"Uh-huh! What do you prefer?"
"Fiancé?"
She laughed out loud. "Slow down, Shrek. You don't mean that. We've not even been on one date."
He leaned in closer. "I'm pretty sure we kissed on our first date. You wore a dress I'd gifted you, and it's currently hanging in my bathroom. We'd danced, remember?"
A smile stayed on her rosy lips, and he kissed them again.
"And you've known me since you were five years old," he continued, "I've loved you for eighteen years. I think we're way past our deadline for starting a family, even."
"Very funny." She slapped his chest playfully. "As tempting as the offer sounds, I'm skeptical. For all I know, you might be horrible in bed."
He was surprised at her words, at this new side of hers.
"Well," he said, suppressing the urge to prove to her how good in bed he could be, "you live in Nicoladafus, Hot Stuff. Testing physical compatibility before marriage is frowned upon."
"Hmm." She considered mockingly, then said, "Are you gonna rat me out?"
"Unlikely." He kissed her lips. "Well, if you insist, I might have to show you what you're missing." He tilted her chin up with his fingers and kissed her under the chin.
Her throat vibrated as she laughed. "I'm kidding!"
Intoxicated, he trailed kisses down the length of her neck but stopped when her stomach growled.
Moving back, he looked down at her, amused. "Pancakes?"
"Are you making them?" She raised her eyebrows, smiling cheekily.
He sighed. "Why do you even ask?"
It was bliss like he'd never known, he thought, as she laughed at something he'd said. Perched on top of the kitchen counter, she picked the chocolate-smeared strawberry from the pancakes he'd made her and playfully scrunched her nose at him.
He stood between her legs. Tasting the chocolate and the smile on her lips, he pulled her closer possessively.
His. She was finally his.
Chapter 36
Giselle stepped out of her bathroom, showered and dressed in her pajamas.
She twirled a strand of damp hair between her fingers, a smile plastered on her face, as she made her way toward her bed where Chris sat with his laptop, the day-old cut on his forehead properly bandaged. It was almost midnight, and he was still working through his emails.
He closed the laptop and put it aside as soon as the bed dipped with her weight. She crawled to him and lay her head on his lap. He looked down at her and smiled.
Every time they were together, he made her feel like nothing in this world was as important as the moment they were having. Come to think of it, he'd always made her feel special even when they were just friends, but being his partner meant being his queen.
He ran his fingers through her wet hair. She snuggled closer to him till her face was buried in his abs. They remained in comfortable silence for a few moments, then she rolled over and looked up at him. His eyes stayed on her.
This was reassurance. She knew he'd rather be with her than anywhere else, that she was the most important person in his life, and that despite having spent our whole lives together, he still wanted to be present with her. It was the most beautiful feeling she'd ever experienced.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, like why hadn't he confessed before, how long had he been in love with her, or why did he date Abby if he loved Giselle? So many questions that she knew the answers to, yet she still wanted to hear them from him.
She'd been stupid before. Dating Xavier had ruined everything in her life. Although it had been beautiful, too, it was nothing compared to the way Chris made her feel.
There were times during her relationship with Xavier when she'd think of leaving him. Sometimes, he'd disrespect her, refuse to let her in, or treat her like she didn't have the brain to understand certain things. And although it was hard to describe how it made her feel, she knew that she hated it.
She never left because a part of her was scared of the agony that breakups brought, and the other part was afraid of hurting him and pushing him off the edge.