Chapter 30

Ariel had looked up from her glass, an arched brow intrigued. "What is that?" she asked, an unmistakable elevation of curiosity in her voice.

Jayden did not say anything at first but rose and then walked toward the small leather bag he had placed on the counter sometime earlier. He picked it out carefully, handling it as if what was inside was something perishable, fragile-something important.

Ariel's eyes followed his every move. When Jayden turned back around, the bag was in his hand. He walked over to her; with every step he took, the space between them felt smaller.

"This," he finally said, sitting back down beside her,...