Page 11 of Never Fake Date the Financier
5
ADRIAN
I shift in my seat,my pants uncomfortably tight as I focus on Ella. The sound of her laugh. Her flushed cheeks. Those soft lips I’d like to capture between my teeth before claiming her sweet mouth with my own…
She has no idea how insane she’s driving me.
The things I want to do to her.
The things Ishouldn’tdo to her.
And given the circumstances, I’d be an idiot to even consider it.
I swallow hard, leaning back as I loosen my tie around my neck. I need to calm down but that’s easier said than done with a goddess like her in front of me. Gorgeous. Stunning.
Mine.
I clear my throat. “I’ll draw up the paperwork.”
With Ella so close, it feels like I’m in a sauna. Everything’s hot. Everything’s aching. And every ounce of my being begs me to reach across this desk and capture her lips with mine. I must be losing my mind because I’ve never felt so out of control. I’m always calm. Always cool under pressure. But from the moment Ella slammed into me, I’ve been knocked off-kilter. And if she keeps looking at me like that, I’m not sure I’ll ever regain my balance.
“You’re joking.”
It’s less a question than a statement, and when her tongue slides across her cherry lips, I can’t proffer a response. Instead, a low, rough moan rumbles in my throat as my cock lurches against my fly. If she accepts—no,whenshe accepts—this wedding will be the ultimate test of my restraint.
“You’re not,” she mutters, eyes widening as she shakes her head. “You actually…”
Before I respond, she starts laughing again, but I don’t mind. I could listen to her all day, those sweet sounds as they cross even sweeter lips. Lips that I’ll be tasting soon enough. I’ll be sure it’s in the contract. How else can I ensure we sell a fake relationship than with a public kiss? But there’ll be plenty more private kisses. Private…
I swallow hard.
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard,” she says, taking in a few shaky breaths. “Thanks for that. Seriously. I had no idea you had such a comedic flair.”
I snort, clasping my hands as I lean forward. “Glad I could help. Now, as I was saying, I’ll draw up the paperwork and we can?—”
“I haven’t accepted,” she says, interjecting. “And what is with this company? First, the bait and switch, and now this? You want me to believe that you’re willing to hand me everything I want on a silver platter for one date? You know nothing about me.”
Something inside me does. Klaxons have blared in my head from the moment I saw her on the screen. And when I touched her. Breathed her in… There’s no question she’s stirred something inside me, no matter how much I don’t want to believe it. There’s something about Ella that feels familiar.Right. A magnetic pull that I can’t ignore. I won’t ignore. And I’ll put more on the line than she realizes to explore it.
“Is it that hard to believe?”
“You need to stop that. My ribs are hurting, and Ireallydon’t want to laugh again, but you’re making it hard. Really hard.”
The same can be said about her.
I take a deep breath before letting it out. “I promise you. There’s no hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. I’m offering whatever you want for a single wedding date.”
It’s a half-truth. But if I revealed the full truth now, she’d be out the door and I’d never see her again.
She stares at me silently with her cool blue eyes that feel anything but cold. I’m sweltering under her gaze. Disoriented. This is new and I like it. I like that there’s someone who can make me feel like this. Different.
She hums, clicks her tongue, and then cocks her head, smiling. “You need me.”
I swallow. “You could say that.”
She bites her bottom lip, shakes her head with eyebrows raised. “No.” Another pause. That damn smile gracing her pretty lips again. “I want you to say it.”
I swallow, knitting my eyebrows as I reposition myself in my chair. “What?”
