Panic dances in me like disco as Carina walks past me with a sly smirk.

The mischievous look that she gave me, tells me something malefic is hatching in her mind, like a secret weapon she is nesting for the future.

A tidal wave of anxiety crashes over me, wondering if she has suspected something between me and Dakota?

Oh God! What if that cunning fox adds spices, over cooks the information and then whispers in someone else's ears?

Shit! I need to clear the air before her mouth and imagination both run wild.

Without a second thought, I turn around to catch her in time before I lose the moment forever. I take a quick breathless stride after Carina as she walks down the driveway with her heels clicking rhythmically against the concert.

"Carina! Can I talk to you for a minute?" I call her out.

She pauses and turns around with a raised eyebrow. Her foxy eyes check me out from behind her cat-eye glasses and a slow cunning smile spreads across her face.

"Emara.." She purrs, looking at me. "Honey, how late did you get that you attended such an important meeting in your flip-flops?"

Oh shit!

A rush of embarrassment floods through me as I glance down at the furry indoor flip-flops that Dakota had given me.

"Ah-sorry. Actually, I was running so late in the morning that I completely forgot.." I laugh out and try to act casual about it. "Listen, Carina.. I just want to clari-"

"Did you see the size of swimming pool and his house.. Oh my god! And the chandelier hanging right above the entrance of his living room.. It was sooo huge!" Her attention flies around like a real-state agent, and suddenly she pauses, looking at me.

"But you do not seem surprised at all. You have been here before, right?" Her expression sharpens, observing me to a microscopic level.

"Me? No! No. I just.. I.. have seen better." My pulse heightens and I look around, pretending to be awestruck by his villa. "But yeah, this one is also a very big house. And I liked how artificially advanced it is with the latest technology." I desperately try to change the subject.

"Oh, honey!" Carina leans in, showing a faux concern as she touches my damp hair. "Your hair is still wet. Did you shower in his bathroom?"

"WHAT?" My soul almost leaves my body as she suddenly asks me out of nowhere. "No. I-was in a hurry and rushing late so.. I.."

"Yeah, I totally understand." She nods her head in understanding and then asks me excitedly, "Did you two sleep together?"

"What! NO!" I nearly choke on my words. Heat flushes on to my face as vision of those intimate nights flashes in front of my eyes and I shake my head, trying to convince her, "I-I think you are misunderstanding the situa-"

"Oh, how sweetly he was asking you for the morning coffee!" Carina cooes dreamily like a fangirl, before she leans in, lowering her cat-eye glasses at me and whispers, "Did he kept you up all night?"

What the-

Blood shoots in my skull and my mouth drops down to the concrete at the audacity of this woman. She got to be kidding me!

"Oh... Is that why you woke up late?" She asks me, jumping from one question to another, and enjoying herself.

"No. Nothing happened. Why would you even think that?" I breathe heavily under her probing gaze as she stares at me with an intensity of a detective.

"No hickeys, no bite marks." Carina tilts her head, trying to get a good look of my neck. "Did you cover them up? Or.." She pauses dramatically.

Her voice drops low to a conspirational whisper as she asks me, "Did he give you somewhere else.. More private?"

Oh god! This evil woman.

"Carina! It's not like that." I shriek in anxiety. Even my anxieties are having anxieties right now.

"Oh, Emara!" She cooes, giving my cheeks a playful squeeze. "You are so cute. You don't even know how to lie."

My heartbeat sky rockets as she steers the topic down to a way which leads directly to the highway of famous scandals.

"I am not lying, you have clearly misunderstood the situation." I assure her, with blushed cheeks.

"Darling, for a second I would have believed you." Carina chuckles, adjusting her cat-eye glasses. "But since you walked in, my sixth sense couldn't help but feel the wild sexual tension in the air, that only a child would have not noticed. And the way Mr. Black was staring at you with his sexy bedroom eyes.. Oh my!" She says, fanning herself dramatically.

I feel my abdomen clench, feeling the sudden increase of heat in my body at her taunting words. My face flushes with redness as if those green eyes are still on me and I look away, fidgeting with my heart.

"I think you have gotten a wrong idea of the situation. We are just.. good friends." I try to hold on to my ground despite the enraging pulse in my ear.

"Emara, honey, come on!" Carina rolls her bitchy eyes, her face contours with I-have-no-time-for-bullshit expression as she speaks unfiltered, "You are a hot piece, sweetie. I would hit on you too if I were a man."

My eyes widen at her bold comment and I slowly tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, feeling extremely shy. Really?

"And he is a man. Rich and powerful. Someone who knows how to get what he wants." She whispers the last words like a devil.

Her all-too familiar wicked smirk takes over her face while she stares over me and sneers, "Only a blind wouldn't want you."

Flushed by her direct teasing, I feel a strange kind of heat in my bones. Something that burns my cheeks along.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I gulp, manage to keep a straight face.

"I think you know exactly what I am talking about, darling." Smirk deepens on her cunning face.

"And remember, come directly to my office later. We have a lot to chat about." She orders me, with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Carina, please.." I call her out desperately as she turns round to leave.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody... yet." She sneers and my heart drops, feeling trapped in her game of words.

"Enjoy your day.. with Mr. Black." She winks at me with mischief brimming her tone and walks away, cat-walking like a queen-bitch.

