to the opera, and the paparazzi had been buzzing all around. This picture ran in the paper—I have a digital copy in my scrapbook file. But this looks like the original.

“Oh, Damien. It’s amazing,” I whisper. My eyes are locked on the image of the two of us together. “How did you get the picture?”

“Called the paper and bought a print,” he says. “You look exceptionally lovely in that photo. I suppose that means the paparazzi are good for something.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “But this, this I will always cherish.” Emotion squeezes my heart. I’ve been at Damien’s side hundreds of times, and at least as many images have been splashed across magazines and websites. But this—a picture in a frame—it feels permanent and real. It feels like the future.

I blink, suddenly weepy, but very happy.

“I thought you could put it on your desk at work,” he says.

“I will,” I say. “Then I can look at us every day.”

The Ferris wheel stops up top again, but I don’t mind. I clutch the framed photo against my chest with one hand and lean in close to Damien.

“It’s the best gift ever,” I say, and I mean it. “And it’s been a great day, too.”

Monday morning at Innovative, Trish dumps about a pound of paperwork on me, and I write my address and sign my name until I’m certain my hand is going to cramp up and surgery will be required. After that, she walks me around the office and introduces me to everyone, and I smile and nod and pretend like I’m going to remember all the names she’s throwing at me. I’ve had the tour before, but it’s nice to see the place from the perspective of an employee. We end up at my office, a tiny space on the south corner with a view of a parking structure.

It is, however, all mine.

I am organizing my desk when Bruce enters. “Welcome to your second day. All settled in?”

“All I need now is access to the network and I’m good to go.” I glance at my phone to check the time. “Carla said she’d have me in the system by the end of the hour, so I guess I’ll be official soon.”

Bruce nods, then gives me the rundown of what I’ll find on my calendar today, which basically boils down to internal meetings and getting familiar with the various company products. By the end of the day, I’ll have met my team and have a handle on the products I’m managing. I’ve got a lot to learn—both product specs and staff names—but on the whole, I’m pleased with the plan for the day.

Bruce stands. “I know I promised you a first-day lunch, but it turns out I have to meet with my attorney. Would you mind if we postpone?”

“Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I’m pumped to get caught up with all this reading.”

He looks relieved, and I flash my best Cooperative Employee smile. A moment later, his expression shifts, and I fear that my smile has missed the mark. But his thoughts have moved past work. “I feel like I should apologize again for Saturday night.”

“No,” I say, because I really don’t want to go there again. “It’s not necessary. Truly.”

He peers at me, then nods slowly. “Well, I hope that’s not why you and Damien cut out early.”

I can’t help the heat that rises to my cheeks. “It’s not. And please tell Giselle that it’s okay. I promise I’m not upset.”

His expression hardens. “If I see her, I’ll tell her,” he says, and I’m left wondering how to shift the conversation, because I have clearly stepped into something unpleasant. As it turns out, though, it is Bruce who changes the topic. He tosses a copy of Tech World Today on my desk. “Have you seen this week’s issue?”

I haven’t, but I immediately recognize the image on the cover of the tabloid-style newspaper. It’s the logo of an Israeli company watermarked over a screenshot from some cutting-edge 3-D imaging software. I scan the article and then look up at Bruce. “This has been in the works for a while. Looks like they got it out of beta testing earlier than they anticipated.”