Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 87: A Kiss

"All hail the queen..."

Gianna’s face twisted into a comical scowl at Chelsea’s words as they beelined toward her, the exaggerated grimace earning a laugh from Athena.

Noah waited by the entrance, unhurried, hands loosely at his sides, watching the scene unfold like he truly had all the time in the world.

And that, somehow, surprised Gianna. She hadn’t expected him to still be here—he should have been back at his company by now.

For someone who was still newly establishing his business in the country, he seemed to possess an almost unreasonable amount of free time.

Didn’t he have operations to oversee? Meetings to supervise? Fires to put out?

Her wandering thoughts were abruptly cut off when Chelsea reached her and patted her cheek with infuriating affection, repeating her earlier words like a victorious mantra.

Gianna was too tired to swat her away, too drained to summon a retort, so she endured the fussing while Athena chuckled softly beside them, clearly entertained.

"Well... we have to be going..." Athena’s words landed moments later, when Areso joined them, done with her work. "You seem beat..."

Gianna exhaled, grateful for the rescue, and pushed herself to her feet, brushing invisible creases from her clothes. She deliberately ignored Noah’s presence as she did so.

But as the four of them began moving toward the entrance—toward where Noah had been waiting—he finally reacted, lifting a brow in her direction. It was the first real expression he’d shown since stepping inside.

"A minute..." he said, voice smooth.

Noah was clearly pleased but careful not to reveal it fully when he heard her friends’ amused sighs and caught Chelsea nudging Gianna with her elbow.

"You can take as long as you want..."

"Areso!" Athena and Gianna screamed in unison, but Athena was already laughing.

"What?" Areso looked entirely unrepentant. Instead of shrinking back, she turned to Noah and met his gaze head-on, her lips curving knowingly. "You can drop her off. But make sure she isn’t more tired than she already is. Or well..."

Gianna’s hand shot out instinctively and clamped over Areso’s mouth. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she whispered fiercely, rolling her eyes when Areso only winked back at her.

She resigned herself to her fate moments later when the trio began marching out of the room, offering exaggerated goodbyes and issuing mild threats to Noah—warnings to bring her back in one piece.

Gianna refused to dwell on the possible meanings behind their words. Didn’t they see how exhausted she was? How could they possibly think—

"Good friends," Noah spoke then, his voice breaking into her thoughts. His gaze remained fixed on the entrance where her friends had disappeared. "I wish I had more like them."

He paused, then added softly, "And popular too. You are blessed, Gianna Aldo. I can see why you are bent on turning me down... you don’t really need me."

He stepped forward as he spoke, one deliberate pace, then another, until he reached the door. His hand found the edge, and he pushed it closed, the soft click sealing them alone in the room.

Gianna took a step back before she could think better of it. What was happening?

Heat bloomed across her cheeks as she caught the quiet, predatory look in Noah’s eyes—the kind that made her pulse stumble.

"So the only option, really," he continued, voice low and unhurried, "is to chase hard after you until I win your heart. Because... you see, I can’t let you go. So I have to pursue you..."

Her hands clenched around the hem of her jacket, fingers tightening for steadiness as he began to walk toward her.

"To prove to you that I am invested in having a blossoming relationship with you," he went on, "as lovers, not friends."

The word friends left his mouth like a curse.

Gianna scoffed, grasping at straws. "I think you should be satisfied with your lot, Noah Newman."

She didn’t retreat this time, even when he stopped just a foot away, towering slightly, his proximity numbing her senses. Her grip on her jacket tightened further, grounding her, steeling her against the sin that was Noah Newman.

"You think so?..." His voice dipped dangerously lower. His turquoise blue eyes—so reminiscent of Esme’s—darkened by a shade that made her throat go dry.

Her tongue suddenly felt parched.

"Gianna..." The way he sang her name made her wish for the nickname he usually called her playfully. That was safer.

She swallowed, suddenly thirsty, her grip on her jacket loosening despite herself. She needed—she cleared her throat when his head dipped closer and backed away.

But the room betrayed her. She cussed under her breath as her back hit the wall. There was no escape now.

Noah followed, his presence caging her in as his left hand shot out casually to brace against the wall beside her head. His right hand lifted slowly, fingers gentle as they caressed her cheek.

She could tell him off. She knew he would stop if she asked—he was a gentleman, and his ego wouldn’t allow otherwise. But her tongue felt heavy, her mind buzzing, her nerves singing.

Gianna hated herself for the curiosity blooming inside her—for wanting to see what he would do next.

For wanting to taste those defined lips.

"Gianna..." he murmured, like a prayer. His thumb traced the outline of her lips as his eyes followed the motion, drinking her in. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

When his gaze lifted to meet hers, her breath was stolen by the raw need she saw there—and by the answering heat that pooled low in her own body.

He brushed his lips against hers with the same reverence he had spoken her name.

"Mon dieu..." he grunted, like a man undone.

Gianna gasped softly, the throbbing his words ignited leaving her mouth parting in a helpless moan. The sheer sexiness of his French accent sent sparks racing through her.

He would be the death of her, she thought hazily, waiting—anticipating—believing she deserved this as the perfect crown to an already beautiful day.

And Noah fulfilled it.

His lips claimed hers fully this time, the kiss slow but devastating.

It was exploratory, tasting, learning. Her breath tangled with his, her senses flooding as his mouth moved against hers with controlled hunger, coaxing, drawing her in until the world narrowed to nothing but pressure and heat and want.

When he broke away, muttering another French phrase under his breath, she barely had time to breathe before he closed the distance again.

The second kiss was deeper, wilder. His hand slid from her cheek to her waist, fingers firm now, anchoring her to him as if he had no intention of letting go.

Her hands curled into his jacket without permission, her body responding before her mind could catch up.

Then—

The door was pushed open.

And the moment shattered.

Gianna turned her face aside fast, embarrassment flushing through her at being caught so thoroughly undone. But when she looked at the door, eyes frantic...

It was Zane.

And the look on his face, before the calm mask slid back into place, before he turned and strode out without a word, could have frozen an entire city.