Chapter Eight

Seraphina

 

“Sera?”

Seraphina stared into Gabriel’s eyes, searching for any signs of betrayal. His dark brown eyes held her gaze, tenderness radiating from them. They silently pled with her to accept his offer, as crazy as it sounded. But could she trust a man who’d always fought against her?

A light sensation tingled on her lips, making her gasp. The kiss! She couldn’t forget the kiss. It had to be the best one of her life. Gabriel had held her with such care and poured more passion into that one touch than she’d ever experienced. It was no wonder, considering the tenacity with which he fought. He had always impressed her with his drive and hard work. When he wanted something, he went after it with all his heart.

And this time, he wanted her.

The thought made her body warm with anticipation. The heat spread to her limbs and enveloped her like a tropical breeze. She didn’t need to wonder any longer how she felt; she knew with certainty. She and Gabriel were like two magnets of opposite polarities, always drawn to each other. Their attraction was as evident as the ocean was blue. Gabriel may have been her greatest opponent, but now that he was on her side, he would become her best ally. A man she could trust and love.

Seraphina realized Gabriel had grown quiet, his forehead creased with worry. He was still waiting for her answer. She reached out and placed a hand on his chest, anxious to ease his fears. “I appreciate your apology, Gabe. I’ll admit I haven’t been an angel either, even though my name might say otherwise. But I’m willing to put the past behind us if you are.”

Gabriel exhaled an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you, Sera. I’d like that very much.”

“And thank you for helping my father. It means a lot to me that you would go out of your way to reach out to him. I’m sorry I called you a heartless liar,” she added sheepishly.

“A heartless liar? I don’t remember you saying that.”

She patted him on the chest before dropping her hand. “Oh, the thought crossed my mind several times. I just had the decency to not say it out loud. But since we’re starting fresh, I wanted to get it out there. You know, clean slate and all.”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “All right then. Is there anything else you want to bring up?”

She pretended to ponder for a moment. “No, nothing else. How about you?”

“Me?” He cleared his throat loudly. “Well, since you asked … there is an important question I have for you.”

His nervous smile tugged at her heartstrings. She’d never seen Gabriel look so unsure of himself. This side of him made her fall for him even more. “Yes? What is it, Gabe?”

A glimmer of hope lit up his dark eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he stated, “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you asking me out?”

“I am.”

“On a date?”

“Of course. I’ll pick you up, pay for our meal, drop you off—the whole nine yards.”

Happiness flooded her heart, but she bit back a smile. Was it wrong that she wanted to tease him a little? She tapped a finger on her bottom lip and mused, “Let me see. Do I have any plans tonight that would be more important than going out with a gorgeous man who still has a thing for me?”

Crinkles appeared around his eyes as he laughed. “Who said I had a thing for you?”

“I think your kiss made that pretty clear. It was kind of amazing.”

“So you enjoyed it, did you?”

His confidence had returned in full force. She rolled her eyes as he puffed out his chest. “Enjoy is a relative term. If I had to compare it to swimming with sharks, I’d say kissing you might rank a little higher.”

“A little? I’m fairly certain you still have a thing for me, too.”

Seraphina wrinkled her nose playfully. “You’ll have to wait until our date to find out.”

“I’ll take that as a yes for dinner then?”

“Yes.”

“Great, wonderful. I know you’re planning on returning to California today, so I’ll pick you up at home.”

“All right.”

“In the meantime, I’d be happy to give you a play-by-play of our kiss, so you can remember how much you liked it.”

She quirked a brow. “Really?”

“And remind you of how much you like me.”

“You’re not going to stop talking, are you? Is this your way of making sure I never get the last word in?”

With a sly wink, he replied, “You catch on quick, Fiery One.”

She crossed her arms, pretending to pout. “Go on now so I can get ready for my hot date tonight.”

A wide grin spread across his face. “So, you think I’m hot, too?”

“Goodbye, Gabe.”

He blew her a kiss before he turned to go. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Sera.”

She couldn’t wait.