Page 31 of Never Fake Date the Financier
“It’s in the schedule I sent you weeks ago.” She sighs, looking at me. “He’s always been forgetful.”
I can feel Adrian tense for a moment. “Forgetful?” I say. “I can’t say I’ve noticed my—Hon—Adrian forget anything.” I almost called him Honey Buns. I need to sell this, not make Adrian squirm.
Adrian relaxes as he draws his hand down to my waist. I love the feel of his body against me. His touch. I could get used to this, even though I shouldn’t. This isn’t going to last, and I need to remind myself of that.
“Fifteen minutes,” Adrian says. “We’ll meet you down there.”
Trudy smiles at us. “Great.”
“I feel like a broken record, but I have to ask again. Any more surprises I need to worry about?” I ask Adrian when Trudy leaves.
Adrian pulls me into him, one hand pressing on my lower back as the other tilts my chin toward him. “I wish I knew,” he says. “But I promise you that we’ll face each one together. I won’t leave your side.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” he says, sealing it with a kiss.
If there’s one thing that will get me through this, it’s his lips.
“And I’m afraid you might have to deal with me kissing you.”
I smile. “I think I’ll manage.”
10
ADRIAN
I can’t stop staring.I can hardly think or breathe as I take in the length of Ella again. I’ll need to give my stylist a bonus for this dress. From the moment she slipped into that dress, it has been a struggle to drag my attention away from her. The way the fabric clings to her. The way I’d like to peel it off her body.
And now that I’ve tasted her lips. Tasted heaven. I’m like an addict. I’m on edge, waiting for the next time I can claim her lips. The first kiss was too short, over before it really started. I considered asking her to skip the rehearsal dinner again, but I knew her answer. She’s in this, seasickness and all.
I feel bad about that, but I’ll force her off the boat if I have to.
I slip my hand around hers, stopping her for a moment before kissing the back of her hand. It catches her off guard as she pauses and looks at me, eyes wide.
“What was that for?”
“Couldn’t help myself. Besides,” I mutter, glancing at the large yacht next to us. “People are watching.”
She sighs, shaking her head. “Always focused on the performance.”
No, sweet girl. I’m always focused on you. And you better believe if someone’s watching, I’m going to steal a kiss from you. As many as I can until you have to push me away.
I pull her toward me, using our small audience as another excuse to hold her close to me. Feel her perfect body against mine. Breathe in her irresistible scent.
“You’re sure you want to go through with this?” I ask Ella, a few dozen feet away from the gangway. “We can still back out. I can make an excuse.”
Just say yes. Let me take you back. Let me—fuuuuuck.I’m losing control, and that’s not like me. But it’s a recurring theme when I’m around Ella.
She takes a deep breath, eyes wandering over my face, down my suit, and then back up as she flattens her palms against my chest. “I’m fine. I’ve taken my pills. I’m not backing out, especially after seeing how excited Trudy is for tonight. It’s all she could talk about during the photos.”
She’s not wrong. My mother is over the moon at finally having some time with Ella. I guess I’ll have to share her. For now.
“Okay,” I mutter, stroking her jaw as I wrap my hand around the nape of her neck. “But if it becomes too much. Seasickness. Lillian. Awkward conversations with my great-uncle Luther.”
She snorts. “I must’ve missed him on the family tree.”
“One of my grandpa’s friends. Didn’t think he’d show, actually.”
