Page 90 of A Temporary Forever

I wonder about it even more when, dejected by the lack of resolution for my problem this meeting gave me, I pull my phone out and call the one person who I instinctively know might not have a solution, but will give me some comfort.

Celeste shows up half an hour later, her beautiful figure clad in a pencil skirt and a blouse with a plunging neckline. She’s delicious.

“You got changed.” I kiss her cheeks when the club hostess leaves her at my table.

“I needed a shower after testing my new amazing dance studio.” She shimmies her shoulders, beaming,but then turns serious. “Don’t worry, I’m wearing the underwear you requested.” She takes a seat beside me and a shiver runs down my spine.

“Thank you for coming on a whim like this.” I take her hand, kissing her knuckles.

She smirks. “Don’t get used to it. I’m still buttered up after you changed an entire room for me.”

Fuck, I did change a room for her. Like she’s there to stay. I shake my head. Mia can practice there as well, after all.

Craning her neck, she scans the large members-only restaurant through the arched opening of our private dining area. “So this is where the most powerful men of Manhattan meet?”

I chuckle. “Some of them are the most powerful in the world.”

“Don’t say that, because you’ll have to get me an unlimited guest pass.”

“You can come anytime as my guest.” I run my hand up her back, enjoying the subtle shiver my touch elicits.

“Good. Imagine who I can meet here. I plan to marry up after our divorce.”

She’s teasing me, but the idea curls my fingers into fists. Oblivious to my reaction, she gasps. “Is that Andrea Cassinetti?”

I turn in the direction of her gaze, and sure enough, the famous artist is glaring at the man across from him.

Celeste is all giddy beside me, like the fucker’s some kind of celebrity. Enough is enough.

“Eyes on me,” I growl.

She whips her head to me, and I expect her usual sass, but instead, her eyes shine with something I can’t quite name.

It’s raw. Primal. Full of heat.

Like my claim aroused her, but also surprised her. We stare at each other for a moment, the room fading into the background, my current problems turning frail, a distant vexation.

And then her face transforms into the brightest, warmest, most radiant smile, and it hits my chest with a spellbinding intensity.

She is irresistible with her cheeks flushed, the green in her eyes glimmering, and wearing the underwear I selected for her.

She hasn’t screamed my name yet, stubborn woman, but right now, in this moment, she feels like mine. And for the second time today, I wonder just how fake this marriage is.

The implication of that thought seems to fill the space between us, because Celeste blinks and recoils—it’s a brief change in her facade, but I notice.

And a part of me is grateful she broke the spell.

She squares her shoulders. “Is this a booty call, pretty boy?”

“Don’t give me ideas.” I glance at the room outside our little enclave. Private enough.

The server comes to take Celeste’s order, and I take the interruption to set my head straight.

Pulling my phone out, I find the Merged announcement and show it to Celeste. She scans the page, her eyes widening, and then she frowns.

“I didn’t know you signed the deal.”

“I didn’t.”

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