table, a plate in each hand. âWhatâs so funny?â
âNothing. Iâm so tired Iâm getting punchy. Iâm only having one glass of champagne so I donât fall asleep in my soup.â
He set down the food. She waited for him to take a seat, but instead he moved closer and cupped her face in his hands.
âAna Raquel,â he murmured, right before he kissed her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
G REG â S MOUTH WAS soft and tender. She leaned into him, prepared to lose herself in his kiss, but he pulled back and stared into her eyes.
âI have to tell you something.â
What? He wanted to have a conversation now? Wasnât that just like a man.
âIâm in love with you.â
Ana Raquel felt her mouth drop open. She consciously closed it. âIâm sorry. What did you just say?â
He smiled and touched her cheek. âIâm in love with you. I have been for years.â
No way! It wasnât possible. Sheâd just been thinking that and now he was saying it? Was someone playing a trick on her?
âI lost my heart to you when I was seven,â he admitted. âThe first time I saw you dressed up as Cinderella. The reason I acted the way I did onstage, overacting, talking over everyoneâs lines, was that I was afraid I was going to blurt out the truth.â
His dark gaze locked with hers. âI only ran for student council president because you did and I thought it would be fun for us to hang out. I never thought Iâd win. As for what happened after prom...â
He touched his mouth to hers. âYou were my first time, too,â he whispered.
She desperately wanted to believe him, but there were too many questions. âYou always had a girlfriend.â
He shrugged. âI was trying to get your attention.â
âYou didnât come after me when I left.â
âWe were kids and needed to grow up. And, honestly, after you left so quickly, I thought you didnât like me. But I kept track of you. Ask your sisters.â
She didnât have to, she realized. Both Dellina and Fayrene had always teased her about Greg. Now she knew why.
Disbelief battled with a sense of certainty. There was only one reason sheâd gotten so worked up whenever she thought about Greg. Only one reason she hadnât been able to stop thinking about him. It was because sheâd had feelings, too.
âBack then, it was a crush. But knowing you now... I love you,â he repeated. âI donât want you here just as my business partner. I want you as my everything partner. I know itâs a lot to take in, but will you at least think about it?â
She tried to speak but couldnât, then decided the words could wait. She threw herself into his arms and hung on as if she would never let go.
âWe can do it all,â he was saying. âThe restaurant and your street food. We can even try another cookbook.â
She started to laugh, then realized she was crying. Happy tears, she thought. Because sheâd found the man who could be her life partner. Who could understand her dreams because he shared them.
She drew back enough to see his face. âI love you, too. I think I have for a long time.â
âYou were mostly pissed at me.â
She laughed. âA little. Sometimes. You can be really annoying.â
âIâll try to change that.â
âIâd rather you didnât. I like what we have together. And, yes, letâs do it all. The restaurant and the street food. Weâll use one to promote the other. Weâll be a team.â
He drew her against him and kissed her again. She got lost in the feel of him and how being near him made every part of her tingle.
On the table, the champagne went flat and the dinner cooled, but Ana Raquel didnât even notice. Gregâs kisses were more delicious than food, more intoxicating than champagne.
They were in love, she thought with a sigh.