Chapter 33
“Your grandfather paid for all this?” I asked in a hushed voice, sitting across from him at our table in a fancy restaurant with a name I couldn’t pronounce. The food, however, more than made up for the horrendous name.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “That’s what a gift means, Freckles.”
I blinked, unconvinced. “The timing is just a little suspicious.”
“Why?”
“It’s out of nowhere.”
“No, it isn’t. We never had a honeymoon because we met at the altar. My grandfather figured two months is enough time for me to get to know you. Hence the ‘out of nowhere’ honeymoon.”
“Hm.” I dug into my pasta, still unconvinced. Other things were on my mind—like how much I loved the meatballs and how no restaurant at home could replicate their taste.
“How many days are we going to be here?” I asked. That’s how most of our conversations go: I initiate, he replies.
“A few.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What is ‘a few’?”
“Well, we have a jet. We can go back whenever we like.”
“So there’s no return date?”
“Not yet.”
“But you said you had a business dinner on Saturday.”
Gabriel frowned. “When did I say that?”
“To James,” I reminded him, “when he invited us to dinner.”
“Oh, that.” A smug expression crossed his face.
My lips parted. “You lied!”
“I did nothing of the sort.” Gabriel wasn’t much of a liar when he didn’t want to be.
I laughed. “Is there an extent to your jealousy?”
“I don’t get jealous, Freckles. Just territorial.”
I controlled the urge to roll my eyes, focusing on my pasta as a comfortable silence settled over us.
“What are you wearing?”
“A satin shirt and skirt? You can see that.” His eyes sparkled. “I mean… inside.”
I glared at him. “Aren’t you too perverted?”
Chapter 33 (Continued)
“You wanted me…”
“What if I do tuck you in?” Nonchalant as ever, he ate. “Now don’t ask me to stop.”
“I won’t,” he replied seriously. “One night wasn’t enough. I want all of them.”
A small, sly smile touched my lips. “I’m wearing white.”
“I’m going to tear it off.”
“You can’t ruin all my nice lingerie.”
“I can. Because then I’d buy you new ones.”
“You’re impossible,” I giggled, shaking my head.
“What’s your wildest kink?” he asked. “A fantasy you’re scared to even admit to yourself.”
I gulped. My silence and red face spoke volumes. I looked at him pointedly. “Is every question you ask related to sex?”
“I know everything else about you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You don’t really have a favorite color; you like them all equally, but if you had to choose, you’d pick blue or purple. You listen to slow songs, mostly Taylor Swift, but your favorite genre is hip-hop. You binge-watch shows when you’re sad. Daisies are your favorite flowers. You miss your parents incredibly; you went to Seoul to connect with their memories. You’re fiercely protective of your family—your grandfather—and you’d do anything for him. And you like me.” He said it all without missing a beat.
“That’s all Facebook material,” I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.
“Is it Facebook material that you like me?”
“I don’t like you,” I scowled. “I barely even tolerate you sometimes.”
Gabriel smirked. “See, here’s one thing I didn’t know about you—you also lie.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Lately, it’s the thoughts of fing you. Or actually fing you, like last night.”
My lips parted. “You’re impossible.”
“No. What I am is smart and good at proving you wrong, which means I’ve earned the right to know your wildest fantasy.”
My cheeks reddened again. “I can’t tell you,” I murmured. It was so twisted that I was ashamed of it.
“You can. Ask me mine, and I’ll tell you in a heartbeat.”
“No.” My voice was a whisper. Of course, I wanted to know his kinks and fantasies, but knowing his answers meant giving him mine, and I wasn’t ready. “I’ll tell you when I am.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Now you’ve got me hooked.”
Chapter 33 (Continued)
“Bored of you?” He pushed his plate aside. “Freckles, I think I’m obsessed with you.”
I stared at him, his words hanging in the air. Surely, he couldn’t mean it the way my heart interpreted it—it was somersaulting. I had goosebumps, so evident I’m sure he noticed. I tried to convince myself it was the cold night air, not his words.
I attempted a nonchalant smile and probably failed miserably. “With my body, you mean.”
“You,” he corrected effortlessly.
The moment broke when a waiter approached, asking if we wanted more wine. I shook my head, and Gabriel declined.
I’d had enough in two small glasses. I hated being tipsy. I think I hated wine, but it suited the fancy restaurant. I was more of a vodka or gin person. Those were the times Alice and I went to a bar after a hard day’s work, or when my grandfather’s condition worsened, and I got shit-faced drunk, and Sam picked us up.
Simpler times.
“You were wrong about something,” I said while we waited for the check. “In the Facebook information.”
His eyebrows knitted. He didn’t like being wrong. “And what is that?”
“My grandfather isn’t the only family I have,” I said softly, carefully, ready to backtrack if his expression changed. Reluctantly, I added, “You’re family too. Now, I mean.”
His sudden, genuine smile surprised him.
Chapter 33 (Continued)
“So are Elise and Ralph, and Leila and Alister,” I added quickly, referring to his parents and grandparents.
His smile remained. “And me.”
I shrugged. “And you.”
“So you consider me family, just not trustworthy enough to know about your kinks,” he teased. I threw a napkin at him; it landed on the wooden floor louder than I expected, making several heads turn.
I flushed, but Gabriel laughed until I gave in and joined him. Our laughter echoed in the fancy restaurant, completely out of place, but even out of place felt good as long as I was with him.