Page 29 of The Unwanted Wife

"What’s the problem, then?" I survey her features, which fill the screen of my phone. I immersed myself in work after Arthur left. Only to surface two hours later to the realization I should call my fiancée—my fiancée?—and update her on the status of the wedding.

She looks away, then back at me. There’s hesitation on her features.

"Tell me," I order.

She draws in a breath; then brings the spatula she’s been using to mix the dessert she’s been working on to her mouth. She uses her finger to wipe some batter from the spatula, then licks the mixture, and every part of me tightens. I can’t take my gaze off how she moves it around with her tongue, then swallows. My cock extends. My balls harden. I shift around in my chair, looking for a more comfortable position. When she still doesn’t answer, I glare at her. "What is it? I don’t have all day to guess what you’re thinking."

She huffs, then looks away.

"You going to tell me, or do I have to come there and kiss it out of you?"

"Excuse me?" She jerks her chin in my direction. "Did you say?—"

"Kiss it out of you? Yes."

She gapes. "B-but this is not a real relationship."

"To the outside world, it is."

She wrinkles her nose. "It’s only the two of us right now."

"I’m practicing." Tell that to my dick, which insists this is the real deal.

"Hmm…" she scowls. "So, the last time you kissed me?—"

"I wanted to learn the shape of your mouth, so when I kiss you on our wedding day, I won’t be surprised." That the best you can come up with? You’re a loser, make no mistake.

She flushes, and her lips part. Her pupils dilate, and I know she’s turned on. She looks away, then back at me. "I… uh… I…" She shakes her head. "What was I saying?" She sounds dazed.

Satisfaction warms my chest. It’s my words causing her to lose her train of thought. I manage to keep the smile off of my face. "You were going to tell me why you’re not happy at the thought of a small wedding ceremony with just the two of us in attendance?"

I must distract her enough that this time she says without hesitation, "I was hoping to have my friends there and—" Someone speaks in the background, she turns to the side, and a smile lights up her features. "Hey, Knox."

Knox? I stiffen. What is my half-brother doing there? We're supposed to meet right about now, and— My phone pings with an incoming message.

Knox: I’m stopping by to say hello to your lovely fiancée.

Knox: Not that I’m asking for your permission.

Knox: I might buy a bunch of pastries while I’m here. Aren’t her Sweet Bits delicious?

What. The. Fuck?

"You won’t be without friends on your wedding day," Knox’s voice grows louder. The next moment, he appears on the screen behind my fiancée. "I’ll be there."

14

Skylar

"That’s a nice thing to say." I glance sideways at Knox.

Traffic to the shop was unusually low today, so when Knox wandered in, I used it as an excuse to close early. I asked him to switch the sign to closed and turn off the lights in the front. I also invited him to help himself to some pastries, then join me in the bakery kitchen so I could talk to him as I experimented on another recipe.

This batter has aphrodisiacs in it. And no, it's not for my wedding cake. Okay, so it is for my wedding cake. Doesn’t mean I'm stressing about my upcoming nuptials. Okay, I definitely am, but I don’t want to admit it.

When my phone rang and I saw Nate’s name on the FaceTime call, I jumped to answer it. I wanted to hear his voice and see his face. Thankfully, Knox had been distracted by the array of deserts in the front, so he was too far away to hear me talk about my marriage arrangement with Nate. Speaking of?—

I glance down at my phone to find he’s disconnected. "How rude." And he didn’t say goodbye.

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