He nodded slowly, that devastating smile just for her. "You'll think about me, of course. Today, when you can."
Beneath the arrogance was the vulnerability Leigh knew needed tending. "Of course. How could I not?"
Jarek reached for a long velvet box and opened it. "Wear this. I need to know you were something of mine. Will you?"
The ornate necklace, heavy and encrusted with semiprecious gems, obviously old and valuable, glittered across his broad palm. Jarek's look at her was shielded, as if he feared she would refuse. "She never wore it. I never offered. It is not the ring I want you to wear, but it will serve."
Leigh's impulse was to refuse the obvious family heirloom, but Jarek's expression told her how much it would mean to him. Jarek had been badly hurt and he'd shielded his heart for years, but now he was offering it to her. When she nodded, he placed the heavy necklace around her throat.
