Page 69 of After Midnight
I nodded. “But let me ask you something,” I added.
“Okay.”
“What does this look like for you?” I asked. “Because I’m trying to figure it out too, but I need to know where you stand. When it comes to your future… what does it look like?”
She let out a deep breath. "Stability but still maintaining my freedom and independence. I don’t want to feel boxed into a role, but I do want commitment. I do want a family. To have a child. Maybe two," she said looking off.
I paused to consider my words carefully before speaking again. "Would you stop for love?" I asked after a while.
Her eyes snapped towards me. She stared at me, her expression unreadable at first. Then her lips pressed together slightly as she looked away, letting out a quiet breath through her nose.
She shook her head. “You're asking me if I’d give up my livelihood for a man?”
“I’m asking you,” I corrected gently, “if you’d ever stop for the stability, family and commitment you said you wanted." I inched closer to her because I felt her arm hand stiffen in mine. "It's just a question, Gianna. I'm not asking you to do anything. I just wanna know if we're heading in the right direction—together."
She licked her lips. When she spoke again her voice was softer. "Forreallove…I would. This isn't a career for me. It's a means to an end. Financial freedom so I don't ever have to worry about going without or being stuck in some stressful job like my parents were."
"I would take care of you…if you were mine," I replied.
Her eyes locked on mine.
"Like you said, I don’t do things halfway," I continued. "Especially not when it comes to my heart. I don't play about mines so I wouldn't play about yours either. I'm not the richest man in the world, but I'm doing well for myself. Better than most to be honest. If we did this and you became my woman, I would make sure you were provided for. Protected. Financial and otherwise."
Gianna tilted her head slightly, a small smile forming across her lips. "You're not worried about me taking advantage of you?"
I smirked and shook my head with a light chuckle. "I may be a good man, but I'm not a naïve one. My assets are protected. Besides…" I leaned in closer, voice dipping. "If you wanted to take advantage of me, you would be leading withyour assets, right?"
She bit back a smile. "How do you know I'm not doing that now? Just more subtly."
I placed my finger under her chin, our eyes still on one another. "Because…you don’t wanna hurt me, Gianna."
Her breath hitched at my words. She paused. Then— "I don't," she whispered, her breath fanning across my lips.
My eyes dropped to her lips. I didn’t even think about it—just closed the space and kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm. She froze for a second before melting into me. Her hand slid up my chest and curled lightly into my shirt as she kissed me back.
A quiet sound left her throat. I deepened it slightly, my hand moving from her chin to the side of her face. We finally pulled back, reluctantly. Her lips brushed mine once more before she leaned back slightly, her eyes still closed for a second before opening.
Her breathing had changed. So had mine. She looked at me like she was trying to process what just happened.
“Well…” she murmured, voice softer now.
I smiled slightly, my thumb brushing lightly along her jaw. “Yeah.”
She let out a small breath, shaking her head just a little, but she was smiling. “That didn’t help anything,” she said.
I chuckled low. “Probably made it worse.”
“Definitely made it worse,” she laughed but she didn’t move away.
"I wanna do this, Gianna. And I'm not rushing anything, but I want you to know where I am in this."
She smiled gently. "I wanna do this too, Remy."
I picked up her hand kissed the top gently. "Just let me know what you need, alright? We can ease into it."
Her smile deepened. "Thank you…for being so open. You're a rare breed."
I smiled back modestly. "I know something special when it's in front ot me." Leaning over I dropped another kiss on her lips. "C'mon, let's eat, beautiful."
