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“Thank you.”
After pouring the wine, I handed Kate her glass along with her plate. The two of us stretched out on the bed with our backs against the headboard and I continued our conversation.
“I just want to know you.”
A whisper of a laugh escaped her. “I’ve lived a lie my entire life, and once we moved to Chicago, I thought the lie had ended and I could be Kate Harper for the first time. Then, my father went to prison and the vicious cycle started all over again. I had the opportunity once to tell someone my real name. Carla was our neighbor next door to the house we rented. She was a sweet old woman in her eighties. You’d never know she was that old. She had the spunk of a girl in her twenties. When she introduced herself, my name was on the tip of my tongue. I was going to tell her and then I’d be set free. Free from the pretending that I had done for so long, and that someone in this big world would finally know who I was. But there was this little voice inside my head that told me not to do it because anything could have and probably would have happened. I didn’t completely trust myself or my situation to tell her at that moment that my name was Kate Harper. So, I introduced myself as Katerina Voight. Katie for short. It was close enough to my first name, so it didn’t feel so bad.”
“I’m sorry you had to live like that, Kate.”
She reached over to the table that sat on her side and picked up her wine glass.
“It wasn’t all bad.”
“Why did you finally decide to tell me?” I asked.
“Because it felt right, and I want to gain your trust. Plus, you had kidnapped me and already knew all my aliases, so what was the point of not telling you?”
I let out a long sigh. “I didn’t kidnap you. How many times do I have to tell you that? You voluntarily came home with me.”
A small smile crossed her lips.
“Then you locked me in a bedroom and secured the house so I couldn’t leave. I would classify that as kidnapping. Not to mention the fact that you handcuffed me when we left the house and you gave me a cell phone where your number was the only one I could dial.”
“Okay.” I held up my hand. When you say it like that—”
“I’m glad you finally realize what you’ve done.” She smirked.
“It hasn’t been that bad, has it?” I asked.
“Not so much. To be honest, it’s the most normal I’ve felt in my entire life.”
“Really?” I cocked my head and our eyes met. “Why?”
“Because I no longer had to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.” She looked down at her plate.
I reached over and softly stroked her cheek with the back of my hand.
Chapter 27
Kate
Iopened my soul to him at that very moment and he didn’t judge me. For the first time in my life, I felt normal. I brought my hand up to my cheek and placed it on his as I closed my eyes. The warmth of his touch radiated throughout my body and made me tremble. He took our plates and set them back on the cart. Turning to me, he cupped my chin in his hand and softly brushed his lips against mine. Our kiss soon turned passionate as I lay down and he hovered over me. We made love; slow, sensual, and in various positions before he exploded inside me. The gentle touch of his hands on my body sent chills down my spine. His touch felt possessive and made me feel safe and secure. A feeling I wanted to feel for the rest of my life.
We lay in bed for the first time together, his arms wrapped around me as my head laid on his chest.
“We should get back out there,” he spoke. “I need to check my emails.”
“Yeah. We should. How much longer is the flight?” I asked as I lifted my head.
“About three more hours.” He softly kissed my lips.
I climbed off the bed and slipped back into my clothes. Gabriel did the same and we both left the bedroom. He took his laptop to the table and I sat back in my seat, staring at the clouds as the plane floated through them. I couldn’t help but glance over at Gabriel now and again. And every time I did, the corners of my mouth curved up into a small smile. The anger I harbored towards him quickly dissipated when he explained why he was so angry with me. I got it. I really did, and the best part was I trusted him. All the man wanted was honesty from the start, but I was too afraid to let the real me emerge.
When we finally landed, we took a limo that was waiting for us to the hotel, which consisted of ten floors, four hundred breathtaking guest rooms, six restaurants, a coffee café, a candy shop, gift shop, a large gym, casual and formal clothing stores for men and women, and a luxurious spa.
“Wow,” I spoke in amazement as we stepped into the marbled lobby.
“Welcome to Quinn Hotels, Kate.” Gabriel smiled.
