Glimpse of Vulnerability

BELLE

The Eiffel Tower glittered with a million sparkling lights. It was breathtaking.

The radiant building shone across the city of Paris, casting a warm yellow glow as we all gazed up at it. I couldn’t help the smile that took over my face.

“Is this what you were waiting for?” I asked Grayson.

He nodded as he watched me, giving me a smile that took my breath away.

“When I was a kid, my mom and I used to come here every year after the Alpha Conference and watch it light up. She would take me to the exact store we just went to and buy the most expensive bottle of wine they had.

“Then we would go and get bread and cheese from the grocery store down the street, and then we’d come and sit here and watch the Eiffel Tower light up under the stars.

“She would even let me have my own glass of wine. It was one of my favorite days of the year—one reason I love Paris so much.”

I had never seen this side of Grayson. I’d seen him as an aggressive lover and as my caretaker, but I’d never seen him be vulnerable. I hadn’t even known that this tough, possessive alpha male had a vulnerable side. It touched me that he was willing to share it with me—made me like him even more.

“What?” he suddenly asked.

That shook me out of my admiring daze. “What?” I asked back.

He chuckled. “You were staring at me. Not that I minded. I would just like to know what’s got you thinking so hard.”

I blushed. There was no way I could let him know that I was thinking about how much I liked him.

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I was just imagining what a beautiful scene it must’ve been, you and your mother sitting under the stars in Paris.”

He nodded and looked up at the tower solemnly. “Yeah. It was.”

“Does she not come with you to Paris anymore?”

His eyes turned glossy and he was quiet for a moment. “No. She and my father died almost five years ago.”

“Oh, Grayson, I’m so sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I can see how much they meant to you. That must’ve been terrible.”

He took a deep breath and then turned his head to place a kiss on my hand.

“It was a long time ago. No need to dwell on the past.”

He leaned over to where he’d spread out our food and wine.

“I try to do this every year to honor her memory.” He opened the wine and held the bottle out to me. “And now you get to join me.”

I smiled. “I’m honored.”

We spent the next several hours talking and sipping our cheap wine out of the bottle.

Soon, all the people around us were gone, leaving just Grayson and me, staring at the city lights in front of us. The lights on the Eiffel Tower turned off some time during the night, but Grayson and I stayed, talking about anything and everything.

Conversation was so easy with him.

We spent the entire night like that, and, by the time the sun rose over the horizon, I found myself completely taken with Grayson.

I was lying on the bench with my head in his lap as he played with my hair when he finally said, “Do you want to go get some coffee? I know a great place down the street.”

I smiled and nodded.

Once in the coffee shop, Grayson told me to find a seat while he ordered for us, but I quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him back to me.

Grayson gave me a questioning look.

“Don’t leave me,” I said quickly, afraid of the pain that I might feel if I lost contact with him again. I didn’t think I could handle it.

My cheeks turned bright red at the request, but Grayson just smiled. He brought his hand up and tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear.

“We’ve been together long enough for our bond to strengthen. Nothing will happen now if we are apart. Nothing besides a dull ache.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Are you sure?” I asked nervously.

Grayson leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“I’m sure. And if you feel any pain at all, all you have to do is come stand next to me and touch me, and it will all go away. I’ll only be a few steps away.”

He tried to step away slowly, but I didn’t let go of his hand.

“I, um—” I gripped his hand tighter. I didn’t want to be away from him, not even a little.

“I think I would feel better if I just went with you.”

Grayson didn’t protest. Instead, his face broke out into a breathtaking smile.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him, nuzzling his face in my hair and breathing in deeply.

“I am more than okay with that.”