Chapter 43
Yuna
I Already Looked Like I Belonged
We were now in Lyon, France, and it looked different than every other city we had been in.
It was older here.
The buildings were taller, closer together, and made of stone. The streets were narrow and alive with people walking, laughing, carrying shopping bags, and wine bottles.
Ares parked along a quiet luxury street.
I stepped out when he opened the door for me and looked around.
“This city is nice.”
He shut the door.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
I followed him down the block until he stopped in front of a jewelry boutique.
The windows glowed with diamonds sparkling on velvet stands like tiny stars.
I glanced at him. “A jewelry shop? Really?”
He already had the door open. “Come on.”
Inside the shop, everything looked exclusive. Polished glass counters. Dark wood cases.
A woman behind the counter greeted us in French, smiling politely.
I walked slowly along the display cases while Ares stayed right behind me.
Close.
Too close.
“I don’t need jewelry,” I said as I picked things up that caught my eye.
He ignored what I said.
I stopped in front of a velvet display with a white diamond necklace that looked like royalty, the matching earrings, and a ring set beside it.
I leaned closer without thinking.
Ares noticed immediately.
“That one?”
I straightened up. “I said I don’t need anything. I'm just looking.”
He moved closer behind me.
“You need jewelry.”
“For what?”
“So you look like you belong next to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I already do.”
The shop owner quietly placed the necklace on a velvet tray.
Ares picked it up.
“Turn around.”
I hesitated but slowly turned my back to him.
His fingers brushed my neck as he placed the necklace in front of me. The cool metal settled against my skin while he fastened the clasp behind me.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
“Look at you.”
I glanced at the mirror across the counter.
The diamonds danced in the light.
It was beautiful.
Ares leaned closer to my ear. His voice dropped low.
“This the necklace you gon’ wear for me when you get naked in Paris.”
Heat rushed through my chest.
Before I could respond, his finger tapped the ring sitting beside the necklace.
“And this ring…”
He picked it up slowly.
“…is the one I’m going to put on your finger.”
My breath caught slightly as he kissed my neck.
Soft.
Slow.
He suck on my neck, causing me to feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I still remember your spot, ma belle,” he uttered in my ear.
For a second, the whole shop disappeared.
The owner cleared her throat politely.
“Should I clean and case that up for you?”
Ares didn’t move from behind me.
“Yes.”
The woman reached for the tray.
“And every piece she touched in here.”
I blinked.
“That’s not necessary.”
But Ares was already pulling out his card.
Ten minutes later, we walked out of the boutique.
One hundred thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry was neatly packed into velvet boxes, which he handed to Tommy.
And I didn’t say a word about it.
Luxury didn’t impress me.
I grew up around it.
The night air felt warmer now, and I smell food.
I stopped walking.
“Hold up.”
Ares glanced down the street.
“What?”
“Pizza.”
He followed my gaze to a small corner restaurant where a man was pulling fresh pies out of a brick oven.
He chuckled. “You want pizza?”
“Yeah, you clearly saw that I like regular food. Plus, why wouldn’t I get pizza in Lyon?”
He shook his head. “Foodie, like I said.”
He walked with me anyway.
We grabbed slices, sat on a small bench outside, and ate like two regular people on a night out.
Guard standing close, but no tension.
After that, we got back into the car.
As he drove, I realized that I didn’t mind the road at all.