Chapter 28

"These are for you. Happy valentine's day."Hunter said to me giving a bouquet of red roses that he'd retrieved from the back seat. "Umh, thank you. But it's past midnight, Valentines is already over."I replied smelling the roses.

"Not in some countries it isn't, like Mexico for example. There are eight hours behind so let's pretend we're in Mexico."Hunter declared.

"We don't have to pretend, I understand what you mean. Happy Valentine's bear."I replied smiling back at him.

"There's that nickname I've missed so much."Hunter grinned happily.

He looked so happy having me there with him and I was too but deep inside I was scared out of my mind. The decision I'd made had not been easy but it had been the only option my heart could live with. I realized that no matter how much I was denying myself, I actually liked Hunter and wanted to see what could come of us. It was a scary thought but I didn't have any regrets. Yet. It had only been less than half an hour after all.

"Did you eat tonight?"Hunter asked me.

"No but I had a late lunch."

"Not enough, let's get you fed then."Hunter announced changing course as he changed lanes.

"Where are we going?"I inquired because I still wasn't familiar with the city.

"To eat."Hunter answered with a shrug.

"But you already ate."I pointed out.

"Can you just let me run things for once without fighting me at every turn baby girl?"Hunter requested.

I realized that I did challenge Hunter a lot and for an alpha male like him that had to be something new. It was against my nature as a first born to bow down to anyone but for Hunter, I would try and be submissive.

"Okay."I accepted nodding at him.

"Good."He grinned taking my hand and intertwining our fingers.

He lifted the back of my hand to his lips and kissed me.

It was such a small gesture that he'd actually done before but it had me melting into my seat. Hunter was a romantic man and I found myself enjoying every bit of attention he was showering me with. So that's how it felt to be absolutely spoilt by a man? Well I would enjoy it for as long as it would last.

Hunter drove us to another expensive restaurant that was still open at such late hour. I swallowed my pride and resisted the urge to fight with him about the place he had selected.

"Stay put."Hunter demanded when he saw me move to open my door.

I looked at him confused but dropped my hand nonetheless. He got out of the car and went around it to get open my door.

"How long will you do that for?"I asked Hunter realizing he was trying to impress me.

"Till we're old and grey."He answered confidently holding his hand out for me.

I didn't have a reply to that so I just took his hand and let him help me out.

"Leave it."He said pointing at my purse.

I didn't feel comfortable leaving my purse behind but I'd promised myself and Hunter to try and be submissive so I tossed it back into the car.

"Thank you."Hunter smiled at me, locking the car and leading me inside the tall building.

He led me directly to the elevators and pressed the button for the top floor. It was a short, less than a minute ride to the top floor that opened up to a romantic rooftop setting. It was even more beautiful and extravagant than the restaurant I'd been performing at.

"Welcome to Hotel De'Lau. Table for two?"The concierge asked.

"Yes please."Hunter replied.

"Right this way."The concierge directed picking up two menus.

There weren't a lot of people and the tables were well spaced to give the best privacy and allow easy movement.

We got a table at the furthest end next to the wall overlooking the city. There was a clear glass wall that provided protection but also gave the best view. The table was set romantically with rose petals and candles and red table clothes.

"Here are your menus. What drink would you like me to start you up with?"The concierge inquired.

"What do you want to drink?"Hunter asked me.

I honestly had no idea so I just shrugged at him.

"A bottle of moet will do."Hunter requested.

"The whole bottle?"The concierge chocked out.

Was it that expensive?

"Yes. Is that a problem?"Hunter retorted.

"No sir, right away sir."The concierge replied with a polite bow as he ran away.

"We don't need the whole bottle Hunter."I reasoned with him even if I had no idea what he had asked for.

"We'll take it home with us if we don't finish it. Now look for something to eat and there are no prices on this menu so just ask for what you want."Hunter demanded.

He already knew my issues with overly priced food.

"Yes sir."I mocked him picking up the menu.

Hunter raised an eyebrow at me but didn't challenge me further. I picked up the menu and I honestly tried to understand most of what was written there but it was all in fancy words.

"I don't get most of this."I complained.

"Should I order for you then?"Hunter asked me.

"Yes please."I replied setting the menu down. "No weird food, whatever means stake or chicken, I'll have that."

"Okay baby girl."Hunter said running his eyes through the menu.

Instead of the concierge, a waiter came to our table with a bottle of whatever Hunter had asked for. He had Hunter confirm its what he had ordered first before he popped it open and poured us two glasses.

"Are you ready to order?"He asked putting the bottle in an ice bucket and leaving it on the table.

I had no idea what words came out of Hunter's mouth but he knew what I wanted so I trusted him.

"For one?"The waiter inquired.

"Yes."Hunter affirmed.

The waiter nodded and left.

"It'll feel weird eating alone."I complained to Hunter.

"We'll share but you will have most of it."He reassured me.

I nodded even though I knew it would still be weird.

I picked up my glass and took a sip of the champagne and found that I actually liked it. It tasted like apples and lemons with a hint of honey.

"You like it?"Hunter asked me and I nodded.

"Worth every penny you'll pay for it."I assured him not even wanting to know how much he would pay for it.

