Page 54 of Blue Gold

“What was that, son? What’s he saying?” Father asked me.

Self-satisfied, I walked closer to my dad. “He’s saying that he can’t understand English.”

“Et que c’est un con,” Elliot shamelessly added.

My eyes darted to his to catch him smiling after he’d just called my father an asshole to his face. But knowing better than to push my luck, I placed my hand on Father’s shoulder.

“Let’s go back to the table. I’ve just remembered I have a fine bottle of scotch I’m sure you’d love.”

“I highly doubt that you do, but sure,” he muttered.

Elliot’s boldness must have been contagious because, as I led Father out of the room, I quickly glanced at my sassy French prince and shot him a wink. Elliot’s lips broke into a broad smile, and he shook his head before returning to his cooking, hopefully just as lovestruck as I was at that moment.

17

DANIEL

Walking into the kitchen quietly, I found Elliot sitting on one of the barstools while reading. Strands of hair fell across his brows, and his lips parted slightly as he mumbled the words to himself. He looked utterly gorgeous, so much so that my heart—per usual—missed a beat at his mercy.

“And here I thought you’d be in the guesthouse, getting ready for the party,” I said, causing him to look up from the book and meet my adoring stare.

I’m such a fool around him.

“Oh, Daniel.” A genuine smile spread across his lips as he put the book aside and stood up.

“What were you reading?” I asked while walking closer to him.

“Nothing… just some recipes.”

Stopping in front of him, I eyed the page he’d left the book open on, which was a recipe for financiers. “Do you ever not think about cooking?”

“The other night, I didn’t,” he said in a soft voice, his words catching my attention.

I turned so I was fully facing him, my lips pulling into a small smile.

“Oh?”

Being shorter than me, he straightened his pose, eyes focusing on my mouth before moving up to my eyes.

“Mhmm.” Biting his bottom lip, he nudged closer. “I was too busy thinking about you.”

I wanted to leap in and kiss those perfect lips of his, but instead, I reminded myself of why I’d come down here and pulled a small box from my pocket.

“Happy birthday,” I said, holding the box between us.

“Oh, you remembered,” he gasped, eyes already focused on his gift.

“Of course I did. Besides, it wasn’t a hard task, considering you’ve mentioned it every day this week.”

“True,” he chuckled, then took the light blue box from my hand.

And as he unwrapped the white ribbon, the excitement on his face reminded me, once again, of how young he was—only twenty years old. The fact that I’d fallen for such a young man made me into a terrible cliché. While I was somewhat ashamed of it, I took comfort in knowing my feelings were genuine and not some passing fling. Which was a problem on its own, considering I was a married man. And yet, all those incredibly rational thoughts faded the second Elliot gasped upon seeing the sapphire necklace I’d bought him. It was nothing too extravagant, just a modest gesture of my love, and yet, it didn’t stop him from treating it as if it were a Fabergé egg.

Carefully taking the delicate silver necklace out of the box, Elliot stared at the round sapphire pendant that was decorated with two diamonds on each side. It was a rare piece of jewelry I’d come upon when I visited our jeweler. I went there to find a watch, but the second I saw it in the shop, I knew this necklace was perfect for him.

“My God, it’s beautiful,” he whispered, studying the sapphire.

“At first, I wanted to buy you something else, but then I saw this, and it reminded me of you,” I said, voice soft, as I remembered the first time I’d seen his eyes, which shone brighter than any gemstone in the world.