Erhhhhhh! God!

My cheeks heat up with all her sexual innuendos and I find myself silently pleading for the ground to split open and drag my editor into its fiery depth of hell.

Who in the name of baby Jesus made this woman?

I turn around in my flip-flops with nervousness kicking my toes, wondering what that sly fox would do with the information.

She won't go print it, right?

She just dodged one legal bullet, she wouldn't risk another one. Right?

My stomach crawls from inside and I walk to the kitchen, spotting Dakota casually leaning against the counter while surfing through the iPad in his hand.

Martina is nowhere in the site, leaving just him and I alone. And suddenly, green eyes draw at me, sensing my presence and an effortless smile curve his expressionless face.

"Good morning." He sets the iPad, giving me his attention.

My stomach churns as he takes a slow stride in my direction, while I do not know what to do with my body as it freezes under his black radar.

"How are you feeling now?" Dakota questions me as he stops a step away from me and raises his hand. Little hair at the back of neck stands up as he keeps his hand on my head and suddenly, heat increases in my body as he feels my temperature.

He has touched me so many times in these past five days, but this time, his touch feels so gentle, so protective, and oh so warm that I almost felt cold when he pulled his hand back.

"Seems normal." He answers himself, sounding revealed.

I blink at him, wondering should I keep a hand on his head too or maybe get it tested for the sudden show of his soft side after last night.

Which reminds me..

"How.. are you?" I whisper slowly, meeting his eyes.

The black in his pupils suddenly dilates to the point, the greens in them appear like a thin halo. Shock, exposed and unguarded, flickers across his features, revealing a crack of emotions on his cold-hearted face.

I have never seen such a raw expression on his face.

It's like time has frozen for him, and slowly, I watch his jaw clench like he is controlling a dark whirlwind inside of him.

"I didn't mean to barge into your room last night." I avert my gaze, feeling like I stepped on an unwelcoming nerve. "But it looked like an emergency. You were dithering in pain and your nightma-"

Suddenly, I feel warm fingers brushing my hand and I look up in surprise, watching him bring my hand up with delicate care while he leans his head down in submission.

Hot breath fans on my skin, before warm lips press against the soft back of my hand, rushing an electric spark down my entire body.

I freeze.

My heart freezes as I see Dakota Black bowing down, like a king before his queen and kissing my hand oh so gently.

"Thank you." His voice, like velvet against my skin as he whispers in the most gratitude way possible.

"I will never forget." He says, looking deep into my eyes as if making a soul-to-soul promise.

I feel hypnotised. His ocean green eyes seem to pull me deeper into their dark depths of secrets, a place where he has never let anyone in.

I see reflection of unsaid words, dreams and fear, all swirling in the stormy hues of his intoxicated green iris, which gaze back at me with an intensity that speaks of raw honesty.

I nod my head, as if accepting his gratitude and a hint of smile breaks across his lips, feeling pleased. Slowly, he lets go of my hand and straightens up back to his unreachable height.

His touch leaves a million tingles racing up my arm, and unconsciously, I find myself caressing the spot where his lips had been. It still feels warm.

A comfortable silence prevails between us, yet my gaze keeps drawing back to him as if he wants to say something. But he remains silent, observing me with so many words brimming his eyes.

And then finally speaks..

"I like this Cleopatra thing you did there." He says, pointing at my eyes.

I blink my lashes at him in confusion. Is he talking about my eyeliner?

"And those spider legs on top. It's cute." He says, after deeply analysing my face.

"You mean mascara?" I ask him, blinking more.

Dakota nods his head, whispering back "Mascara.." as if saving the new word in his memory files.

A smile touches my lips, thinking how his smartass does not know names of female products, yet he still goes out of his way to offer a compliment.

A wave of colour rushes to my face as suddenly, Dakota leans in. My heart does a backflip as he brings his Greek god-like face and stops just a few inches before me.

"Do you have blush on as well?" He asks, with a playful curiosity.

"A bit." I whisper sheepishly and avert my gaze, feeling the sudden rush of blood onto my cheeks.

"Hmm.. You seem to blush more than you usually do." His tone teasing as he straightens up, while his eyes burn like a spotlight on my face.

Oh, God! Why is he so observant?

"And the dress.."

Dakota's voice softens and I look up at him, there is an unusual gentleness in his eyes, something that I have never seen before.

"It looks great on you. I wish I could have given you sooner." He whispers, almost with a hint of regret.

For all the things he said, the last one touched me the most. This time, a genuine smile forms on my lips and I heartily tell him,

"Thank you for the dress. I love it."

Dakota returns my smile, with one of his own. A lazy male smirk, which curve one corner of his lips up in a sheer sense of amusement.

For a moment, we stare at each other, having no thoughts in our mind. Once again, silence prevails between us and we just stare at each other, at the walls and sometimes outside the window.

"Emara.."

My eyes draw back to the man, his enigmatic gaze remain unflinched on me as he asks in his deep voice,

"Do you want to go out with me?"

( ͡♥ ₃ ͡♥)

Happy Festival of Lights⭐️ and hot Crackers💥.. Like me 🤪

Gosh! I cried while writing the hand kissing scene.. It was too beautiful in my head 🥹♥️

What else you wanna see Dakota do? Lemme know.. I might make your dream come true 😉

Hit👇💥