Page 56 of Gilded

MALIA

I catch glimpses of Central Park as we pass. It seems like a beautiful retreat from the city. But I love the bustle of the city too.

We just left the New York HSI field office after three hours with the man James was talking about with my father at the wedding, Robert Simms. And as Luka said, Simms’s own team backs up the events as I explained them.

“I don’t like having to go back to talk about my father and his business,” I tell Luka.

His hand rests on my thigh beneath the hem of one of half a dozen dresses he had delivered to the hotel this morning, and I thread my fingers with his.

“There’s a lot of red tape. That’s only one of the reasons we make sure they don’t know what we’re doing.

But the inquisition won’t last long. I know more about your father’s business than you do.

Once they’re satisfied that’s true, you won’t have to keep talking to them. ”

The tower of Luka’s building comes into view blocks away.

“Are you sure about this?” I ask him. “I don’t know why, but it doesn’t feel… I don’t know. It’s just awkward, I guess. This is yours, and I’m just dropping into the middle of your world. I don’t feel like I fit.”

He releases my thigh and wraps his arm around me, then pulls me closer and kisses me. “Believe me when I say I want you here.”

“We want you here too.” This comes from Peter, Luka’s driver. “He’d be a basket case if you were anywhere else.”

I laugh, and Luka kisses me again.

The car slows, and I look up through the sunroof to see the skyscraper. It captures the illusion that it’s made completely of glass. “It’s stunning. You own the whole building?”

“I do. But I have others, so if you don’t like this one, we can look at those.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. It’s so much more modern than the others on this street.”

“That’s because the building that was originally here caught fire and had to be demolished. We rebuilt it from the ground up about five years ago.”

Peter pulls the SUV to a stop in front of the building. I notice a news van parked across the street and two people get out and hurry toward us, a reporter and a cameraman.

“You go ahead in,” Peter says. “I’ll handle them.”

Luka smiles at me. “Ready to see your new home?”

A doorman pulls open a glass door leading to the lobby. “Welcome back, Mr. Arias.”

“Thank you, Ezra.” He pauses to introduce me. “This is Malia. She’ll be living with me.”

Living with him.

Wow. That feels… I don’t even know. Warm? Safe? Thrilling? Maybe a little nerve-racking?

Ezra’s face flashes with a big smile. “Oh, really?” He offers his hand. “Welcome. I’m sure Mr. Arias will be in a good mood every day now.”

I laugh as I enter the building. “You’re usually a grump?”

“I’m not a morning person.”

When I look away from him, I scan the lobby. My gaze halts on the snake I built, taking up a prominent corner of the gorgeous lobby.

“I liked your take on duality,” he tells me. “For the last twenty-one years of your life, snakes have been dangerous and deceitful. But this is a new chapter, and here, snakes signify protection and security.”

I lean into him. “I love that idea.”

The lobby is beautiful. Smooth marble floors, rich furnishings, high ceilings, stylish lighting. There’s a man behind the desk across from the elevators, and Luka stops to introduce me again.

Oscar offers his hand. “We’re here for anything you need, ma’am. Nothing too big or too small. Twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five.”

When we’re in the elevator, he passes his wallet over a device, then taps “P.”

“What is P?”

“Penthouse.”

Even before the doors close, Luka wraps me in his arms and smiles down at me. A smile that is filled with joy. “Man, it feels like it took me forever to get you here.”

“You planned to get me here?”

“From the moment I found out about Yari and knew you were innocent.”

Before I can respond, the elevator doors open to a ginormous space.

The ceilings are twenty feet high, and every wall is made of windows.

The glass stretches to every corner where the two walls meet, giving an uninterrupted, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the entire city.

The Empire State Building, the river, the park, and the Manhattan skyline. And in the distance, the ocean.

“Oh. My. God. This is even more beautiful than the place we held the gala.”

I wander toward the windows, and my nose is almost pressed against the glass as I scan the view. There’s so much to look at, it’s overwhelming. “This is incredible.”

Luka stands beside me. “We can walk down every street in Manhattan if you want. Go into every public building. Eat at every restaurant, check out every bar, shop at every store. We can even ride the subway, if that’s something that interests you.

It just needs to be arranged until interest in you dies down.

But that’s what disguises and security are for. ”

I glance at the deck for the first time. I was so taken by the views, I didn’t even see the chaise longues lined up along the edge of a pool. A private pool all these stories in the air. I’ve seen beautiful homes before, but this is truly mind-blowing.

I take his hand and continue to a corner and pause beside a telescope. My gaze slides to the horizon, and a small shape comes into view. “Is that?—”

“Your island. Yes. It’s the reason I bought this building, so I could keep my goal in focus.”

I avert my gaze from the island, not ready or willing to go into those dark thoughts. Instead, I take in all the beauty and snuggle into Luka’s side.

“This feels so…” I search for the right word, but the only thing that comes to me is “Free. It’s so open and light.

No dark corners. No weapons displayed as intimidation.

No one in the next room who wants to hurt me.

