Page 84 of The Plus One Contract

Richard nods, turning to Julian. “Let’s hear more about how we’ll incorporate her ideas, or at least the principles behind them.”

That’s it. They’re back to business talk, with me perched between them like a wildcard. Nathan’s hand stays on my thigh, and I try not to squirm.

It doesn’t work.

The conversation whirls around expansions and brand narratives, but a small corner of my mind drifts.

The memory of everything that happened yesterday flares up.

I steel my spine. I need to focus. This is about impressing Crane. I can’t afford to get lost in the fact that my heart flips every time Nathan glances my way or that I might’ve just saved an entire multi-million-dollar deal with a few well-chosen words.

I feel his thumb stroke slowly once, a subtle caress that sends a hot jolt through me before he removes his hand. My leg tingles where his warmth was. When I chance a look at him, he’s already leaning in to respond to Crane’s next query, all confidence and composure.

I realize that he’s good at this game of illusions, but so am I. We both survived something messy yesterday and walked away intact. Now we’re here, side by side, forging a partnership that’s half-truth, half-lie, and completely more than either of us bargained for.

I take a careful breath, trying to quell the flutter in my chest. Nathan is more than a partner in a business scheme. He’s a man with scars deeper than I knew. He’s also the same man who just looked at me like I’m the only person in the room. That mix of vulnerability and swagger is lethal to my carefully erected boundaries.

Still, I remind myself that this is a performance. A performance that’s feeling dangerously close to reality, because whether I like it or not, I’m starting to see him, the raw him beneath the suits.

I press my lips together. In a few hours, we’ll leave this glamorous event, hopefully with a sealed deal. For now, I focus on the conversation, carefully controlling my breathing, occasionally chiming in when Richard or Eleanor glances my way.

I ignore the rapid beat of my heart whenever I sense Nathan’s gaze drifting back to me because if I let myself feel it—really feel it—I might forget every rule we set in place.

Thirty-One

The night air is a relief against my overheated skin. My veins still buzz from the adrenaline of it all. I feel alive. My pulse is still hammering, my thoughts spinning so fast I can barely catch them.

Nathan is beside me, a steady presence as he, Julian, and I make our way onto the sidewalk outside the hotel. Overhead, the city lights gleam while well-dressed people filter out from the lobby.

Julian runs a hand through his hair. “You are unbelievable,” he tells me. “Seriously. Is this really fake? I might try and steal you for myself.”

I let out a breathless laugh, flattered, but before I can form a witty comeback, I feel Nathan press a warm, possessive hand to the small of my back.

He’s always so intense with these small touches. So unyielding, like he needs to keep me physically close. A flicker of heat zips through my spine.

Julian’s gaze drops, noting the exact spot where Nathan’s fingers burn into me.

A part of me knows I should step away, keep the boundaries we agreed on.

But I don’t move.

I don’t want to.

Julian’s grin stretches wider, eyes dancing. “I mean it, Sienna. You killed it in there.”

I shake my head, still breathless, still riding the high. “You think?”

He shoots me an emphatic nod. “Oh, I know. I’ve been trying to get Crane to move on this deal for months, and you practically closed it in one conversation.”

Nathan hums in agreement. “Things went well,” he says, and I glance up to catch him looking at me with that dark, assessing gaze. Like he’s trying to figure me out all over again.

I’m not sure how I feel about being studied so closely, but the sparks in my belly betray me.

“Mr. Calloway. Mr. Blackwood.”

Crane’s voice slices through the night air like a polished blade. We turn in unison to see him a few feet away, approaching with the same unhurried ease that screams power. Julian and Nathan shift into a more professional stance, but I stay frozen, heart still pounding.

Crane extends his hand first, shaking Nathan’s, then Julian’s. “I was hoping to catch you before you left,” he says. My heart leaps, a coil of tension wrapping around my lungs.

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