Free What the Heart Desires (Contemporary Erotic Romance) by Allora Adderly

stimulating conversation and Kimberly’s other obligations, but it had still been nice.  The thought of him leaving again was bittersweet.  On one hand, she was eager to reclaim her apartment as her own and settle back into the day-to-day life to which she’d become accustomed.  On the other hand, she truly would miss him.
    It was a Saturday.  Kimberly and Felix decided to spend their last day together doing touristy things in the city. 
    It was a cool, brisk day that felt more like autumn than spring.  Undeterred, they bundled up and walked along some of the city’s most popular tourist destinations.  They took photos in front of monuments, popped into a quirky museum for a quick look around and even got in on a bus tour of the city.
    When the bus let them off, they decided to do a little window shopping.  They were searching for a well-known (among geeks and nerds) comic book shop Felix was interested in.  Instead, they wound up standing in front of a jewelry store.
    “That’s pretty,” Felix said, pointing toward a diamond bracelet that glistened in the late afternoon sunlight. 
    “It’s gorgeous,” Kimberly agreed.
    Felix cleared his throat.  “I’d like to buy you a bigger diamond,” he said.  “The one on your promise ring is pretty pitiful now that I think about it.”
    Kimberly reflexively touched her hand, feeling the promise ring beneath her stretchy purple glove.  “It’s not pitiful,” she said defensively.  “I like it.”   Then the true intent of Felix’s words hit her.
    She looked at him, startled.  “You don’t mean…”
    “Well I did ,” Felix confessed, “but if you’re going to stare at me like I just kicked your dog then we can pretend I never mentioned it.”  His voice was lighthearted and playful, but she could see his jaw was clenched.  She’d upset him.
    “You just surprised me, is all,” she said, trying desperately to smooth things over.  “But…don’t you think things are moving a little fast?”
    Felix shrugged. “We’ve been dating for a while,” he pointed out.  “You already have a promise ring.  An engagement ring seems like the natural next step, don’t you think?”
    “Yeah,” Kimberly agreed slowly, choosing her words carefully.  “But we don’t even live in the same city.  I – I’m not sure now’s the time for us to be talking marriage.” 
    “I should be able to spend a good portion of the summer here with you if I rearrange my class schedule,” Felix reminded her.  “And after that – well, we’ll figure something out.  Besides, just because we’re engaged doesn’t mean we have to get married right away.  We can have a long engagement if you want.”
    Kimberly hesitated.  “Are you – you’re not proposing to me, are you?”
    “What, here?”  Felix was incredulous.  “No!  This is definitely not romantic,” he laughed, gesturing to the busy street full of traffic, exhaust fumes and litter that the wind had blown in.  “I just thought you might like to pick out your own engagement ring, is all.”
    “Oh.”
    “Is that okay?”
    “Yeah,” Kimberly replied, forcing a smile.  “Let’s go inside.”
    She knew Felix was trying to be considerate.  When the time came, he just wanted her to have an engagement ring that she loved.  So, Kimberly dutifully strolled from display case to display case with Felix at her side.
    “See anything you like?” he asked eagerly.
    In all honesty, the engagement rings looked more or less the same.  All of them boasted gleaming white diamonds affixed to jewel encrusted bands.  Some were gold and some were silver – or more likely, white gold.  Kimberly wasn’t exactly sure how she was expected to react whilst engagement ring shopping.
    “That one’s nice?” she said hopefully, pointing randomly to one of the rings that looked like all the rest.  And it was nice.  They were all nice.  Maybe that was the problem; none of them spoke to her.
    “Rings