Page 33 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
“That sounds great. I’d love to see LA at night.” I sense her perking up next to me. “Ardalion,” she says my name excitedly. “Can I change our deal?”
My eyes are back on her, exploring her beautiful face. “How so?”
“Instead of teaching me to box, can you allow me to leave the house more often? I really want to explore the city and honestly, tonight at this party—I don’t know anyone, but it was so nice to be around people.”
She’s lonely at home.
I sigh, understanding what she’s struggling with. I’m at work most days. Even when I’m home, I’m in the office, and she doesn’t have people to talk to. I pulled her from a very social life in Vegas, and now she’s pacing inside the walls of my mansion, and it’s going to wear her down eventually. I don’t want to break her spirit. That wasn’t part of my plan. Or maybe it was to get back at her brother, but that was before I knew her.
She’s looking up at me with wide eyes, full of hope.
“You can have both, Belle,” I say, mesmerized by her.
“Both?”
“Yes. You can train with me, and you can explore the city.”
She jumps up and wraps her arms around my neck, hugging me. I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her until she pulls away. “Thank you,” she says happily. “Shall we?” she gestures down the hall towards the party.
I nod, looping her arm around mine as I lead her back to the event.
I ask her to dance with me, which is a lot of fun, but only adds to the desire I’m already struggling with. After two songs, I can’t handle it anymore. I can’t bear to have her body that close to mine as she moves against me, sensual and beautiful.
We go to the bar, drink, laugh, and talk.
When we’re bored with the party, I take her out for a very late dinner.
It’s almost midnight when we settle into our seats at the Sky Tower Mosaic Restaurant in the middle of the city. It’s on the top floor of one of the highest buildings in Los Angeles. From here, you can see the city lights stretching in every direction, glittering far below us in hundreds of different colors. It’s beautiful to watch the city from afar. You can hear the noise and chaos, but you can see the beauty.
I love the chaos as much as I love the peace. But this view is special.
Belle rests her elbow on the table and leans her chin on her hand as she stares dreamily out of the window.
“It’s it wonderful how the city can have so many faces. All you need to do is change the time of day and your perspective.”
“Very poetic,” I tease her.
She shoots me an amused glare and playfully punches my shoulder.
I grab her wrist, and for a second, I contemplate pulling her across the table towards me and kissing her.
My fingers release, letting her escape my thoughts.
I still can’t stop thinking about that kiss, about her taste on my lips.
“What do you feel like eating?” I ask, picking up the menu to distract myself. “Steak, pizza, burgers, nachos—"
“Nachos!” she says excitedly. “With extra guacamole and extra cheese.”
I chuckle. “A girl after my own heart. Do you want it spicy or not?”
She tugs the corner of her mouth to the side and knits her brows. “Seriously? Are they even nachos if they aren’t spicy?”
I laugh harder, shaking my head. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s ridiculous to even consider nachos without spice.”
“So silly of you,” she teases.
The waiter arrives and I tell him our order. He jots it down.
