Page 55 of Married to My Grumpy Minotaur Boss

That dampens a little of my excitement until we open the door.

Even the entryway is fancy. It’s the fanciest place I’ve ever stayed by a mile.

“Carry your bride over the threshold!” someone on the crew calls out.

Of course, they’re filming.

Ronan scoops me up and lowers his head to step over the doorstep with me in his arms. My belly lurches in a way that has nothing to do with being plucked off my feet and everything to do with the strong hold and the firm muscles of his huge arms. When he sets me down in the open plan living area, my heart is definitely beating faster.

“Let’s get you settled in,” he says without stepping back or releasing me.

“Um... OK.” Ugh, why do I sound like a timid little mouse every time he looks at me?

He leads me through the corridor, stops and opens a door dramatically. It’s a cupboard.

I know he’s trying to pretend this place is his for the cameras and I can’t help smothering a laugh. “Nice towels.”

“Hmm. You’ll need them when you take a spa.”

Yeah, I’m not laughing anymore. I’m dreaming about long sessions in the spa while I’m on vacation not working.

Ronan lowers his voice. “Pretty sure there’s a bathroom around here somewhere.”

I walk to the next door and reach for the handle. “What’s in here?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ronan mutters under his breath.

I open it and gasp out loud when it reveals the sumptious bedroom with enormous windows looking out over the city. The room is bright, with huge windows letting in all the natural light. In real life, the bed is huge! It’s bigger than a king size. So muchbigger than it looked in the photos. This room is what made me rent this place.

“No need for a chair here.” Ronan gives me a little nudge and awareness sizzles all through my core.

My heart really skips a beat when I walk into the massive ensuite and remember the shower, complete with two showerheads and the enormous spa bath. A girl could get lost in this bathroom.

“I trust everything is to your satisfaction?”

I nod, dumbly, taking it all in. “It’s amazing. Thank you.”

Ronan grunts. “Good. Time to get all dressed up. We have a dinner reservation.”

“Oh! Where are they sending us?” I can’t remember Amy saying anything about it, but perhaps she spoke to Ronan this morning.

Ronan smiles. “I am taking us to The Waterfront.”

He moves away to unpack his luggage before I can properly thank him. I’m stunned by how thoughtful it was for him to book such a fancy place to take me out to dinner. At least that’s what he implied. Maybe it was Amy after all and it’s all part of the program. I’m starting to have trouble telling what’s real and what’s fake and it’s throwing me.

I never thought I’d be in this position with Ronan Kernos.

Not in a million years. I want to relax and enjoy it, but a small part of me is still waiting for him to get angry with something I say or do, waiting for the moment I annoy him too much. Even if I don’t, I can’t let myself sink into this. It’s only temporary. If I let myself enjoy it too much, it’s going to be hard to give it up when the week ends and we go back to the way things were.

How on earth am I supposed to go back to the way things were after this?

The restaurant Ronan chose is right on the water. I mean, of course, it is. It’s called Waterfront.

We’re greeted at the door by a tall water nymph with the most beautiful blue skin and eyes like deep pools stirred by a cool breeze. She leads us to our table.

We round a corner and step down to a lower level. The glass windows here go all the way to the floor and the restaurant appears to float. In the reflections in the glass against the dark of the night sky and water, it’s hard to tell which lights are the candles inside the restaurant and which are street lamps or boat lights or stars. They all seem to blend into one dreamy effect and I’m swimming in it.

We sit opposite each other. There’s silence for a moment while the waitress lights a candle. Across the table, Ronan gives me a slow, seductive smile with a subtle tilt of his brow just like this is exactly what he’s been waiting for all day.

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