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He parks in one of the valet spots right by the door and tosses some cash to the worker when he comes to say something. Now that seems like Aksel.
He guides me inside with a hand on my lower back. I like having contact with him so I lean into him further.
We wander around the gallery taking in all the different pieces.
“This art is gorgeous,” I say.
Aksel smiles. “I’m glad you think so.”
“How did you discover it?”
He turns to face me and brushes his hand against my cheek.
“I don’t have a beautiful family to take you to meet. You met my father and we know how that ended. My family is what actively kept me away from you in the first place. Even with all that, I wanted to show you a piece of my family.”
I nod, not sure where he’s going with this but grateful either way that he’s trying to open up to me.
He gestures to the art. “My sister made this. She’s in boarding school right now. Thankfully she was away from my father for most of the year so she could be creative and do what made her happy.”
I look around at every piece with new eyes. The darker pieces hold different meanings and I love the ones that make me feel hope even more.
“It’s incredible. I’m so impressed her art is being shown in a gallery,” I say.
Aksel chuckles. “I may have played a part in securing her a spot in the gallery.”
“You’re a good big brother,” I say, remembering everything Adelina said about him too.
His expression darkens. “Not good enough but that changes now that Joka is gone. Thank you for giving that to our family.”
Any lingering guilt I’ve felt in my gut over Joka’s death seems to melt away. Taking a life is never easy but this man deserved to die. Something objectively evil did good for the world in this case.
“Thanks for bringing me here Aksel. I hope I get to meet Dorielle in person someday.”
One side of his lips lifts to the side. “You will. She’s already asking me a million questions about you since Adelina told her she met you.”
“Do you think she’ll like me?” I ask, my nerves making my voice soft.
“Yes. She’s going to rake me over the coals when she hears how I treated you.”
I laugh. “I like her already.”
We keep moving around and I point out every piece or detail I like. Aksel seems pulled to the darker pieces.
“They speak to me the most and I hate that I can see myself in them. I wish my sister was different from me, far away from who I am.”
“When I met you, I would think it’s crazy I’m saying this now but I don’t think it’s a bad thing you see yourself in her. You’re a strong leader, protective, and generous. I-” I take a deep breath and shake off my nerves before continuing, “I’m glad you’re my mate Aksel. I’m proud to have you.”
Aksel pulls me tight to his body and crushes his lips to mine. He devours me right there in public, surrounded by strangers, like we are the only people in the room.
He pulls away long enough to say, “Willson, I don’t deserve to hear that but I’m so grateful you feel that way.”
I push my tongue against him. We do a dance with our mouths that makes me weak in the knees.
When I finally pull away from him, his eyes are heated and it’s like electricity is zinging between us.
A glance shows me that strangers in the gallery are staring at us. Some women have hearts in their eyes and others look scandalized.
“Have you seen enough art?” Aksel whispers in my ear.
