Page 61 of The Acquisition

A shiver ran down my back. Something told me Jana and I were already on borrowed time.

TWENTY-THREE

JANA

Itried to sleep, but thoughts of how Colt was dealing with Hans flirting with me plagued my mind. I would feel guilty if this deal went south because of tension between Colt and Hans.

I paced the large suite for a while, but that only made me more anxious. I started to make another pass through the room when the sound of the door opening halted me in my tracks.

Colt yanked at his tie as he entered the room. My heart thumped hard against my chest.

His jerky movements were either a sign the meeting went horribly wrong or he'd been drinking.

"It went that bad, huh?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes, then shrugged. "It started out bad, but we had a chat and worked it out."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Is ‘have a chat’ code for you did some caveman pissing ritual?"

"A pissing ritual?" He fought off a smirk. I'm glad he found me amusing.

I rolled my eyes. "You know, a claiming thing."

He dropped his head. "Would telling him we're married count as pissing on you?"

I groaned. "I thought we agreed not to tell anyone until we could tell Evie?"

A dark look fell over his face when he looked back up at me. "So you expected me to stand by and watch him hit on you and do nothing?"

"Of course not," I sputtered.

I reached out and grabbed his arms. The thick chords of muscles under my hands momentarily distracted me.

Colt smirked at me while I mindlessly ran my hands up his arms.

I shook my head to clear the fog of lust. "I don't know how we're supposed to handle this."

"We need to just tell her," he grumbled under his breath.

"Colt," my voice came out as more of a whine than I liked.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, but I'm sick of hiding us."

"I think you were right earlier."

Colt nodded his head. "Of course I was." His face scrunched up. It was rare to see him confused, but maybe that was what made his expression adorable to me.

"Remind me," he interrupted me appreciating him. "What was I right about?"

Stretching up onto my toes I kissed him gently on his lips. "While we're here we shouldn't hide what we are to each other."

Colt grabbed my waist. His touch seared my skin and his hazel eyes held me captive. "Does this mean you've accepted us? That we're more than just a business arrangement?"

I melted in his hold and nodded. I did know we were more, but there was a large distance between being a marriage of convenience and being in love. I was rapidly approaching the latter; hopefully he was right there with me.

It was clear he wanted me. I knew he was attracted to me, but could he be falling for me too? My hands trembled. Somehow we arrived at a fork in the road, and we had to decide which path to take.

One way would keep us safe was to stick to the arrangement we agreed on and I could guard my heart. The other path was fraught with danger, but the rewards were greater. Down that path we could have a life together. One where there were no guarantees, and the potential of a broken heart. But if we were able to overcome the obstacles, we could have everything.

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