Page 67 of Kiss Me

“And when are you going to tell her the only reason you’re with her is to get back at her for turning you down?” Dae asks.

I jut my head back because I must’ve heard him wrong.

“She didn’t turn me down, and she’ll never find out about that so drop it,” Taehyun replies, obviously not seeing me.

“Is that why you did it?” Both men spin to face me. “Is that why you sold me out?” I thrust my phone in his face.

“You son of a bitch!”

CHAPTER 17

Taehyun

“Don’t give me that fucking look,” I tell my cousin as we stand in the private hallway, just off from the right of the main entrance where the Townsend’s Christmas Eve party takes place.

“I only have one look,” he replies casually.

“I’ve seen the way you look at your wife. You have more than one look.”

He slides one hand into his dark jeans. “Don’t expect me to look at you the way I look at my wife.”

A chuckle breaks free of my lips. “No way I want to have that type of psychotic attention on me.”

“That’s because you’ve made someone the center ofyourpsychotic gazes. I didn’t miss the way you were staring at her across the room while she held my niece.”

Ordinarily, I would deny what he’s saying and tell him to fuck off. But the reminder only brings the memory of watching Tania while she played with the baby. Yeah, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

And yes, thoughts of what a kid between the two of us would look like danced around in my head like those damn sugar plum fairies from the opera Tania made me watch the day before.

This woman even has me watching operas.

Insanity.

“Hello?”

A frown bends my lips downward as I bring my attention back to my cousin. “Did you need something?”

He nods. “I came out here to see what the troubled look on your face was about.”

I grunt, unsurprised that my cousin picked up on my dismay. I hold up my phone. “Tania’s first Christmas gift is delayed.” I scowl in disappointment.

“Gift? The only time I recall seeing you scowl like that is when the Takahashis almost undercut our bid for the deal with Shilla Hotels,” Dae needlessly reminds me.

“Bunch of fucking criminals,” I gripe about the Japanese conglomerate that allegedly has ties to the Yakuza. “I still managed to bring that deal home, so don’t bring that bullshit up needlessly only hours before Christmas.”

My cousin raises an eyebrow. “Someone’s suddenly in the Christmas spirit? What’s the gift you’re waiting on, anyway?”

“None of your business,” I immediately reply. “Tania will be the first to know once it arrives.”

Ifit arrives.

“I’m going back inside,” I tell him.

I want to lay eyes on Tania again. I want to see her smile as she watches the others open their gifts, especially the children.

She’s great with kids and the camp she opens will be a huge success. I can feel it.

“Then when are you going to tell her the truth?”

---