Gina was a nervous wreck as she strolled back into the room with her head held high. Luckily, she wasn't wearing heels or she would have tripped and that would have clued in Gabriel on what was going on.

There was a will...

She didn't even understand why she was bothered about the will when it clearly had nothing to do with her, but the more she thought about what she had read, the more she imagined herself being involved.

...that needed a great grandchild.

There was a great grandchild already, the one in her belly not being counted. If this was a ploy by Gabriel to get his hands on the will, why hadn't he already? Perhaps, there was a clause in there, somewhere. She suspected that document was going to come in handy later.

The pitter-patter of feets making their way into the room from the closet had her snapping out of her thoughts to behold the half-naked man that stood directly in her eye view. She let her eyes admire the physique, taking in as much of the delicious looking hunk as she could, before pursing her lips and lying on the bed to face the other side, a loud hissing sound depicting her anger.

She was not in the mood for his sexual blessings even if her traitorous body craved it. He had failed to keep his end of the deal last weekend and she had to let him know so in clear terms.

The soft caress of large calloused hands on her feet almost made her jerk at the electrifying contact, so she clamped her eyes --and her mouth-- tightly shut and drifted off thinking about her covert operations.

To her shock, the hands began to move, trailing nerve racking sparks along the paths they went. From her leg, to past her thigh and up, but when they were accompanied by a wet lick on her earlobe, it nearly had her gasping. The lick got bolder, nibbling at the tender flesh delicately, causing tingles to travel all over her body.

Playing with the hem of flowery dress that ended at mid thigh, his fingers pushed it up slightly before going under it, gliding and slithering upwards to the junction they both knew called for them. She bit her lips when the wet sensation abandoned her earlobe to take a playful bite at her neck, suckling on the flesh there.

Gina knew this was not a battle she could possibly hope to win, but fighting him off as long as she could was her strategy. So, she adjusted on the bed to lie on her back, and the fingers shifted marginally in their proposed direction.

The deep rumble against her neck was enough to tell her he caught unto her game. She tilted her head to watch him chuckle some more at her antics, before focusing his full attention on her.

"Hey, beautiful. Are you angry with me?"

A retort would have simmered her anger down completely, and seconds later she'd be dragging him down into a kiss, so she hissed instead, turning slightly to face away from him. The temptation to reply being snuffed out immediately.

"I'm sorry, okay. Last week's incident was out of my control. I was so busy with work that I cut off outside distractions, including my phone. I would have been there if I remembered."

She scoffed loudly just to irritate him. Truth was she wasn't annoyed at him, at least not because of his absence. This was a clearly a contract, not some co-parenting situation, but with everything she had discovered these past two weeks, she was beginning to have real reasons to hate the man.

"What do I need to do to make it up to you?" His low mumble irked her in a manner she didn't comprehend.

"I don't care. After you missed your son's ultrasound last Saturday, I'm not sure I want you to do anything, Gabriel Asika. Now, go take a cold shower and leave me alone."

She heard him mutter that 'it was a boy' repeatedly, and curiosity had her adjusting on the bed to enquire, only to come face to face with an ear-splitting grin on his features. She could tell he was beyond elated at the news; she even suspected he'd make a happy dance just to express himself better.

Feeling generous, she sat up on the bed before adjusting to lift her gown up, exposing her belly. Reaching over to link their fingers together, she placed it over her protruding bump where stretchmarks were beginning to appear, watching a flicker of confusion and awe cross his face at the action.

"You can say hello to your son now. The good doctor was absolutely sure he can hear you, and encouraged you conversing with him frequently. That way, he'd easily recognise your voice and bond with you from the minute he's born."

"I read about that..."

"Will you shut up and say hello to him before I change my mind?"

Grinning at her command, he saluted in mock respect before adjusting on the bed to place his head close to her belly. However, when he got close, she saw him pause repeatedly, as if lost on what to say.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head slightly, before turning to stare at her, "I don't know what to say."

"You can tell him you're investing a lot of money in making sure he gets here safely." She offered carelessly, shrugging at the idea.

He flashed her a wry humour. "I am, aren't I?"

She nodded, itching to caress his smooth face. His absence these two weeks had left a dent on her heart when it shouldn't. The man was beginning to etch himself on her feelings. And fast.

