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A flirtatious remark pops into my head, but it’s too much. Too close to home.
I don’t deserve to flirt with this beautiful woman—don’t deserve to make her smile.
But then I remember what Jonah said when he pulled me aside the other night. How every time I push her away to punish myself, I’m still pushing her away. Rejecting her.
So I say it anyway.
“Think you can trust me?”
The words don’t come nearly as casually as I wanted them to. Serena’s gaze sharpens as it lands on mine, taking my measure.
“I think I can,” she finally whispers. “But if you order anything that still has eyes, I’ll definitely send it back.”
Abiding by her rule, I order us a sampling of everything I can think of. By the time I finish, she’s turned her attention to the large cherry blossom mural painted on the wall. Awe fills her features as she slides shy eyes to mine.
“Are there really that many flowers there? When they bloom?”
Sweet one. She’s really never been allowed to go anywhere or see anything. No wonder she loves those nature documentaries so much—she probably had no idea a lot of the things she’s learned about even existed.
My mind races, easily coming up with ten places I could take her that would blow her mind. The gardens at Versailles. South American rainforests. Hawaii’s world-famous waterfalls.
A whole lot of locales I’ve promised myself I’d see for years.
Now, I’m glad I didn’t have time before. Because maybe she’ll let me take her. And maybe she’ll like that we’re both experiencing everything together.
I slip my hand over hers and give it a tender squeeze. “Yes,” I reply. “We can go see them, if you’d like. Or you can come with me to Washington in the spring. There are cherry blossoms up there, too.”
She snorts a quiet laugh. “Let me guess—on your private jet?”
I’ve actually never seen the need for one. But if Serena is interested in traveling… “Do you want a private jet?”
She freezes, blinking. Another guffaw tumbles out of her. “Um… no?”
That isn’t true, though. Because I can feel the curiosity and amazement she’s working to conceal.
Instead of ruling it out, I shrug. “We can go look at them after your heat. My omega gets whatever she wants.”
Throwing up her hands, she sputters, “You can’t just—why would you—if you keep buying me every single thing I want, I’m going to be a spoiled brat!”
I grin. “Mm. Tragic. Terrible plan.”
My sarcasm earns me a true, beautiful laugh. The sound is melodic and every bit as stirring as her strongest perfume. I’d happily trade the scent of paradise forever if I got to listen to her laugh every day.
When she finishes, she crosses her arms under her breasts and pouts at me over the table. “But I said I didn’t want a plane, Senator.”
“And I know better,” I tell her.
Something about the way I roll my shoulders must not be as casual as I think it is, because her eyes fly wide. A swoop of horror free-falls through her abdomen, sending me scrambling for my phone again.
Fuck. I really need to stop doing that.
It’s too late—goddamn it—because she’s every bit as brilliant as I thought. Her big green eyes clock the twitch of my hand and grow even bigger.
“Tristan. Oh my God. Have you been able to hear me this whole time?”
chapter
fifty-five
