Page 114 of Hamartia

“You bought me Chanel.”

I hold it out to him sheepishly. “This is where you tell me you’re actually a brand ambassador and that you already have everything in their collection.”

He steps closer and takes it from me with a small shake of his head. “I am a brand ambassador for Valentino, but Chanel is my favorite,” he whispers. “Please do not tell anyone.”

I pretend to think about it. “Maybe if you’re good I’ll keep your filthy secret to myself.” I bend my head to kiss him on the underside of his jaw. “Merry Christmas, beautiful. Next time I’ll do better. I have one more gift but first…” I turn around to pick up his wine glass and hold it out to him. “I have to get you good and drunk.”

His eyes turn a little darker. “Oh? I do not have to be drunk to do something naughty with you, Mr. Rockstar. Don’t you know that by now?” He reaches up to ghost a kiss over my ear and whispers, “You only have to ask, Raphael. I will do it.”

I turn my head to catch his mouth, my dick twitching to life when he pushes a wine-sweet kiss onto my lips.

“Good to know,” I whisper against his mouth, before kissing him again, harder.

He melts, our breaths turning quick and hot against each other for a few moments. But then he pushes me away gently before flouncing back down on the sofa with his giftbag and his wine.

“Open the smallest first,” he says, waving a hand in the direction of my gifts without looking up from his own.

I sit cross-legged by the tree and do as I’m told, picking up the smallest one first and gently pulling the paper away from one corner. It’s expertly wrapped, the paper a thick embossed parchment that feels almost like canvas. I hear Jae gasp loudly from beside me and I turn my head. He is looking at me with this almost frightened look on his face.

“Raphael…these are…so expensive,” he says, gazing down at them.

“Do you like them? I mean, will you wear them?”

He nods emphatically. “I will. But rarely. I will be afraid to lose them. I normally wear things like these for a few hours only.” He’s reaching into the white velvet box and lifting one out to hold it up to the light. “They are so beautiful. I saw them on the…brochure…but I do not…I never buy myself these kinds of things. It feels so…isn’t it too much?”

I think about the glass cabinet back in his apartment that is laden with jewels and gold and designer watches and frown, confused.

“You don’t buy yourself jewelry? But you have loads.”

He unfixes the earring from its box. “Gifts. They are all gifts.”

I try not to think about who the fuck else is buying him four thousand dollar earrings but I fail. Kai? Other guys he’s been with? Some hot twist of jealousy flares up inside me which is fucking ridiculous. Of course, he’s been with other people. Of course, they’ve given him gifts. The fuck is wrong with me?

But then, like he can sense the direction of my thoughts he says, quickly, “Brands. Brands send us a lot of things. And once Ji-u spent a ridiculous amount of money on a necklace for my birthday, but I am so afraid of losing it or damaging it that I have worn it only once.”

He’s taking off his subtle silver hoop earrings now and I watch, transfixed, as he puts the new ones on. They glint and gleam under the low light, sitting gorgeously against the elegant line of his neck. Smooth skin against the pearl and silver of the earring. He does the same with the other and tilts his head this way and that to show me them.

“How do they look?”

I blink a few times and shake my head to clear it. “Amazing.”

He grins and then stretches himself out toward me, feline and elegant, so he’s on his hands and knees in front of me.

“Thank you,” he says, kissing me slow. “I love them very much.”

I close my eyes and chase the soft cherry of his mouth, licking my tongue across soft lips.

“I really liked buying you them,” I murmur. “I want to buy you presents all the time. Spoil you.”

I can feel his mouth curve against mine. “Mmm, I would not complain about that. Now hurry, open yours.”

He sits up and back, expression turning serious as he gestures with his head to the half opened parcel in my lap. I drag my gaze away from him and look down, then continue to tear the paper off what is a small, slim hardback book.Learn Korean, fast!

I laugh as he giggles at what he says is a joke present.

“You know, this is actually perfect since I really hate those Duolingo characters.” I flick through the pages.

He’s not sure what Duolingo is and so I pull out my phone to show him which results in him proclaiming that the characters are in fact verycute-ah. I lean in to place a kiss on his cheek.