Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283

I was finishing the last button on my blouse when I heard Nate laughing softly behind me. I turned and found him watching as I tried to tame my hair, still slightly damp from the steam of the hot springs.

“What?” I asked, running my fingers through the strands in a hopeless attempt to fix them.

“Nothing,” he said, stepping closer to help, his fingers replacing mine as he gently smoothed a few stubborn pieces. “You just look… radiant.”

My face warmed a little. There was something about that underground chamber, something about what we’d shared there, that had created a whole new kind of intimacy between us. It felt like we’d crossed some kind of `threshold together.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to step into a normal pool again after this,” I said, taking one last look at the historic chamber before we left.

Nate finished fixing my hair and pulled me in for a quick but intense kiss.

“Then I guess I’d better keep the standard high,” he murmured against my lips, wearing that teasing smile that always made my stomach flip.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” I shot back, grabbing my bag and heading toward the stairs.

We left the Roman Baths through the same discreet entrance we’d come in through, Dr. Harrison greeting us politely and wishing us a wonderful Christmas. When we stepped out onto the street, Bath had transformed completely in the hour we’d spent underground.

The streets were lit with warm golden lights that cast magical halos around the old lampposts. Storefront windows glowed, showing off their elaborate Christmas decorations, and the sharp late-afternoon chill made the air feel crystalline. There were only a few pedestrians out, giving the whole city a calm, intimate atmosphere, like we were walking through a movie set.

“Have you always been this good at surprises?” I asked as we walked hand in hand along the stone streets, our steps echoing softly in the quiet Christmas Eve air.

“Only for the people who really matter,” he said, brushing a kiss against my temple.

The simplicity of his answer hit me harder than any grand declaration could have. There was a naked honesty to it, a sincerity that made me understand just how much I really meant to him.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, taking in the beauty of Bath glowing for Christmas. But something had been bothering me since dinner the night before, a feeling I couldn’t push aside any longer.

“Can I confess something?” I asked, stopping beside an ornamental fountain that reflected the golden streetlights.

“Always,” he said, turning fully toward me.

“I still feel a little out of place with your family,” I admitted, fidgeting with my bag strap. “Especially because of Tori. Zoey and I have always been close, so I kind of expected something similar with your sister… But she’s definitely ‘Team Alexandra.’

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Nate sighed, running a hand through his hair in that familiar gesture that told me he was sorting through his thoughts.

“Tori’s… complicated,” he said finally. “She’s made plans for her life that, unfortunately, involve things she shouldn’t be meddling in. Like me and Alexandra, for example. And the supposed benefit a Kensington would bring to our family.”

“She doesn’t understand that love isn’t something you can control?” I asked, frowning. “Has she never fallen in love for real, to get that?”

Nate hesitated for a moment, like he was deciding just how much to reveal.

“She had one crush in her life,” he said finally, and something in his tone made it clear there was more to that

story.

“Who?” I asked, curious. “Oh my God… Christian? That actually makes sense, you guys have been friends forever and-”

“No.” He cut me off. “Marcus Kensington.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“So that’s why you don’t like him!”

“It’s not that I don’t like him…” Nate began, but I beat him to it.

“Marcus’s a good guy,” I said, still laughing. “He just needs to drop this whole idea of what he calls ‘fun.””

“Fortunately, that’s not happening with my sister,” Nate replied with a half-smile. “And definitely not with you.”

“Of course not!” I declared, rising onto my toes to kiss him. “I’m completely yours.’

When we pulled apart, I glanced toward the Carters’ house.

“As for your sister…” I let the sentence drift, still amused.

We kept walking, this time toward his parents’ house. But just as we were getting close, Nate surprised me by turning down a different path.

“Where are we going?” I asked, curious.

“Just one more stop,” he said, guiding me down a narrow alley that opened onto a small stone bridge.

When we reached the center of the bridge, I understood why he’d brought me there. The view was breathtaking -the River Avon moved gently beneath us, reflecting the golden city lights like thousands of liquid stars. The silence was broken only by the soft rush of water and the cold night wind whispering through the riverside trees.

“This is where I used to come to think when I was a teenager,” Nate said, positioning himself behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Whenever I had problems at school, or when my parents were fighting about something, or when I felt lost about the future… I came here.”

I leaned back against his chest, the warmth of his body shielding me from the chill of the night.

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“And what did you think about?” I asked softly.

“About how I wanted my life to be,” he said, resting his chin on top of my head. “What kind of person I wanted to become, what kind of relationship I wanted… I could never picture the details clearly, but I always knew I wanted something real. Something worth it.”

We stayed there for a few minutes, just soaking in the quiet and the beauty of the view. It was one of those moments that crystallizes in your memory, the kind you know you’ll remember forever, even decades from now.

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” Nate said eventually, his voice low and thick with emotion.

I turned in his arms to face him, seeing my own reflection in his green eyes lit by the glow of the city.

“Me too,” I said, letting all the depth of my feelings slip into my voice. “More than I ever thought possible.”

He kissed me then-slow and deep, a kiss that tasted like future promises and perfect presents. When we finally pulled back, we just stood there looking at each other, breathing the same cold night air, sharing a moment of intimacy that went far beyond the physical.

It felt like we were standing on the edge of something bigger, something that would fundamentally change our lives. I could feel it in the air, in the way he looked at me, in the uneven way my heart thudded in my chest.

That’s when Nate drew a deep breath, like he was preparing to jump into the dark.

“Annie…” he began, his voice carrying a seriousness that caught my attention immediately. “I need to tell you something important.”

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