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“Leo, where are you taking me?” Francesca asks. Despite it being dark out, traffic is still a bitch as we drive on the highway. That’s LA for you.
“It’s a surprise,” I tell her. I can’t stop thinking about our kiss yesterday, how Fran took the initiative. She’s been slow to open up, but I’ve noticed she responds well to deep conversation. Fran is an intellectual. She connects through a mental connection, not a physical one. I’ve had to change my strategy because of it.
The thing is, though, the more Italkto Fran, the more I start to like her. Truly like her. She’s becoming less and less of a bet to me and more of a human being.
More of a wife.
The more I think about the bet, the guiltier I feel over it. Of course, I hope to have sex with Francesca one day. She’s absolutely beautiful. But now, it’s less about the bet and more because I want to be with her.
I pull into a parking garage and stop the car. “I think you’re going to like this.” I came up with the idea after Fran told me how much she loved museums on our wedding night and how she hadn’t had the chance to go to too many yet.
I’ve realized I want to do something nice for her. Not just to win her over, but because I like to see her smile. There’s a fragileness to Fran that makes me want to protect her. I want to see her happy. It’s a strange sensation.
We hold hands as we walk down the street. “Seriously, where are we going?” she asks, craning her head to look around. Cars whiz by, even in the dark of night.
“I called and paid a hefty donation to have the place all to ourselves tonight.”
“What are you talking about?”
We finally reach it—The Natural History Museum. With its arched columns and red and sandy brick, it’s a sight to behold.
Fran gasps. “We’re going here?”
“Yep. We have all the whole place just for us. We’re spending the night.”
Her eyes widen comically as she looks from me to the museum and back to me again. “We’re actually spending the night in the museum?”
“Don’t make a joke of it,” I tease.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she says, breathless. Without warning, she throws her arms around me in a fierce hug. “Thank you, Leo. This means a lot.” She pulls back, eyeing me warily. “What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch. I wanted to do something nice for you. I also just thought it would be cool to spend the night in a museum.”
“How much did it cost to do this?” she asks as we approach the front doors.
“Money doesn’t matter.” I open the door for her and motion her inside. “But if you want to know how much—a lot.” As she looks around in awe, I know it was worth every penny I spent to do this.
A T-rex greets us in the museum’s entryway. Its large size is impressive. Fran immediately goes up to it, marveling at the sight of it.
“Never seen a dinosaur before?” I ask, as I join her side.
She shoots me a teasing look. “Of course. At the Natural History Museum in New York.”
“Well, I have it on good authority this one here is much better.”
“Do you, now?”
“I do.” I wrap my arms around her from behind, and for once, Fran doesn’t tense up. In fact, she leans back against mine. Progress. I’ll take it.
“Do you think you could take it?” She nods up at the T-rex. “Something tells me you have just the right amount of ego to think you could take on a T-rex.”
“Are you teasing me, Mrs. Bennetti?”
She frowns. “Huh. It’s weird to know I have a different last name now. I’m not used to it. I’m still a Moretti at heart.”
“I’ll make a Bennetti out of you yet.” I plant a kiss on her neck, making her shiver and gasp.
Fran clears her throat and pulls away from me slightly. I have to do things on her terms, I remind myself. “You didn’t answer my question.”
