Page 67 of Broken Bonds

It’s so frustrating when he replies without actually answering anything.

“Is that your excuse? That you don’t know what you were thinking when you made me fall in love with lies?”

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, as I did a little while ago.

“It isn’t an excuse, maybe one day we will find those answers together. For now, it’s the best I can offer you.”

I look at him and snort. No, it’s not enough.

“I need more than that, Lionel, and you know it.” Hot pure rage begins to run through my veins. “And don’t use what happened as an excuse, we both know you didn’t lose your memory.”

He looks at me, God, he has the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen. Every time he looks at me like that, the effect is the same, a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

“No, I didn’t lose my memory or plan to use it to justify what happened. But we also agreed to start again,” he tells me. “We can’t move forward if every time we take one step forward, we end up taking two steps back too. And you agreed to grant me a do-over.”

I look at him, lightning coming out of my eyes.

“Don’t use my words against me,” I reply and he smiles. Damn, the man knows how to use his weapons.

“You leave me no other option, baby.” He comes closer to me, his closeness overwhelms me, clouding my mind, and when he kisses me softly on the lips, I’m unable to function correctly. “Listen, let’s enjoy the day, but humor me please, and let me buy you a couple of things here and there, not because I don’t value what you work for but because I want to do it. Maybe one day we’ll feel comfortable enough to share everything.”

I look at him and consider what he told me for a couple of minutes. He’s right, we can’t continue like this. It’s complicated, but it is also up to the two of us to do our part and he’s fulfilling his end of the bargain.

“Nothing too extra, Lionel,” I concede and point my finger at him.

“What?” He smiles, knowing he has won this time. “Does that mean I can’t buy you diamond-covered shoes or a Lamborghini?”

I make a small gesture with my mouth. “I think your definition of extra needs revising.”

???

An hour later, it turns out it was easier than I thought, Lionel let me be. No wacky gifts or a dramatic Pretty Woman moment, no matter how insistent he was or the looks I got from the sales associates. But even a woman as frugal as me, has her weakness. At one luxury store, Lionel found a nice leather cross body bag, so soft it feels like butter, and a white summer dress in another. After that, I refused to cross the threshold at one of those dreamy places.

We walked around looking through storefront windows with our hands entwined, kissing and murmuring in each other’s ears like teenagers in love. Every time Lionel’s tongue touches mine, I’m tempted to rip his clothes off right here in the middle of the street or ask him to take me to some hidden corner for a quickie.

We have lunch on a restaurant terrace that looks like a cottage with a big garden, there are flowers everywhere, the atmosphere is happy and relaxed. The place is elegant, I don’t think there’s a single one around here which isn’t, but it’s not pretentious and the food is delicious. The table is covered with an immaculate white cotton tablecloth, and there is a porcelain vase that looks like a vintage jar with flowers. It was a good idea to come here, I really like it and hope to have the opportunity to return sometime, and also bring my mother. She would love to eat on the patio surrounded by bougainvillea flowers.

Lionel has ordered lobster ravioli and I, shrimp risotto. In the end, we ended up sharing, I think that starting with the food is a good idea.

Baby steps.

Also, he ordered a bottle of white wine, and we are on our second glass. On second thought, we needed this, to get out of the house and get some air. Relax, forget that we live with danger lurking about and be a couple like any other.

“More wine?” he asks as he lifts the bottle.

“Do you want to get me drunk to get under my skirt?”

“With or without wine, I always want to get under your skirt,” he says, a smirk pulling up his lips while gives me a wink. Then, he wipes his mouth with the napkin and after dropping the cloth on his lap, he rests his elbows on the table, leaning in front of me, like he’s going to tell me a secret no one else should listen to. “I have to up my game, I told you. But no, I don’t want to get you drunk, there’s still a place I want to take you to.”

Lionel runs his tongue over his lower lip and I want to be the one to do it. With my teeth. Who am I becoming? Some kind of minx or fiend?

Since last night all I can think of is being naked and in his arms. Well, that’s a lie, I’ve been thinking about it since the day we got home from the hospital.

“No more shopping, Lionel,” I warn him, but the smile on my lips lets him know I’m not upset. Not at all.

“One day, you should try, Stella. You deserve it and I have the means to indulge you as often as you want.”

A snort leaves my mouth. “Me? Or you, Mr.?”

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