"What's wrong?" The expression of hurt on his features didn't settle well with her and she couldn't explain why.

"I don't want to be a terrible parent, but I'm already starting off badly by missing this obviously important ultrasound."

She didn't know what to tell him, so she swallowed the lump lodged against her throat. She hadn't meant what she said to him in the closet. It was all an act at cover-up. "You're not going to be a terrible parent. Being a first time parent is not a day's job. Besides, you know how to have fun, so at least he'd have lots of fun with you while growing up."

He returned her smile with a wide grin. "I agree that I am fun-loving, and now I know what I must do to make it up to you for doing this."

The wink he flashed her way made her raise her guard up. "If it's sex, forget it. Being pregnant has waned my sexual appetite, and attraction towards you."

"I wasn't going to suggest that, but thank you for telling me," he mumbled, averting his eyes. "But I was thinking, let's go out. You're obviously unhappy, so let's go do something fun. Hopefully, you remember how committed I am to making sure you laugh all day."

"And then you'll ruin it by being cheesy and all handsy on me. I will break that your beautiful skillful fingers if they try to touch me."

He chuckled, raising said hands in silent surrender. "They will not touch you suggestively at all today. But, can I at least get to kiss you and hold your hand?"

Of course, he could, she admitted with a smile. She would never really deny him a kiss, but he didn't understand the difference between a chaste kiss and an invitational kiss, and then with a crushing acceptance, she concurred that neither did she.

"You can if I get to choose where we'll go," she argued, pushing her gown down to cover her bump when she noticed his gaze stray towards the junction at her legs. "If I leave you to choose, you'll probably carry sombori to amusement park."

"This night?" He was incredulous, laughter erupting at the stare-down she gave him. "Come on, give me some credit. I know the sports centre invite wasn't exactly romantic but I know some nice spots we could visit if you let me."

She tilted her head to study him, briefly wondering why he chose those specific words right now but attributed it to the simple fact that he was working on her feelings. "Forget any romantic nonsense this night. I'm still angry with you to act civil in public places. And I know it will not be funny when I break a ceramic plate on your head mid dinner."

He chuckled, the imagination more amusing than fatal. "I guess our dates are never without accidents, but you're right. I do not want to be removing traces of hot soup from my head tonight."

Happy that she had discouraged him from going ahead with the date idea, she adjusted on the headboard, her phone in hand as she video-called her sister who was still enjoying life in Dubai. By the time the call ended, Gina was certain Rissa got the better deal with Gabriel.

Gabriel sauntered out the closet an hour later whistling happily as he strapped in a gold wristwatch. One sly look at him and Gina knew they were back to square one. From his ensemble, it was obvious the man was determined to make good his promise of a fun night.

After a full half hour of debate, Gina succumbed to his prodding --and mini threats-- but not before insisting on choosing where they went for fun. So, it was a great satisfaction for her when his jaw dropped at the idea of a walk to the major road.

Following arguments about the dangers of the half kilometre trek on her and the baby, Gabriel reluctantly agreed to the evening jog --an emotional blackmail involving the baby being the precursor.

"So, what are we doing for fun?" She piped up once they were a few metres from the house. The duo was dressed in a matching grey joggers and hoodies paired with black converses, with her baby bump looking more pronounced in the baggy hoodie.

"I was thinking a rematch of our famous deal, but this time we choose different stakes," he replied, slowing his pace to allow her waddle up to him.

"You lost our last deal, so you can't flaunt your abilities as if you could have won if you wanted to."

"I purposely lost to you," he clarified stoically. "There was no way I'd allow you to try to get me to fall in love with you. You won't be staying here along, and that would ultimately be a waste of valuable time and resources."

She itched to slap off the smug grin plastered on her face but stuck her hands in her pockets instead and going silent. The walk continued, with each lost in thought until she picked up on what he said. Or more accurately, what he didn't.

"You're scared I would have made you fall in love with me."

"You're welcome to try, but don't get crazy and try to hook me to you when it doesn't work out, as your species have been known to do in the past."

"Our species were only trying out their luck and you should have been more receptive. Who knows, you might be madly in love with a member of our specie right now."

"I already told you that it would not work. I've not had a good experience at the hands of women in all my near thirty years on this earth."

