Page 73 of Kiss Me

“I don’t believe you.”

“Ace,” her father interjects.

Her eyes move to her father, now standing behind me. “Maybe you should give him a chance to speak.”

“But, Daddy?—”

“I know how stubborn you can be, Ace. You also get that from your mother.”

Tania scoffs. “I’m sure you had something to do with it, too.”

Her father chuckles. “You’re probably right. If it weren’t for Taehyun here …” He places a hand on my shoulder.

I don’t like the idea of someone speaking for me. Not to the woman I love. But I know how much Tania loves and has missed her father.

“It would’ve taken me a lot longer to come around and realize how badly I’ve messed up with you since your mother’s death.”

Tania opens her mouth as if she’s going to protest but he holds up a hand.

“I know, you don’t blame me. You’re understanding like that.” Mr. Casey dips his head in my direction.

“Try to use that understanding with the man who went out of his way to book my flight and accommodations just so I could spend Christmas with my Ace.”

Tania’s eyes move back to me. Anger remains but the edges of her ire have softened. I can work with that.

I take a step forward and my heart fills with hope when she doesn’t move away from me.

“I’ll let you two talk while I get settled in my room,” her father says behind me.

A second later, the door to Tania’s suite closes, leaving just the two of us.

She folds her arms over her chest. “You called my father?”

I nod. “I did.”

“When?”

“The same day you asked him to come for Christmas.”

“That was two days ago.”

“Yes.” I nod again. “I hated the look on your face when you told me his ‘maybe’ was his way of saying no.”

Her gaze travels to somewhere over my shoulder. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I want your Christmas to be special.”

She meets my eyes again, hers narrowing. “Why? I’m just the woman who turned you down, who rejected you, so you had to get your payback.”

Her arms fall to her side as she cocks her head sideways.

“Wait, you didn’t call my father to bring him in on your blackmail, did you?” Her anger flares again.

“Of course not,” I instantly reply, taking her arms into mine. Even as she tries to pull her hands out of my grasp, I hold firm. I can’t let her go. “I called your father because you needed him. You came here to have a real Christmas for the first time in years. I wanted that for you. I still want that for you.”

“What’s it to you?”

“Because I’ve fallen in fucking love with you,” I say, my voice coming out frustrated. “Yes, in the span of a week, I’ve fallen head-over-heels for you, Tania Casey. And I want to spend the rest of my Christmases waking up with you in my arms.”

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