“So you say. Today you talk about a new apartment, tomorrow you could disappear. For all I know, maybe you’re scoping out new employment opportunities in Vancouver.”

I laughed and knocked back the rest of my vodka. “No, definitely not. Although, I think Cedric would be easier to work for than Jerome. Or at least a little less annoying.”

“Even in Canada?”

“Canada’s not that bad. Vancouver’s actually a pretty cool city. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”

Dante set his glass down and reached into his shirt pocket. “Maybe I can bribe you to stick around. Or at least be on time.”

A flash of gold caught my eye as he lifted out a watch. It was delicate, almost looking more like a bracelet than a true watch. It had gold links for a band, and its face had a filigree pattern that glittered in the light. I often found watches boring and utilitarian, but this was beautiful. He handed it to me, and I held it up to get a better look. I could shape-shift any jewelry I wanted onto me, but something manmade—something given as a gift—always had more meaning.

“Where did you get this?” I asked. “Did you steal it?”

He scoffed. “Figures. I do something nice, and you have to question it.”

“Sorry,” I said, feeling a tiny bit bad. That had been pretty ungrateful of me. “But you can’t tell me this is part of your normal budget, not with the business you get.”

“I told you, I had a good streak last night. And since you weren’t around for a night on the town, I figured I’d show you my undying affection some other way. Now, are you going to say thank you, or are you going to keep bitching me out?”

“Thank you,” I said. I fastened the watch onto my wrist and admired the way it looked against my tanned skin.

“Maybe you’ll be easier to find now—or at least be on time.”

I grinned. “Oh, this wasn’t affection. This was pragmatism.”

“Nah. A little of both. I wanted to get you jewelry, but necklaces and rings are too sappy.” He held up his own wrist. “Only thing that didn’t make me want to throw up.”

“And they say there’s no romance left in this world,” I laughed.

He gently reached out and touched the watch, tracing a circle around my wrist. Then, his hand trailed up my arm and along the edge of my blouse’s V-neck, letting him slip his fingers underneath it. Slowly, carefully, he moved over to one of my breasts, his fingertips dancing around the edges of my nipple, which already stood up hard under the thin fabric. He circled the nipple, pressure increasing, until he finally pinched it between his fingers, squeezing it so unexpectedly hard that I gave a small gasp of surprise.

“Whoa, you don’t waste any time,” I said. “You give a gift, and thirty seconds later, it’s a free-for-all?”

His eyes were hungry and intense now, reminding me of storm clouds. “I’ve missed you,” he said. “I keep thinking I’ll get used to you . . . that you’ll stop being so sexy. But it never happens.”