Page 19 of Vow to Hate You

The server came back, and Damian surprised me again when he spoke.

“No food for us,” he said. “Only the drinks. We won’t be here long.”

I was sure he was busy today, but I was glad we wouldn’t have to go through a long meal with our fathers. I already wanted to leave.

“We need to celebrate,” my dad announced. “Reannounce your union since you haven’t been together in the city for so long.”

Christian nodded in agreement. “We could do it at the yacht party this summer.”

My heart sank as they both dove into plans. The yacht party was something they’d been doing every year since I was a kid. It was a three-day event where they had a large party the first night. Once the boat docked, almost everyone left except our closest friends and business partners. Then we stayed out on the water for another two nights. The couple times I’d gone on the trip, it had been dreadfully boring.

“I’ll have my secretary change the invitations,” Christian said before glancing back at me. “Where is your ring?”

“I left it at home,” I answered quickly, my cheeks flushing. “I forgot to put it back on after getting ready.”

The truth was that the ring was buried somewhere in my suitcase. I always had it with me but hadn’t put it on my finger in years.

My father let out a crude laugh. “Forgot? You never were one for diamonds, Natalia. But your ring should never leave your finger.”

I straightened up. “I love diamonds, Dad. Damian actually gave me the most beautiful gift this morning that I can’t wait to wear on our next night out.”

Damian’s head snapped toward me, suspicion in his gaze as he stayed quiet.

“What did he give you?” Char asked, trying to hide her amused smile. She knew I was doing this to mess with Damian.

“A necklace,” I answered, turning to give Damian a kiss on his cheek. “It’s gorgeous and sparkles from every angle. He wanted to show me how happy he is that I’m home.”

I almost couldn’t get the sentence out with a straight face. I didn’t give a shit about jewelry, but my father seemed appeased by my joy at the imaginary gift. Plus, Damian had to now give me a necklace because I was sure it would come up again in the shallow conversations I had with my dad. Jewelry was a safe topic to have with women. Maybe I could sell it to start saving up my own money.

Damian suddenly put his fingers under my chin, turning my face before pressing his lips to mine. I stilled, every instinct screaming to push him away. But I couldn’t do it here. The kiss was quick, and he pulled away a second later.

“I’ll give you much more than a necklace now that you’re home,” he murmured, his eyes staying locked on mine. “Spoiling you is one of my favorite pastimes.”

He didn’t make it sound dirty, but it was, even if no one else at the table caught it. I shifted in my seat, breaking his stare to take a sip of my water. Damian pulled out his phone, texting while the server brought the food my dad and Christian had ordered.

When the conversation turned back to the yacht party, I tuned them all out. They wouldn’t ask my opinion, anyway. Char looked at me in apology before standing up.

“I have plans with a friend,” she said as she picked up her purse. “But I’ll see you for dinner on Sunday, Talie?”

Before I left, we always had dinner once a week together, no matter what. Before I could answer, Damian cut in.

“Of course, she’ll be there,” he said with a warm smile. “I’m sure you’re happy she’s home too.”

I gritted my teeth, annoyed he was speaking for me. The amusement in his eyes when he glanced at me proved exactly why he did it. Char gave our father a hug before walking away. I needed to get my phone back from Damian so I could call her later. She still felt guilty I came back for her birthday and Damian found me.

The men started talking about business, and my eyes glazed over in boredom as I sipped my drink. After a few minutes, I scooted my chair closer to Damian’s, letting my palm fall on his lap. He went utterly still as his father kept talking. I swallowed my grin, enjoying his moment of shock. The tablecloth hid what I was doing, and I purposefully pressed down harder until his hand caught my wrist, forcing my arm away from him.

“As nice as this was, we need to go,” he said, getting to his feet, pulling me with him. “Talie needs to unpack.”

“We’ll see you two next week,” Christian said, dismissing me with nothing more than a nod. “Your mother will be expecting you both for dinner Wednesday night.”

“We’ll be there,” Damian promised.

Dread clung to me as I said goodbye to my father. I hadn’t even been here a day, and my plans were already getting dictated for me.

Damian’s hand landed on my back again as he led me out of the restaurant toward the elevators. He pressed the button while I blew out a long breath.

“Happy?” I ground out, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. “You got me back here like you wanted.”

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