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Emotions shimmer across her face, as she blinks to keep the tears at bay. She's quiet for a moment, before she says the closest words to my soul. "I love you."
I press a kiss to her forehead, reciprocating the sentiment on a soft murmur, while what I'd wager to be camera flashes shine past my eyelids. Juliana mumbles a curse, confirming my suspicions.
"Still not one for attention, are you, Jules?" I tease, offering her my arm once again, which she takes on instinct.
"I'm working on it."
We chuckle in unison, floating about the gallery's perimeter, until we complete our loop. "Nooow, do you want to go into the West Gallery?" Surely, she won't insist on another walk through, not when the west entrance opened over an hour ago, right…?
But against all odds, she does.
"Is that all this really is—you like going in circles?"
"Nooooo, that's not it."
My gaze narrows at her suspicious tone, contrary to her impenetrable poker face. "What's the reason, then?" Silence is her chosen response. "Juliana… Julesy-baby." She glares, but not a peep from those lips, so I soldier on. "Jujubee… Julipops… Julesy-Wulesy… Ju—"
She groans.
Thank God. I was running out of those.
"Stop it, stop it! Those nicknames are absolutely ridiculous. Have you just had those on the backburner this whole time? Fine. You want to know why I'm going in circles? It's because…"
I lean my ear close, anticipating some gossip relayed from Mei about the West Gallery, which I've yet to see.
"I'm deciding which painting to bid on."
My jaw falls slack.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Hayden."
I blink, dumbfounded. "But I let you choose the ones you wanted to keep in the penthouse after I did so. Plus, I'll paint anything you like."
She nudges me. "Where's the fun in that, huh?"
"I see how it is. One settlement later, and you're Miss Money Bags. Not that you needed it with that DreamScape feature coming up, and sticking right on target to be one of their Top Selling Games of the Year nominees. Gosh, with all those royalties, your head must be blown up like a balloon."
"That's not true!" She swats my arm in offense, while her eyes tell a whole different story. That perhaps I'm onto something.
"You sureee?" I purr in her ear, eliciting a shudder. "You know what I think? I think when I take you to another race, you'll be throwing down more cash than me."
"W-what?!" She gapes, lips sputtering. "Hayden Kingston,"—her sass sparks excitement through me—"I may have come across some money recently, but that doesn't make me a gambling addi—"
Noting my feline grin, she cuts herself short, returning me a flatlined look. A battle of wits that's sure to be settled later tonight. Preferably, between silky sheets. Or… elsewhere, if I'm so lucky.
"And what about your head?" she counters.
"What about it?"
"Between the two of ours, it's the one that must be inflated to the moon, given how every single painting of yours received bids."
She's right. Walking into this gallery tonight was like stepping into dreamland. Frankly, I didn't anticipate any bids, let alone a full sweep. It's something that hasn't really sunk in yet. Maybe it will in a month or two.
Or fifty.
I'll tell her all about it later, but for now… now I hit her with my signature gaze, the one formerly used to bring women of all walks of life to their knees, but is now reserved only for Juliana's pleasure.
She sucks in a breath, caught in my stare as we meander between the partition walls.
