Page 6 of Angels Are Falling

“More like I caught the nurses at my hospital gossiping about you.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “What did they say?”

She waved it off with her right hand. “It was just things they found online. Nurses become extra nosy whenever any of us get a hot patient.” Amelie zipped her lips upon realizing she had just called this man “hot.”

Kai set his glass down, pleased. He looked at Amelie the way a man looked at something they had been waiting to confirm—with a quiet, private satisfaction. “A hot patient,” he repeated, making it sound less like a compliment he’d received and more like a fact he was filing away for later.

Amelie took a sip of her drink. Her jaw was set.

Kai picked up the conversation. “What did the nurses find?”

“That you’re a zillionaire.” Once more, she looked mortified as soon as the words left her lips. I had never seen her so flustered.

A drove of servers arrived with our meals and several other dishes Kai had ordered for the table, saving Kai from acknowledging the comment. I kept calm as trays of caviar, lobster, tomahawk steak, crabs, oysters, bluefin tuna, and truffles were assembled in front of us, while Amelie looked miserable over her blunt remark on the man’s net worth.

While other men might be threatened if their wives considered another man hot, our relationship was more evolved, and we had weathered greater storms in our seven years together. I felt bad for my wife. Though she came from a prominent family, Amelie hadn’t met anyone of Kai’s caliber. None of us had. Her attempt at casual conversation was failing because she was starstruck after discovering his long list of accomplishments. I didn’t want to make things harder for her by brooding over random observations.

I playfully brushed a finger under her chin. “What else did the nurses find from the mighty internet other than Kai’s net worth?”

She gave me a grateful look. “Lots of things, except for what they wanted to find.” Her eyes lingered on Kai. “You’ve never been photographed with a date. Reclusive tech mogul who had never been linked to a woman… or a man. It’s bound to cause some curiosity.”

“Does that make me more interesting?” he asked.

“Definitely. The nurses lost it when they found out about this dinner. They’ll hound me about it and riot if I don’t give them something juicy.”

That made him laugh. “It seems a person is only valued for their personal life, not their professional accomplishments.”

“Or, perhaps they were interested in your personal life because they were impressed by your professional one,” she countered.

“You have a way with words, Ms. Valentine.”

Unease moved across her face when he used her maiden name. Barely a second, barely anything. But I knew my wife’s expressions better than my own handwriting.

“I’m simply providing you with a different perspective,” Amelie said. “And it’s Mrs. Noble,” she corrected offhandedly.

“Of course,” he said, easy as anything, and moved on.

I looked at Kai. He received the correction the way someone received irrelevant information. It was odd that he knew Amelie’s maiden name in the first place. Did he have us investigated before this dinner? It was possible his security had concerns about a private dinner with strangers.

Kai turned to me. “I’m curious about your take, Stefan. Do you think someone’s preference in a partner has an impact on their personality, life, and accomplishments?”

I shrugged. “It does paint a picture. Do you have a type?”

He didn’t answer.

“Oh, I know.” Amelie leaned forward enthusiastically. “Who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Hm. I can’t think of anyone. Do you have a celebrity crush, Stefan?” Kai asked, turning the tables on me. “Maybe I can steal yours.”

The table went briefly quiet. I assessed him. I thought we had broken the ice, but his comment was full of innuendos. I glanced at Amelie. She was reaching for her Champagne with very deliberate attention to the act of reaching.

I told myself eccentric moguls spoke like this. It didn’t mean anything.

“I like Ruby Sarafina.”

“Like?” Amelie laughed. “You were obsessed with her. He had a million posters of her when we were in high school,” she told Kai. “When he was fifteen, his only wish in life was to marry Ruby Sarafina. Thank God it was before we met.”

I shook my head as my wife recounted my silly childhood crush.