“Be reasonable, lieverd. I am the man—-”
“But you spent so much money on your flight here,” she argued. “I want this to be my gift to you. Think of it as...” She chewed on her lip, obviously thinking of a way to salvage his pride without budging on her stance.
He was content to wait as it gave him time to simply look at her. He had known from her friends that she liked dressing casually. It was what he knew of her, too, which was why Nic had a urge to snatch her into his arms and kiss her, knowing that Ayah had worn a dress for him alone. It was a very modest dress, but because of her curves it had become sexy as hell. It revealed her slim arms, showed off the barest hint of her generous cleavage, and displayed most of her legs. He loved that it gave him something to enjoy staring at, but he hated the fact that other men would be able to see it, too.
“I got it!”
When he glanced at her questioningly, she told him smugly, “Think of it as a dowry. There! You can’t argue with that!” When he started to speak again, she frowned. “I mean it, Luuk. I want this to be my treat. Please?”
There were so many reasons to say no. For one thing, the truth was nothing like what she said. He had not spent all his money on the flight here. In fact, he hadn’t spent a single penny since he had been using one of the family’s private jets, and all of its expenses was paid by the family firm.
Also, he was a man. He was the one supposed to pay. Thirdly, he was used to paying and was raised to pay a lady’s tab at all times. But when he looked into Ayah’s eyes, seeing how proud she was to do something for him, he heard himself saying, “It will be as you say.”
And so they took the subway when they could have taken the limousine. They queued for tickets when he could have reserved the entire park for the two of them alone. And when they booked the thirty-minute cable car ride, she went for the—-
Nic started when he heard her say, “Crystal cabin please.”
The park offered two types of cable cars – the standard one had a pair of benches placed across each other while the more expensive crystal cabin had a completely transparent floor but no seats.
“Are you sure?” Nic had to ask. It was twice the cost of the standard cable car.
She nodded, a discomfited look on her face.
It puzzled him, but Nic managed to refrain from asking until they were safely ensconced inside the cable car. He looked at her and was stunned to see her turn a little green. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, slowly.
“Ayah...” He had a nasty feeling about this. Nic’s gaze narrowed. “Are you by any chance scared of heights?”
She smiled weakly. “A little?”
He groaned. “Why the hell did we ride this then?”
“It’s the best way to get to the park,” she answered simply.
Exasperation lined his tone as he growled, “I’m not going to enjoy myself while you look like that.”
“It’s just the first few minutes...”
Without a word, he lowered both of them to the transparent floor and settled her on his lap. She quickly snuggled closer to him. “Tell me a story?”
Nic rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised you asked me that?”
“Please?”
“And that you’re saying please?”
“Just one.”
He chuckled. “We both know that’s a lie.” But even so, he started to speak, and when he did, what he said surprised both of them. “When we get married, will you live with me in Europe?”
It was the first time she heard him open the subject about their wedding and married life together, and her heart was filled with so much love for him that she had to...
Nic grunted in pain when she practically strangled him with her embrace.
Laughing, Ayah released him. “Sorry.” But she sounded more giddy than apologetic, making him roll his eyes. And yet, he was grinning, too, which made Luuk even more handsome. He was dressed in another three-piece suit, and she loved how he could make something so terribly formal seem like it was normal clothing for him. She wondered if it was a European thing, but she had a feeling it wasn’t.
Luuk was just the kind of man who would look good in any kind of clothing simply because he knew he was that kind of man and wasn’t afraid to show it.
He raised a brow at her. “Are you planning to answer my question?”
Oh! She said without hesitation, “Wherever you want to live is okay with me.”
“But what about your life here?”
“I can always visit them.” She shyly kissed him on the lips. “I want to live with you.”