Page 224 of Love Unwritten
“What?”
“I’m glad Julian dragged me along, or else I wouldn’t have found it.” He moves toward me, plucks the pin from my tight fist, carefully grabs some of my hair, and secures it in place beside my ear. “Beautiful.” He’s staring at me rather than the pin, and a tingling sensation skates down my spine.
“It’s expensive.”
“What if I told you it wasn’t?”
“We promised not to lie.”
“Technically, I wouldn’t be.”
Of course he wouldn’t. To a billionaire, I’m sure this barely makes a dent in his bank account, but to me, it means so much more.
I attempt to scowl but fail. “I shouldn’t accept it.”
“But you will.”
“Confident much?”
He leans in and presses his mouth against my ear. “Please, Elle? For me?”
I shudder at his request. “Fine.”
His sly grin looks like it wants to be introduced to my fist. “Go get ready before we’re late.” He turns me in a rush and slaps my ass.
I glare at him from over my shoulder before grabbing the new dress, heels, and my makeup bag.
After thirty minutes of primping in the bathroom and receiving a text of approval from my best friend, I head into the room with my head held high only to teeter on my new heels as Rafael’s gaze follows a path from my head to my toes.
“You look…”
My lungs stall.
“Divina.” The word rolls off his tongue, along with a wave of heat through my belly.
His tongue darts out to trace the bottom of his lip, and my heart jolts in my chest as he walks over to me and pulls me into a kiss.
“I thought we were going to be late,” I say with a rasp.
“It will be worth it.” He reaches for my hand, but I slip away from him before he has a chance to ruin my thirty minutes’ worth of work.
“No! Stay away.” I rush for the door as quickly as my heels will permit.
He chuckles as he follows behind me. “For now.”
Another shiver of anticipation spreads over my skin, drawing goose bumps in their wake.
With a wave of newfound confidence, I head toward the elevator bank while swaying my hips, earning another groan from the man who collects pieces of my heart with every passing day.
After dinner and two rounds of incredible sex, Rafael is knocked out while I remain wide-awake thanks to jet lag and some building anxiety about my first day of work tomorrow. I struggle to fall asleep, so I pull out my songwriting notebook and flip through the pages before stopping on one that I haven’t touched since we were in Hawaii.
I know some songs are meant to never be finished, but whenever I think of leaving the one I started about Rafael unwritten, I’m hit with a strong sense of loss. So in a rush of inspiration after Rafael told me he loved me, I pick up where I left off on that first day on the boat.
It was snowing hard on Christmas Eve,
When our paths crossed that first time.
Couldn’t believe you hadn’t noticed me,