Chapter 28
“Hey! Were you listening to me? Trina? Huh? Bad signal? That shouldn’t be…” Oaklyn on the phone even wondered if her phone was broken.
No one could have guessed that right now Gerhart was standing by the living room balcony, hands in the pockets of his black coat, looking at her with deep, dark eyes.
In the light snow, she couldn’t see his expression, and hoped he couldn’t see hers either.
Latrina slowly put down the phone that had been pressed to her ear.
God, she wanted to die….
Which damn designer designed this suite?! The balcony in the bedroom and the living room were actually
connected!
She froze where she was.
When did he stand there?
What did he all hear?
Latrina bit her lip, turned around mechanically, and walked into the room pretending nothing had happened.
Ah!!!!
There was a moment when she just wanted to die right there.
Didn’t know when the call ended, Latrina hurried to text Oaklyn.
The conversation was overheard by him, what should I do?”
Just kiss him, no need to explain.”
Would this work? Just a kiss is enough? Nothing else would happen?
atrina swallowed hard, and those images that shouldn’t have been in her mind showed up again.
A long time.
Knock knock-” The door sounded.
Catrina patted her cheeks, got herself together, and opened the door.
Gerhart’s dark figure stood in front of her.
‘Hungry? Wanna grab something to eat?”
He wore a black wool coat, with a white sweater inside, and looked tall and classy.
It was only then that Latrina realized they were dressed the same way, with black wool coats on the outside and
white wool sweater dresses underneath.
“Mm.” Her voice even got quieter.
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Gerhart got her response, then turned and walked out the door.
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Latrina walked up slowly and took his big hand. She didn’t expect Gerhart to shove both her hand and his into his coat pocket, holding them tightly together inside.
Hot! So hot!
She didn’t expect the cold weather to feel this warm without floor heating.“Sheesh,” she hissed.
Gerhart rented a car, the guy from the rental place dropped off the keys and left. Gerhart didn’t take his hand off until he got Latrina into the passenger seat.
A rare snowy day in Lyon, the car was warm and cozy, the warmth kept her cheeks flushed, hanging on her face like a newborn baby.
In the car, neither of them said anything until…
The TV anchor said, “Lyon just welcomed its first snow of the year. It reminds me of an old saying:‘If we ever walk through the snow together, it’s as good as growing old side by side…“”
“That’s not right,” Gerhart said.
‘Huh?”
Latrina jumped a little and turned to him.
The car happened to stop at a red light.
He glanced back at her and said, “Snow can’t stand in for gray hair. Meeting you is already the luckiest thing in my life.”
That blockhead… he could actually say something sweet.
Latrina found herself staring at him, a little dazed.
Gerhart parked the car at a street parking lot downtown.
“Where did we go to eat?” Latrina.
“You’d know in a bit.”
Latrina wanted to unbuckle her seatbelt, but she just couldn’t get it open. She wanted to call Gerhart, but he had already gotten out of the car.
The passenger door was opened, and a rush of cold air came in.
Latrina looked at him innocently:“It’s stuck.”
Gerhart paused, rested one hand on the car door, bent down, and fiddled with the seatbelt.
Latrina didn’t dare move. The moment he leaned over, that special sandalwood scent on him wrapped around her with his breath.
“Kiss or not?” Those three words popped into Latrina’s mind.
Oh God…
“Click!” The sound of the safety buckle being unfastened.
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“Alright…” Gerhart was about to get up, but then he found his arm was grabbed by Latrina.
He tilted his head, and the two of them looked into each other’s
eyes.
Their breaths tangled, heat colliding between them, enough to make the air sizzle.
The air grew thick, the tension rising, until it turned almost unbearable.
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Latrina reached out and covered his eyes, then, without any hesitation, leaned in and gave his cold lips a quick
peck.
Gerhart just stood there, feeling nothing but darkness in front of his eyes, and a bit of heat coming from those old lips.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, heavy breaths hit her neck, and his hand gripping the car door tightened.
Before he could savor it, Latrina slowly put her hand down and pushed him away.
Gerhart sensibly took a step back, but he still kept his eyes on her.
atrina got out of the car.
The two of them stayed silent, like nothing had just happened.
Gerhart looked at her hand hidden in her pocket. His own big hands hung awkwardly at his sides, so he put his rm around her shoulders and walked toward the nearby alley.
atrina glanced sideways at the big hand on her pretty shoulder, and her little heart started pounding like crazy
gain.
The two walked side by side on the street, and people kept passing by.
Is this a movie? I haven’t seen such a perfect celebrity couple in a long time.”
There weren’t any cameras nearby. With looks like that, how are they not already famous?”
Gerhart took her to a restaurant, “Pour deux, s’il vous plaît“-French for “a table for two, please.”
Alright!”
Can you speak French?” Latrina was kind of surprised.
No, I just learned a few phrases last minute,” Gerhart found a spot and sat down. “You’re good ar it, right? We wouldn’t get tricked.”
How did you know about this place?” She tried hard to find something to talk about.
‘My mom said she used to come here a lot with your mom.”
He wiped the knife and fork for her with a napkin, then pushed them in front of her.
“Oh.”
This restaurant had been around for many years. Latrina often came here with Sierra. Sevyn was brought here for a meal or two every time she came, so it made sense that he knew about it.
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Gerhart ordered some dishes, all the ones Latrina liked, even the sauces were the flavors she wanted.
She once suspected he had gotten tips from Kelvin, but she had no proof.
“How much did the boss pay you?” That’s what Latrina texted Kelvin.
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“Madam, you were texting other guys during your date. Was it because Mr. Crowley didn’t take good care of you?”
“Running dog!”
“I knew I was wrong!”
During the meal, he was super gentlemanly, treating Latrina like someone he’d known and cared for forever. He was a bit clumsy, but you could tell he was giving it his all.
She barely ate. Maybe it was the jet lag, maybe something else, but her whole body felt weak and exhausted.
Gerhart gave her a lot of food, but she couldn’t finish it. In the end, Gerhart didn’t mind and ate it all himself.
After dinner, they walked around the mall for a long time. The weather was bad, with rain mixed with snow.
Plus, since the car was towed away after Gerhart made a call, they had to order a Grab through the app.
They waited for the car at the mall entrance, standing side by side.
“You don’t look so good.” Gerhart noticed something was off about her, and his hand on her shoulder tightened.
“Mm, my stomach felt a bit uncomfortable.” She tilted her head and carefully nuzzled against his chest.
He lowered his head and looked at her, like a little lamb. He chuckled, opened his coat, and wrapped her up in
- it.
Latrina looked up at him, then quickly looked away.
What did this feel like?
She was about to drown in this feeling!
His body temperature was always high, and with the coat on, he seemed even hotter.
But just a few days ago, she was still drowning in Eduardo’s lies and couldn’t get out.
Eduardo took her to fancy restaurants and high–end clubs, dressed her in expensive clothes, and tried to drag
her into his lavish world.
But the more he did, the more she realized just how far apart they really were.
But Gerhart was different. He came to the crowed place with her, squeezed into the tiny restaurant, and even ate plain homemade food at home. With him, it didn’t feel flashy or distant–it felt real, warm, and just right.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