” Tears of relief and gratitude fill my eyes out of nowhere.

“God, freedom feels even better than I imagined.”

He slides his arms around my waist. The heat he introduced me to starts to gather at the center of my body and slide lower.

“Damn,” I say. “You’ve got the best smile.”

“I’m glad you like it, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of it.”

“Nothing better.” I push up on my toes, and when he doesn’t drop his head, I tug on his shirt collar. “Come here.”

When he presses his lips to mine, I wrap my arms around his neck and slide one hand into his hair. He groans into my mouth as his tongue finds mine. The kiss becomes instantly hot, and by the time he breaks away, I can’t catch my breath.

“We’ll never get to the tour if we keep doing that,” he says.

“Why don’t we start the tour in the bedroom, then?”

“We’ll head that direction.”

He takes my hand and starts up a dramatic curved staircase. Even before I reach the landing, I see a library. The open loft has dark shelves filling the walls that are lined with books.

“This is your library,” he tells me, “packed with every best-selling novel that came out over the last ten years.”

My insides soften, and I squeeze his hand tighter. “Have you read them all?”

“No, they’re for you.”

I frown at him. “What do you mean for me?”

“Just that.” He leads me down a hall and into a bedroom. A big bedroom with those incredible windows. The interior is a modern mix of something I could only describe as elegant boho, something I’ve heard is all the rage right now.

He releases my hand and gestures to the bed, where boxes are piled high. “These are more clothes Gwen thought you might like.”

“Gwen?”

“Yes. I hired her to be your personal assistant.”

“Assistant to what?”

“Anything you need. I wanted someone who would limit your exposure to the public for as long as you need it. You’re free to choose someone else. I just wanted someone in place to help you transition.”

“Where will you be?”

“Here with you. But I thought you might like to have a girlfriend to do things with if I’m working.” He smiles. “You should have seen how excited she was when I asked.”

He gestures to the wall. “Big screen with every cable and movie channel in existence, as well as apps for more.”

I don’t know what apps are, but I don’t care right now.

“This is your desktop computer.” He touches the items next to it with, “Your laptop, your tablet, and your phone. All connected to the internet. All secure. No restrictions. You can surf and shop to your heart’s content.

And…” he taps a rectangle the size of a credit card.

“This is your key. You’ll always be able to come and go as you please. ”

When he glances at me, his smile drops. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I pull in a breath. “This is all amazing. Really amazing.”

“But?”

I slide my arm around his waist. “I thought I’d be with you.”

He turns toward me, wrapping me in a bear hug before kissing me again.

“That is most definitely where I want you. But I also don’t want to rush you or have you feel obligated.

I’ve already been too demanding and overbearing.

I want you to have room to find your own vibe, your own schedule, your own level of comfort. ”

I wrap my arms around his body. “You’re incredibly…generous.”

He lifts his brows at me.

“This is just a lot to get used to. I’m not quite sure what to do with all this freedom.”

“That will change faster than you can imagine.” He strokes my cheek with a dreamy expression. “Are you ready for more?”

He pulls me into the hall and stops at the doorway to the next room. It’s a huge space with a tile floor and large tables that are more like platforms. And the walls… Every interior wall is filled, floor to ceiling, with Legos. I’ve never seen so many of them in one place.

I tent my hands over my mouth, and tears rush my eyes out of nowhere.

“The tables are electric.” Luka strides over to the larger table and pushes a button. The platform moves up and down. “I thought this would make the building easier for you.”

A sob escapes and pushes tears from my eyes.

Luka takes one look at me and all his joy drains.

He slides one arm around me while the other hand brushes my hair back from my face.

“I’m sorry. This was a shot in the dark.

We can make any changes you want. I have more space than I know what to do with.

We can pick a different room, or even take out a wall and put two rooms together?—”

I reach up and press my fingers to his lips. “Why did you do this? You didn’t know I was going to be here until last night.”

He kisses my fingers and lowers my hand. “Call it a nudge to the universe to get its butt in gear and put us together. I planned, or hoped, that you would be here at some point. I wanted it to be ready when that happened.”

I lean into him and press my cheek to his chest. “I love it. I can’t believe you did this for me.”

He eases me away and takes my face in both hands. “I will do anything for you, Malia. Anything .”

I let my hand slide down his chest and smile up at him. “Then I think the bedroom should be our next stop.”

“Well, there’s one more thing…”

Meow.

I dart a look toward the familiar sound and see the calico from Pawsitive Vibes lazily strolling across the floor like a little prince.

I cover my mouth over a squeal. “No. You did not . Oh my God.”

He’s grinning as I jump into his arms. I press my face to his neck and feel the rumble of his laugh. “He’s been waiting for you.”

Luka crouches to pick up the kitten, and tears fill my eyes as he transfers the baby to my arms.

“He’s just as beautiful as she was when I first saw him.” My words are drowned out by his rolling purr.

“There’s just one thing you should know.”

“What?”

“He’s a she.” He shrugs, grinning. “Who knew?”