"Yes, that is a given. But what if the situation was different? What if your experience wasn't so tragic? Would you be happily in love right now?"

She watched his brow crease at the question and knew it was not a possibility he would ordinarily consider. "I'm not sure I understand your question."

"I'm a dreamer," she said, sighing as her romantic heart fluttered slightly. "I like to imagine that love is for everybody irrespective of our ugly pasts. It's one of the reasons why Lilah and some girls at the strip club hated me cause I'd always go on and on about long overflowing wedding gowns and my really tall husband. But then I'll crash back to reality and accept the cards fate dealt to me. But, per chance, things took a different direction when we were younger, if a particular someone had taken a different decision, I'd probably be married now with three sons, or falling in love for the very first time to a fellow baker or a charming CEO."

"There are a lot of reasons why this idea of a different life won't hold water." His response was curt and dismissive.

She scowled at him, barely refraining from smacking him. "I'd like to think it will."

"No, it won't," he interjected strongly and unrelenting. "Letting life flow in whatever direction it pleases is attracting chaos to yourself, and human beings are quite horrible at managing disorder. I have always had my life planned out so I don't have derails and it has been smooth-sailing and stress-free to say the least. Even your pregnancy was mapped out exactly to a Tee. If you didn't give me a son, there is someone else I already have screened out, and to avoid this delay, I'm in contact with the best fertility doctor for the perfectly planned XY artificial insemination."

"Wow! You're unbelievable!"

He forged on mercilessly, ignoring her shocked expression. "But, the good news is that you're having a son, so our agreement will continue."

Flabbergasted, Gina could only pause and stare open-mouthed at him. Unable to comprehend the reasoning behind his words, she ignored him and continued to walk ahead, whistling aloud. Catching onto her antics, he chuckled slowly before walking up to fall in step beside her.

"But, if things were different, and I lived a different sort of life where I didn't have to control my actions and decisions meticulously, I don't know what I'd be doing right now."

"Really?" It was a possibilty with someone like him but it still confuzzled her all the same. "There's not a memory that stands out, probably something or someone special you refused to acknowledge because it didn't fit into any of your meticulous plans?"

He frowned deeply as he reviewed her words carefully before replying. "Well, there is this one memory. I was twenty-one then, fresh graduate looking to conquer the world and all that bullshit. I foolishly believed I was out from under my father's dictatorship and could do as I pleased." The slight shake of his head clued her in on what he thought of his younger self.

"Anyway, there was this tomboy who had frizzy hair and loved to dance in the rain and I made plans to go see her as we had never met. Meanwhile, my timeline was short and I had to use it wisely. I found myself calculating the times so I could see her whenever. The day I actually let fate decide we would meet, I found myself and this tomboy being separated by a big river, and you know my aquaphobia story. The next day, I got called back because I was needed at home, and I never did go back to find her."

"Wow! She could have been your one and only." Gina was more into the fairytale than in the reality of the story.

"In an alternate universe where fate ruled everything, yes, I could probably have fallen in love with her. But if she and I had ended up together at that age, I would have been disowned, and she'd be burdened with a man who would have to toil endlessly just to get enough for her daily needs only. I would have made her life very miserable."

She didn't agree with his reasoning in anyway but the determination on his face told her this was not a point he'd bother exploring, most especially not when it was clear how much he'd sacrifice to get his hands on that will. Forgoing the discussion, she sighed heavily, "You really must have everything under your control, huh?"

"I hope now you understand."

The walk had gotten to the major road and cars were piling up following the evening rush-hour. Hawkers and Pedestrians alike paraded the busy road, adding a dramatic colourful tint to the monochrome order of flashy cars and the dull yellow tint of commercial buses.

Gabriel frowned at the buzz, wishing he had put his foot down when she insisted on this ridiculous idea. But before he could voice his concerns, she was already dragging him through another street which was lined with food kiosks and food cafeterias.

"I was thinking we do a food challenge instead of a technical dare. It's easy, it's fast and I won't be stressing the baby." She announced chirpily.

"We're miles away from home. How do we get food?"

"Have roadside restaurants disappeared? Besides, I'm craving ewa agoyin. This pizza and shawarma nonsense is beginning to annoy me and the baby."