"Well here's to new beginnings."Hunter toasted tipping his glass towards me.

I clinked mine against his, echoing his words and taking a sip. Hunter's eyes were on me the whole time and I had to resist the urge to look away.

"You are so beautiful."He complimented without taking his eyes off me.

"Thank you."I mumbled shyly not used to all the attention.

Hunter set his glass down and held his hands out for me palms up. I lay my hands on his linking us.

"Thank you for choosing me, I promise you, you won't regret it."Hunter declared.

"I didn't choose you, I'm here for the sex remember."I teased making him laugh.

"You're here and that's all that matters."Hunter replied squeezing my hands.

I felt like I was in romantic comedy with all the romance but without the numerous musical numbers.

"You're still skeptical I know but I'll take it upon myself to reassure you that this is the right decision."Hunter promised.

"You've been a man of your word until now so I trust you."I assured him.

"Good, we'll talk more after you're done eating."Hunter said letting go of my hands just as our food arrived.

He had refused all the starter foods and just asked for the main meal instead. The waiter uncovered the food to reveal a well done stake garnished with coriander, fries and onion dip.

"Is that to your liking?"Hunter asked me.

"Yes it's perfect."I affirmed.

Hunter nodded and dismissed the waiter. I looked at the food and my mouth watered at how good it was. I had no idea fancy places like that served fries but whatever Hunter had done to make it possible for me, I was grateful.

I eyed the cutlery laid out for me and was faced with another dilemma. It was another reason I didn't like dining it fancy restaurants apart from the fact that I couldn't afford it. What were all the knives, forks and spoons for? Suddenly they disappeared from sight and I looked up to see Hunter smiling at me. He took my plate and cut up the stake for me before handing it back with a single fork.

"Eat."He commanded softly.

He picked up a fry with his bare hands, dipped it and popped it into his mouth.

I smiled gratefully at him because he had understood my predicament without me telling him. He was so good at understanding my facial expressions and I was grateful to him.

I picked up a fry too after salting them and began eating. They were delicious and so was the stake. Hunter didn't eat much, just watched me as he drunk his champagne.

"That was delicious, thank you for the food?"I sighed happily pushing my empty plate away a while later.

"You're welcome. Dessert?"Hunter asked me.

I shook my head no because I was too full. The waiter came and cleared my plate sway returning a few minutes later with complimentary strawberries since we weren't having any dessert.

"Is this the point where I start by asking you your favorite color?"I chided picking up a strawberry.

"I can learn all that about you later. What I really want to know is if you really want this? I know you getting into my car was you saying yes but I don't want you to have any regrets."Hunter asked getting directly to the serious stuff.

He was putting me on the spot instead of jumping at the opportunity I was giving him. The man was actually genuine about what he wanted from me.

"You've mentioned time and again that you are the first born daughter used to rules, taking care of yourself and others. You claim you want all this freedom and I believe you do but I think deep down what you really want is someone to take care of you and take that burden off your shoulders. I want to be that person."Hunter added and I realized he had just called me out.

How had he figured me out so fast? I was tired, so tired of trying to be perfect, living by societies rules and doing whatever was expected from me. All I wanted was to relax and live a happy life but that wasn't possible without me working my ass off.

"You're right but I don't want to lose my independence all for the sake of getting spoilt by you."I argued.

"I would never do that to you. I want you to be your own person first before you can call yourself mine. I'm the first born too you know and as much as I want to take care of you, I want someone who shares my values and who can take care of me in return. I have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life yet its not enough to make me happy. I haven't been happy for a very long time. Well until that night when I met you and for the first time in what felt like forever I found myself laughing, enjoying life and living in the moment. I want more of that with you. I want us to make each other happy the way I know we both can."Hunter proposed.

It was a sweet deal but still.....

"I don't have the money that you have, so how can I take care of you when you already have everything?"I asked Hunter.

"I don't need your money baby girl, I already have enough for the both of us. You can take care of me by being there, being mine, being present, being loyal. Generally just being yourself is enough for me."Hunter added.

"I'm scared bear, I've always been in control of my life or at least I always knew what was expected of me. Now you're asking me to change the course of my life in a way I never considered before. I don't know if I can be able to do that, be what you want."I confessed.

Hunter wasn't asking for much but to me it was everything. I'd just found my freedom for the first time in my life and he was asking me to give it up. I didn't know how to do that.

"I know baby, believe me I understand you but I'm also willing to try if you are. I believe we met for a reason. We created something beautiful the minute our paths crossed and I want to explore what we can achieve together but only if you want this."Hunter expressed.

Of course I wanted all that but it didn't mean I wasn't scared shitless.

"I'm not asking you to sign your whole life over to me. Whatever we start isn't set on stone so you can leave the minute you feel unhappy. Your happiness is most important to me so the minute you feel as if I'm suffocating you and you've communicated your feelings but I'm still not adjusting to you then feel free to walk away. I never want to be the reason your smile fades."Hunter replied.

What he was proposing wasn't so bad. He was giving me the option of only being with him for as long as it was healthy.

"Do we have to sign a contract for that or something Mr Grey?"I teased.

"No need to Miss Steele, I'm a man of my word."Hunter replied with a wink taking me by surprise because he actually got the reference.