Gael's Naughty Angel: A Mafia Prince Romance

Gael could only stare at Angela after what she said. He certainly wanted what she wanted too. But how exactly were they supposed to make the most out of the remaining hours? He kept his gaze locked at hers, waiting for her to tell him what she wanted.

She shifted her body to the right so that she was diagonally facing the bonfire with her back nearly touching his shoulder. The sun had already set, so the place had darkened, and the lamp posts illuminated the resort.

He knew that they could never happen—she couldn't be with him for reasons he already knew even though they hadn't talked about anything yet. If Angela weren't Angela, everything wouldn't have been like a push and pull for them. She was a bright light that could never live in his dark world—like an innocent soul that he was afraid to taint. He'd never forgive himself if he were the reason to break her peaceful and innocent world.

Gael clenched his hand when the urge to touch her rushed through him. He found what he was feeling quite strange. If it were any of the women from his past, he wouldn't have thought twice about even just placing a hand or an arm around the waist. But for some reason, he was restraining himself so hard when it came to Angela. And he was sure that he wasn't being shy about it… If anything, it was probably out of fear. Maybe he was afraid that if he let himself, he wouldn't be able to stop.

Besides, one-night-stands for him were always just that—a one night only. He never gets into relationships after just that. A big no-no in his book—even if he had shared a kiss with the subject last night. He swallowed. 

So this was probably for the best. He would try to keep a safe distance. 'This should pass…' he thought.

Little did he know that while he was in deep thoughts, Angela thought the same. Whatever this was between them, she concluded that this was nothing but a mere weekend fling. A long weekend fling. Something that she could wake up from and move on as soon as she gets back home. It was inevitable that they had moments because they were stuck on the island. 

A fling that made her stay on the island worthwhile. A fling that made her forget her worries back home. A fling that made her write again. A fling that made her remember how fun it was just to spend a day without problems. A fling that made her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter. A fling that made her realize who she was again. 'Yes, Gael is just a fling, right, Angela?' she asked in her head. And all flings must come to an end.

He watched the back of her head and noticed her taking a deep breath as though she was trying to calm herself down. His brows slightly furrowed, and he was just about to inch closer towards her when a loud explosion in the sky surprised them both.

Gael and Angela looked up at the night sky and saw the fireworks go off. Bright, colorful sparks glowed and blazed the night—so beautiful and jaw-dropping. She initially flinched when the first explosion happened, but seeing the dazzling scene from above, she calmed down, and a beaming smile ghosted her face.

"Beautiful," she murmured under her breath.

And he agreed while looking right at her. "Mm."

The reflection of the fireworks made her eyes sparkle, and he couldn't help but pull the corners of his mouth into a smile. Even little things like this made her smile. She was so easy to please.

Angela turned her head and met his stare, "You know… I haven't crashed a wedding…"

A sight from the side caught his attention, and Gael shifted his gaze towards it only to see a wedding reception at the beach. There were more than a hundred guests with their toes in the sand; all dressed in casual white beach outfits with drinks in hand. They enjoyed the fireworks with smiles on their faces and the newlyweds stood on a platform while in each other's embrace. Just as the fireworks display was over, loud music blasted through the speaker, and the guests started dancing. 

Without thinking much, he grabbed her hand, brought her up as he stood, and said, "Then let's go crash one."

Angela barked out a laugh. She couldn't tell if she was the bad influence or Gael was. "I was going to ask you if you were game, but what the hell—I'll just say... I thought you'd never ask."

Soon, they headed towards the reception area. She went straight for the dance floor, pulling Gael with her. And without a care in the world, Angela began to dance in front of him, her hips circling and swaying, as were her hands as she moved to the song "Savage Love" by Jason Derulo.

~Savage love. Did somebody break your heart?

Lookin' like an angel, But your savage love~

She appeared to be already having so much fun when she had just started, the genuine smile on her face was evident. Lifting her gaze, Angela held both of Gael's hands and raised them as if she was asking him to dance with her while she sang the next lyrics, "When you kiss me, I know you don't give two fûcks… But I still want that… Your savage love!" 

She playfully slapped his arm and said through the loud music, "Oh, come on, loosen up! Dance with me!"

Gael stared right at her, but he did not say anything. Did she even realize what she was singing? Had she thought about what the words meant? Or was he just putting so much thought into it when she did not mean any of those?

Letting out a small sigh, he placed an arm around her waist and pulled her closer until they were chest to chest. Then, he ducked his head to the side of her face, his lips grazing against her skin as he whispered to her ear low and rough, "You're an enigma, Angel." 

And then he kissed the part just below her ear, sending jolts of shock straight through her core.