The book was heavy in Angela's hands. And it wasn't because it was a hardcover. She knew it was something else that made her heart beat faster as she clutched the book.

Since Gael came back, they hadn't talked about the book, and she was glad that he didn't bring it up again. See, it wasn't just Gael's persona she wrote in the book. She wrote about herself too, but no one else knew that except her—well, and Nina and partly her brother. But they never talked about it. It was a silent agreement that they wouldn't bring that up. And she sure wouldn't be talking about it with Gael.

Brushing the embossed letters of the cover, she mulled over the fact that he must have read this a few times. It was either that, or he threw the book on the wall because he was too pissed to read it, which caused the slightly worn edges.

"I'll write whatever you want me to write as dedication." She smiled.

He walked over to the bed and sat next to her, resting his elbows on his knees. Angela flipped the pages of the book until she reached the first chapter. She read the first lines.

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[ Chapter One: Kayla ]

"My mother once told me not to go into the dark waters because it wasn't safe—that I could drown. But it was so tempting; I didn't listen. Instead, I dove in head first and let his darkness consume me."

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"I like that opening," he muttered.

Silence floated in the air before she looked up at him, her face unreadable, "I did a horrible thing to you, didn't I?"

Gael drew his brows together, unsure of what she was referring to. He glanced at the book before gazing at her again. "What do you mean?"

Angela closed the book and let out a sigh. She had thought about this a lot in the past, but since they had never talked about the book again, she had forgotten how this bothered her so much. "This book... I… I have done you wrong, Gael."

"You did. But it wasn't all your fault. I did this too. I also made a mistake."

Her upper teeth tugged on her bottom lip. She looked troubled. "Did I get you into trouble? We hadn't talked about this since you showed up, but now I'm worried that I had done something to put you in harm. Does Giovanni know? Does your family?"

This time, it was Gael who kept quiet, his eyes roaming over her face as if he wanted to memorize every curve and color. He shook his head. "I didn't. And I don't think I will ever tell them."

"But you found this book. They could find this too. They would recognize—"

"What? Just because I resemble Nicco and have the same tattoo placements?"

She blinked, her back straightening up, not expecting the way he was responding to her. "But that story about the business transaction and how you got that scar—"

"A business transaction that's a pretty common operation in our world. You'd see them in movies and in other books—I'm pretty sure. And you wrote it differently."

"But that night… I wrote about a lot of things that happened in that hotel room."

A small hint of a smile ghosted his lips at the mention of the hotel room in SDC Resort. She didn't have to tell him what part of the book she was talking about—he wouldn't forget that she wrote the hero being a sex god. "Which no one else knows about except us—well, your fans do because they read this, but they don't know the real thing. For all they know, it's just fiction. And I sure won't tell them."

Angela let out a long sigh, and when he thought that she was going to let it go now, she narrowed her eyes at him. "But Becca knew! She recognized you."

Gael rubbed the scruff on his jaw and looked down as he recalled what he and his ex had talked about. "Sort of. But she also said it could be anyone, too. I think it only reminded her of me because of my eyes and a certain scar you included in the story...and also that...thing you wrote about a certain mole on—"

"Oh my god!" She covered her ears and shut her eyes. "I don't want to think about why or how she knows that!"

He wet his bottom lip with his tongue and ran his fingers through his hair. It wasn't his intention to make her think about him and his ex, but what could he have said? Wanting her to forget about another woman from his past, he faced her and held her wrist, lowering it down.

"Hey..." he called, and when she didn't look at him, he hooked a finger under her chin until she met his eyes. "You're a great writer. These are proof of that. Not everyone can write. Anyone could have had the same experience, but they wouldn't be able to write it beautifully like you did."

"Weren't you mad? You were certainly mad when we met on the island again. You were going to sue me..."

Gael didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't have to tell her everything. However, he wanted to set things straight with her regarding this book. "I admit. I was. But I was mostly mad about myself for telling a stranger some things about me that night. I had never done that before. I guess I took someone's advice too literally—pair that with getting drunk, and I was..." He sighed.

Angela nodded. "You regret it…"

"What? That night?" When she nodded, he cupped her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her skin. "One thing that upset me was the character that was based on me… Then I've read this book from cover to cover more than once. And I couldn't be mad at it anymore… Back on the island three months ago, I've already gotten over that.

"Now, you're asking me if I regret that night? Fûck no. Never." Gael tilted her head towards him and pressed his lips on hers. His kiss started slow and gentle as if savoring her taste.

He grabbed the book from her hand and tossed it somewhere on the bed before he carefully pushed her down until her back hit the mattress. Her hand went around his neck, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue gaining entry into her mouth and meeting hers. She moaned—the beautiful sound sent a current straight to his cock.

Her other hand gripped his bicep, and he flexed as his touch slid down, grazing the side of her breast. When he found the hem of her shirt, he slipped his hand under it and brushed her skin. Her skin was like porcelain—smooth and soft—he could touch her all night. She arched towards him, begging for more.

Reaching up, Gael stroked the lacey bra and tugged it down until his fingers found her nipple. Another moan escaped her lips as he began tweaking and rolling the nub. He trailed kisses down her neck, her fingers threading his hair and pushing his head against her.

*DING DONG*

The doorbell rang, and he ignored it. But when it rang again and this time incessantly, he lifted his head, cursing, "Damn it. The whole world has been cockblocking me since forever."

Angela couldn't help but chuckle. He planted one more kiss on her lips before getting to his feet. "I'll be right back."

She took a deep breath once Gael left the room, feeling her cheeks flush and her heartbeat fast. Her ears perked when she heard voices from downstairs, and she decided to take a peek. She saw Gael talking to Giovanni in a suit at the foyer, and she was curious. Standing at the top of the stairs, she leaned a hand on the wall and observed them, but she could barely hear anything.

"I don't want to bring her there," said Gael.

"Why not? Isn't that why you brought her here? To see if she could handle you? What better way than to bring her to the Manor?"

"We're leaving in two hours."

"Plenty of time, brother." Giovanni shrugged. "J will be there. We need to keep up appearances—at least before you leave." Then he looked up and saw Angela.

She froze on the spot.

"Hey, Angela. You're coming to the Manor," said Giovanni. She walked down the stairs, feeling Gael's gaze on her as she came closer. "But you're not wearing that. I have a strict dress code in my club."

Still not knowing what this was about, she looked between the two men, but Gael wasn't saying anything. And then she responded, "But I don't have anything else to wear. I didn't bring any clothes with me…"

"I knew you'd say that." Val entered the front door and stood next to Giovanni, wearing a green cocktail dress. She waved a garment bag and a pair of heels, then shoved them into Angela's hands. "So I brought you this. Go and change. Be back in fifteen minutes."

Angela looked at Gael for an explanation, and when he nodded, all she could do was turn around and head back upstairs. A club on a Tuesday night? This was such a long day.