Chapter 19 Nineteen

Chapter 19 Nineteen
REINA’S POV

I was in the kitchen folding the last of Bessie’s blankets when my phone buzzed on the counter. It was a message from Orion:

Hi Reina,

Get dressed, we'll be going out after lunch.

He gave no explanations just that message but I didn't care.

I stared at the screen,my heart giving a quick, happy jump. He hadn’t asked me on a real date before not even once. Everything we had done together had been accidental, chaotic, or born from necessity. This felt different. He was asking me out intentionally and I am all for it.

I texted back: Where are we going?

His reply came almost instantly: You’ll see. Wear something comfortable for now.

I smiled and went to change into jeans and a soft sweater. When he walked through the door at twelve thirty, he was already in a casual navy blazer over a white shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms. He looked unfairly good, and the way his eyes lingered on me made my cheeks warm.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded. “Ready.”

He took my hand and led me to the car.

ORION’S POV

I had realized it the night before, lying awake while she slept curled against me: I had never taken Reina on a proper date. Not dinner, not a movie, not even coffee somewhere quiet. She had turned my life upside down, filled my penthouse with lavender and goat bleats and laughter, and I had never once given her the simple pleasure of being courted.

Today I would fix that.

I drove us to one of the most exclusive spas in the city, the kind that required a membership most people never heard of. Reina’s eyes widened when we pulled up to the discreet entrance.

“A spa?” she asked.

“First stop,” I said. “You deserve to be pampered.”

Inside, the air smelled of eucalyptus and citrus. A team was already waiting. I had called ahead. They whisked her away for a full treatment: massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, hair, makeup. I stayed in the lounge with coffee and a tablet, pretending to work while my mind kept drifting to her.

Two hours later the personal shopper arrived with racks of clothes. I had arranged that too. Reina emerged from the treatment room flushed and glowing, wrapped in a soft robe. Her hair was loose and shining, skin luminous. She looked like she had been dipped in sunlight.

The shopper, a stylish woman named Elise, took over. She held up dresses, tops, jeans, shoes. Reina tried on piece after piece behind a silk screen, stepping out each time for approval.

She looked stunning in everything.

But when she stepped out in the last dress, a deep navy silk that clung to her curves and fell in soft waves to her ankles, she stole my breath.

Elise smiled. “This one for tonight?”

Reina glanced at me. “What do you think?”

I couldn’t speak for a second. My throat had gone dry.

“Perfect,” I managed.

The rest of the clothes would be delivered to the penthouse tomorrow. Reina kept the navy dress on. They did final touches: soft waves in her hair, natural makeup that made her eyes look even larger, a touch of rose on her lips.

When she finally stepped out to meet me in the waiting area, I stood up so fast the magazine in my lap fell to the floor.

She was breathtaking.

I had always known she was beautiful. The farm-girl glow, the easy smile, the way she moved like she belonged everywhere she went. But this was something else.

The dress hugged her in all the right places. Her hair caught the light. Her eyes sparkled with shy excitement. She looked like a woman who knew exactly how much power she held and was only just beginning to enjoy it.

I wanted to ravish her.

Right there in the spa lounge.

I wanted to back her against the nearest wall, sink my hands into that silk, and kiss her until neither of us could breathe. I wanted to peel the dress off her slowly, discover every inch of skin underneath, hear her gasp my name.

But I wouldn’t.

Not yet.

I had decided: our first time would be on our wedding night. After I had given her the ring, the promise, the certainty that she was mine forever.

Tonight was a test of my will.

And I already knew it would be brutal.

I walked to her, took her hand, and brought it to my lips.

“You look beautiful,” I said quietly.

She blushed, eyes shining. “Thank you.”

I offered my arm. “Ready for dinner?”

She slipped her hand through it. “Very.”

We stepped out into the late-afternoon light together.

I knew this date would be the longest, sweetest torture of my life.

And I couldn’t wait to endure every second of it.

We walked to the car together. The driver opened the door. I helped her in, careful not to let my hand linger too long on the small of her back.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet. She looked out the window at the city lights, fingers playing with the hem of her dress. I watched her profile, memorizing the curve of her cheek, the way her lashes cast shadows, the soft swell of her lower lip.

She turned and caught me staring.

“What?” she asked, smiling.

“You’re stunning,” I said honestly.

Her cheeks flushed. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”

She reached over and laced her fingers through mine. “Thank you for today. I’ve never been pampered like this.”

“You deserve it,” I told her. “Every day.”

The restaurant was small, exclusive, with candlelight and a view of the park. Our table was private, tucked in an alcove. The waiter brought wine. We ordered. Conversation flowed easily that suddenly felt less important than the woman sitting across from me.

Every time she laughed, every time she leaned forward and the necklace caught the light against her collarbone, every time her foot brushed mine under the table, my control frayed a little more.

I wanted her.

Not just her body, though God knew that was enough to drive me to madness, but her. Her chaos, her kindness, her strength and the way she had stormed into my ordered life and refused to leave it unchanged.

I wanted forever with her.

And tonight was only the beginning of proving it.