"Because you're terrified." She smiled. "You're never terrified. But she scares you, in the best way possible. That's how I know this is real."
I couldn't argue with that.
The team finished up around four thirty. The living room looked like something out of a movie—romantic, elegant, overwhelming in the best possible way.
Chef Danny approached me, pulling me aside.
"Everything is prepped," he said quietly. "When you're ready, you text me. I'll come in, light all the candles, and have breakfast on the table within fifteen minutes. Just tell me what you want to serve."
"What do you recommend?"
"For romance? French toast with berries and champagne. Classic. Delicious. Not too heavy." He smiled. "Trust me. Twenty years of cooking for couples, I know what works."
"French toast it is."
"Perfect. I'll wait for your text." He handed me a card with his number.
Gianna gathered everyone up, herding them toward the elevator.
"Thank you," I said to my sister. "Seriously. I don't know how to?—"
"You don't need to thank me." She hugged me quickly. "Just make her happy. That's all the thanks I need."
"I will."
"And Dez?" She pulled back, her expression serious. "Don't be afraid of this. Don't be afraid of her. What you're feeling, it's not weakness. It's the most honest thing you've ever done."
I nodded, taking it all in.
“When you text Danny, the masseuse will be notified. She’ll be here by the time breakfast is over.
Then she was gone, the elevator doors closing on her knowing smile. I stood alone in my transformed living room, surrounded by roses and candles and romantic gestures I'd never thought I'd make. And I was excited. Actually, genuinely excited in a way I couldn't remember being since I was a kid.
I wanted Angelina to wake up and see this. To watch her face when she walked out of that bedroom and see if she'd cry or laugh or just look at me like I'd lost my mind. I wanted to put that ring on her finger and hear her say yes and everything that came with that.
The realization was startling. I'd spent my entire adult life carefully controlling what I wanted, limiting my desires to things that were achievable and safe.Wantmade you vulnerable.Wantgave people leverage.
But with Angelina… I wanted it all.
I moved back to the bedroom, opening the door as silently as possible. She'd shifted again, now on her stomach with one arm hanging off the side of the bed. The sheet had slipped lower, revealing the curve of her back, the swell of her ass, the faint marks from the flogger I'd used on her earlier.
Beautiful.
I stripped off my sweatpants and climbed back into bed, carefully positioning myself beside her. She immediately rolled toward me, seeking warmth even in sleep, and I wrapped my arms around her.
"Few more hours, sweetheart," I whispered against her hair. "Then I'm going to show you exactly how serious I am about this."
She made a soft, contented sound and burrowed closer. I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come. My mind was too busy racing through possibilities. Would she like the setup? Would it be too much? Not enough? Would she understand what I was trying to say? That I heard her, that I was willing to try, that I was already falling despite my best efforts not to? Would she say yes?
The uncertainty should have bothered me. I was a man who dealt in certainties, in contracts and negotiations where every variable was accounted for. But this leap into the unknown with a woman I'd met less than twenty-four hours ago felt right in a way nothing else ever had. So I held her close and waited for dawn, to ask her the most important question of my life, and to see if she'd be brave enough to say yes.
Angelina
Iwoke slowly, awareness creeping in slowly. Warmth. Safety. The solid presence of a body beside me. Not just any body. It was Dez. I blinked my eyes open to find myself curled against his chest, arm wrapped around me, and his breathing steady and even. Morning light filtered through the windows, soft and golden. I tilted my head back and found him already awake, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"Good morning," I murmured, stretching up to kiss him.
He met me halfway, his lips warm and soft against mine. The kiss was gentle, unhurried, so different from the demanding claims of previous ones. When we pulled apart, I noticed he was already sitting up slightly against the headboard. I shifted, climbing on top of him to straddle his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my cheek to his chest.
