Page 30 of Emergency Engagement

Even so, Rafael agreed with her. Itdidfeel as though they were on a slippery slope, but what confused him was that the slippery slope wasn’t the result of this small complication. An inebriated, vengeful ex-girlfriend could say what she liked. Neither he nor Sammy had admitted anything about heading down the aisle any time soon, and if anyone else mentioned that at any point he knew that he could always laugh it off.

No, the slippery slope was what was happening inside him: the wild excitement he was getting from Sammy playing the part of his devoted girlfriend; the sneaky enjoyment he got from the blurring of those lines between reality and fantasy. It surprisedhim, but when he thought about it stopping some crazy desire in him refused to see common sense.

Even now, discussing Victoria and her malicious interjection with no one around to witness anything, he still wanted to reach out and brush his hand against her cheek to feel the cool smoothness of her skin against his palm.

He balled his fists and gulped down some whisky.

Sammy didn’t seem to notice his turmoil; in fact, she seemed to be deep in thought. ‘You’re right,’ she said eventually.

‘So we’re good?’ Rafael asked, snapping back to the present.

‘It’s just a week.’

‘I could have a quiet word with Clement as a precaution...mention that we’re both very private people who would rather our relationship remain private before any official announcements are made.’

‘What about everyone else?’

‘I very much doubt any of them has any interest in broadcasting anything. Victoria is the loose cannon but if Clement passes on my words of caution, then have no fear, she’ll listen to him.’

Strip away any media coverage a vindictive ex might spread, pretend that was never going to happen, and things still seemed to have shifted. The game felt a whole lot more serious now. The physical contact...the urge to touch... It felt as though there might be quicksand under his feet...

‘What do you see in them, Rafael?’

‘Come again?’

‘Victoria...all those models you go out with...what do you see in them? I mean, Victoria might have been a little screwed up and got hold of the wrong end of the stick with you, but those are the sort of women you date, aren’t they? Models—a rich man with no other wish than to have a shiny bauble on his arm, like Clement. Although, I feel that Clement will soon tire of his shinybauble because he knows what it’s like to have the real deal at his side. But you, Rafael... I just don’t get it.’

Rafael shook his head in a cobweb-clearingkind of way, but her eyes remained steady when he finally looked at her.

‘You don’t have to answer that,’ she said abruptly. ‘This is a pretend relationship, and in pretend relationships two people don’t have to do anything but pretend to be attracted to one another and pretend to know each other’s history.’

She began rising to her feet and he impulsively reached out to stay her. Why? He was as surprised by the gesture as she seemed to be, although she slowly sat back down and stared at him. Those amazing eyes, he thought distractedly. How could green, calm, slightly curious eyes be so distracting?

‘It’s complicated,’ he heard himself mutter.

‘Life’s complicated,’ Sammy returned. ‘Look at where the pair of us are right now! Two people who couldn’t be at further ends of the pole when it comes to...just about everything.’ She paused. ‘What’s complicated?’

‘I didn’t want to end up like my dad.’

‘What on earth do you mean?’

‘He sold his soul to a woman and that woman took him for a ride. The woman was my mother. When my dad and I moved to your part of the world, I was in a pretty rough place. My mother had dumped the marriage in favour of a guy with a lot more money and my father fell apart at the seams—as if someone had pulled a vital piece of thread that had made the whole shoddy garment unravel. I picked up the pieces, and realised that it was no good handing over your soul to any woman, because the end of that road might not be what you had in mind. So, yes, I date models because I like knowing what I’m getting into. I enjoy the fact that they like my money. I can handle that.’

‘Your poor dad. I wish I’d known him a little better. He always seemed so polite and quiet.’

‘He was a broken man. I prefer to go through life in one piece. Don’t get me wrong—I love my father very much—but that never made me blind to his faults.’

‘He was just someone who trusted,’ Sammy said gently. ‘Which isn’t a crime. What’s love but a leap of faith?’

‘Which,’ Rafael drawled, rising to his feet and shoving his hands in the pockets of his black jeans, ‘makes me realise just how perfect this arrangement between us is. No leap of faith, and we both know exactly where we stand.’

Sammy smiled back at him and stood up, brushing away some non-existent crumbs from her dress.

‘I should stay down here for a bit and supervise what to do with the leftover food. I don’t want anything to go to waste.’

Rafael nodded. ‘Up to you,’ he said gruffly. He raked his fingers through his hair and shifted. Yes, she should stay down here...but he didn’t want her to. He wanted her right by him, near him. Was he feeding this attraction? It was a disturbing thought and one he wanted to dismiss straight away. Boundaries were needed, and distance—none of this unholy want that overtook all his common sense.

‘Yes, it is. So, I’ll be up when I’m up, and Rafael...? You’re right. Nothing to see here, as far as Victoria and her mischief-making goes, but it would be a good idea to say something to Clement just in case. And as for thisthingbetween us, this arrangement? It works well because we know the boundary lines between us and there are no leaps of faith to be made.’

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