Chuckling at the way she scrunched up her face in disgust, he guided her to a cafeteria, promptly ordering beans for her and a glass of chilled water for himself which amused her tremendously. 

Soon, they were blessed with a healthy dose of the meal, and Gina promptly dug in, thoroughly relishing the meal. Once she was done, she told him to 'order a foam' as she was too full to move a muscle. His response had been to exit the cafeteria.

The walk home wasn't palatable for either of them. Her feet were hurting, and to punish her, Gabriel had deliberately refused to order a taxi or request for his driver, so she clung to him tightly, nearing dragging him down with all her weight.

"So you would rather not experience love than loose everything?" She asked as they neared the house, panting heavily.

His aristocratic pose was impeccable. "Those who risk everything for love are fools. I'd never commit such foolery, even if my life depended on it."

"I get the feeling your life depend on putting people who are in love down, like that Amelia girl for example. She was in love, wasn't she? That's why you acted rashly with her child when you found out she was sleeping around."

"Your change of topic is beyond amazing. Weren't we discussing that love shouldn't be for fools?"

"Yes, we are, but then my mind can wander on its own, can't it? You see, what you told me sometime ago had me in knots. Riddle me this, was Amelia falling in love somehow endanger your plans, most especially when she pinned the pregnancy on you?"

"Where did you hear this version of the story from? The maids?" He laughed at her speculation, making her feel a little foolish.

"It doesn't matter. The question is, did her loving you ruin everything you've ever worked hard for, so to punish her, you took her child away?"

"You're grasping at straws here. She wasn't in love with me. Rather, she was stupidly in love with my brother, and believe you me, loving him was detrimental in every way."

"How could her loving someone be detrimental?" She would never understand his reasoning.

"Because I got caught up in the web of lies that she had weaved. She tried to string two brothers along with her pregnancy, turning us against each other. However, like I said, she was stupid and so I had an upper on her, using her child as a bargaining chip. That way, every threat was thwarted."

"You're heartless!"

"I am smart!" He retorted unflinchingly. "She wanted to ruin everything by acting impulsively based on love. If I hadn't stepped in at that moment, she would have created a disaster."

The need to defend her sister from this callous man had never felt more strongly to Gina than now. "I don't think you had any right whatsoever to meddle in her relationship with your brother. They were in love and you shouldn't have taken away her child from her because you were hurt by her so-called betrayal!"

If her words took him by surprise, she couldn't tell in the dimly lit walkway they were standing on, but she hoped she'd struck a nerve.

"Well, you thought wrong," his voice was curt, sounding amused, and she couldn't help wondering where the humour in her words lay. "Contrary to what you believe, I wasn't hurt by her betrayal, and I had every right to meddle in their relationship. Like I said, she would have made a terrible mess out of everything, so I gave her the option of cleaning her mess by giving the child up for adoption herself. I was only giving the poor child a new lease on life."

The sneer in his tone worried her, and she wished she could get a psych evaluation of his mental state.

"All this talk about being in control seems to me that your ego was bruised, and badly too. But if you claim that wasn't the case, then tell me honestly why you took her child away from her. Why did you do it?"

He paused to regard her, his eyes watching hers, the amusement gleaming in his eyes unwavering as he studied her features, reaching out long fingers to stroke her soft skin. When he kept mute, the only break in the silent atmosphere being her ragged breathing at being this close to him, she wrote his reply off as a forgone alternative.

"I'm not sure why I did it," he murmured, his voice steady, not an inkling of confusion lacing it. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was playing with her intelligence. Or possibly her emotions when her heart peaked up at their closeness.

"Maybe I did it to punish her for being a manipulative girl," he whispered slowly, his voice electrifying her body, as his fingers travelled from her cheek to trace her nose, past it and across her lips to come pause under her bottom lip. "Or I did it to protect my family against the pain her betrayal would have caused," he added, his thumb tracing her full bottom lips that were begging for his attraction.

Her lips parted involuntarily, and her eyes fluttered shut when he lowered his head to align his lips with hers. "Or, I did it quite simply for the fun of it."

He crashed his lips to hers.

~~~~~~~~~

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'll say it. Gabriel is a p____. I just don't understand the guy.

(Hint: a five letter word).

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