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Chapter 21
Philippe
My hands shake in a way that gives me away as I carry the tray full of delicious breakfast food into the master bedroom where my fiancée still sleeps. I used my shoulder to flip on the light so hopefully she will wake up, and sure enough, she slowly pushes herself to a sitting position as she blinks up at me, trying to get her bearings.
The night before is a blur and a rush of feelings. I never in a million years would have guessed I’d have a threesome, and certainly not with my future bride. But there is something about her wild side that I need in my life. It makes it a little less boring even if it makes me more than a little uncomfortable at times.
The sex was incredible, and it was amazing to see her in her element, but it is not something I can see myself doing on a regular basis. Maybe for spicing things up on big anniversaries or something, and I hope she will understand when I tell her that. But my focus right now is on something else. I want us to spend quality time together in a way we haven’t much since meeting one another. She has this habit of keeping others from getting close to her, but she has to let me in if I am going to give her this ring.
Her long lashes hood her eyes as she looks over the food I have given her before she brings her delicate hands up to begin eating this food like she is a caveman. Her looks and her personality are so contrasting, it still takes me off guard even now that I know this duality of hers so well even if I know nothing else.
"What's all this for?" she asks between her last few bites, and I smile at her, prompting her to give me a strange look back. She knows I am up to something.
"I wondered if we might have kind of a lazy day in bed where we can talk," I say cautiously as she dabs at her mouth with a napkin. "What better way to start such a day than with a late breakfast in bed?" She glances at the clock to see that I am right - it is a little before eleven and I have already had my fill of breakfast. I am so accustomed to being close to lunch by now that I could not make myself wait. But it gave me plenty of time to think about what to say this morning.
"What exactly are we going to talk about?" she narrows her eyes at me as she shoves the tray off her as if it can be used against her as a prison cell. And it’s that mentality I want to get the bottom of. I want her to be open with me. I want to know her dark secrets, because the things I would think would be that way are out in the open for me to see. So, what else does she have to hide?
"Look, I did something crazy for you last night. Well, crazy for me, and I thought maybe you could do something for me today and have one normal day where we get to know each other. We spend the day with each other and ask questions. The other always has to answer," I propose in a light tone. I hope I don’t scare her off with this.
"I don’t like this," she says but then continues, "but I guess it’s fair.”
We start slow with favorite colors, preferences for movies and television shows, dream dates, vacation spots, things like that. Then, we talk about business, and I love how she comes to life when she speaks about the restaurant, how it is the one thing she has that is hers and hers alone. Without even asking her, she tells me more about her grandmother who gave her the inspiration for the place. The woman sounds like a spitfire kind of like Carla herself.
"Romanian women usually do not have so much freedom," I tell her. "You are very lucky in this if nothing else. I think you have done a good job with it, though I would love to help you improve it even more if you would like to talk about that someday."
"As long as the tips are business based and not recipes. These are passed down for generations," she warns me.
I chuckle at her harsh tone, "Of course not." I reach out and push a strand of dark hair behind her ear, and she freezes for a moment. Soon, we will have to get into more serious talk if I am going to start breaking down those walls.
So, I tell her about my family and especially about my mother so she understands where I am coming from with the concerns about alcohol and partying. And then maybe, she will feel okay opening up to me.
She tells me a little of how she grew up and something I did not know - that Enzo is only her half-brother. I know a bit about The Arcane and her family because of their dealings with the Clans, but personal details are often left out. They are much more secretive than we are because their line of work is even more sensitive.
I place my hand on her leg soothingly, or what I hope to be. "I did not know that about Enzo. But what about your father? You have not mentioned him yet," I say softly.
She avoids eye contact, looking anywhere but at me as she slumps her shoulders. "He is everything you think an Italian businessman would be, especially one that specializes in assassinations." She is so quiet, I almost don’t catch her words. "Strong, dominant, ruthless..." she trails off, and I wonder if this is where I lose her for the day. This is the hard part for her, I can tell. "His rules for me were much different than for my brothers. They still are. If he knew the real me, he would not just disown me, he would cut it from my flesh. If he makes a threat against me, he means it. And I was born to be a pawn for my parents to use to gain more power. I am sure many of the Romanian women feel the same, but it seems not all your men have the kind of temper he does."
I reach in my pocket, having nothing else to do as I tap on her shoulder. "What I did yesterday...I would never have done that for anyone. I have never been in love, so it is hard for me to tell, but I think that is what this is, that I am in love with you. It has to mean something that I did that for you and only you," I tell her as she looks at me. She lets me slip the ring onto her hand, and I kiss it for good measure. "How does it feel?"
She pretends for a moment like the ring is so heavy, and we laugh, and then she shrugs. I see something in her eyes, though, so I lean in for a lingering kiss on her soft lips. "I promise that with me you will be as free as possible."
That’s when I get her attention, and she looks at me like I have hung the moon. "If you give me that, then maybe I could be in love with you and stay forever."
