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I chew slowly. His boldness is infuriating but also kind of… refreshing. I’ve never met someone who exudes confidence like him.

“Well, don’t make a habit of it on my account.”

Elijah leans forward, his eyes locked on mine. “I’d do about anything for you, Gemma Barron.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks at his words, and I take a hasty sip of wine to cover my flustered reaction.

Get it together. This is a fancy dinner between… friends? Acquaintances? I’m not even sure what we are.

I clear my throat. “How did you manage to find out that I’m here?”

“Simple, really.” He shrugs. “Your brother.”

“Bash?” It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, right? They are friends if Mary is correct.

Elijah nods. “And I’m disappointed that no one thought to set you up with me.”

“That comes as a shock to you?”

“Indeed.”

“It’s because you’re engaged.”

“Ah, yes,” Elijah says. “That annoying little detail.”

“Little detail?” I raise my hand and point to my own bare ring finger. “This means something.”

“Does it now?” Elijah leans closer, his eyes burning into mine. “I could always take care of that for you, love.”

My cheeks flush, heat spreading through my entire face, and I jolt my hand down. Damn this man and his effortless charm.

I twirl my fork in the pasta, stealing a glance at Elijah as he chews. He’s so confident, so sure of himself. It’s almost intimidating. Almost. Because there’s also that other side of him. The one that is able to unravel me. Kiss me and take me like I’m the only woman in the world for him.

He catches my gaze and raises an eyebrow. “What is it, my gem?”

“Nothing, just...” I can’t tell him that.

“Tell me something about yourself. Something no one else knows,” Elijah says after a moment.

I hesitate, my fork hovering over my plate. “Oh, I don’t know...”

“Come on.”

“Hm… when I was a little girl, I used to dream of becoming a famous fashion designer. I would spend hours drawing sketches and creating elaborate dresses out of whatever materials I could find.” I laugh softly. “Even if it were clothes from my brother. To this day, he still doesn’t know why his clothes had a tendency to vanish. Or maybe he does…”

Elijah chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I can only imagine the looks he must have given you.”

“It drove him crazy, but I was relentless. Fashion was my whole world back then.”

“You remind me of someone else.” He swirls his wine glass. His eyes… distant? Who is he thinking about?

“What happened?” Elijah asks. “What stopped you from pursuing that dream?”

My smile fades. “Life got in the way, I guess. Other priorities.” Like my disaster of a marriage to Oliver.

“Your ex-husband?”

“He convinced me it was a silly fantasy, that I’d never make it.”

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