Page 39 of Never Fake Date the Financier
My stomach has been feeling better from the moment we got off that hellish boat ride, which I might add, took longer than a few minutes. Thank god it wasn’t a rowboat. Once we hit dry land and started walking, my stomach settled. And then I got hungry because I’d hardly eaten anything all day. And for the first time in what felt like a decade, I had meat. A pepperoni pizza at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
Literally. It was cut out of a rock formation, and we had to descend into it like a cave, albeit a much more refined cave with brick walls and candle-lit enclaves. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have considered it our first date.
Wait. Was it?
Maybe…
“I’m glad,” Adrian rasps, leaning in and kissing me on the forehead as yet another tingling sensation rockets through me.
The elevator stops, dinging as the doors open.
He slips his hand around mine as though it’s the most natural thing in the world, and we head out of the elevator together. But if I’m honest, it does feel natural. Not forced. Like this is normal. I like it a lot, but as we approach our room, my nerves begin to resurface.
Memories begin to resurface.
That kiss. Holyhell, that kiss. Adrian and I haven’t talked about it, but I’d be lying if I said this isn’t the first time I’d thought about it. The way he held me. The way hedevouredme. He said it was practice for the real thing, and a part of me is hoping we get another practice round in because the first was cut short. But the other part is screaming no. Do not evenattemptit. Because after this week is over, so is this relationship.
It’s. Not. Worth it.
My mind is in complete chaos as Adrian opens the door to our room and steps aside, allowing me in. I take a deep breath, centering myself before kicking off my heels. “It feels good to get these off. Heels and stone streets do not mix. Heels and any surface do not mix. These things might be gorgeous, but they aredeadly.”
Something in the air shifts. The fine hairs on my neck rise. When I turn around, Adrian’s staring at me as though in a trance, his eyes dark and intense.
I swallow hard, my skin on fire under his gaze. He turns around, shutting the door. Locking it. And when he turns back around, his gaze shifts, softening.
“If you need a foot rub, I’m game.”
How about a full-body rub?
I nearly choke as the voice comes careening out of nowhere. Thankfully, I recover before Adrian notices.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll take a soak in the tub.”
Adrian nods, passing by me as I take in his heady scent. “The offer stands.”
But I won’t be if he continues looking at me like that. My legs are feeling like jelly as my pulse thrums all over my body.
I head to the bedroom, acutely aware of Adrian’s eyes following me as I walk. And after I slip by the door, closing it behind me, I still feel the heat of his gaze simmering on my skin.
I sigh, rubbing my arms. I’ve been trying to resist the way he makes me feel, shoving it down, but there’s only so much I can ignore. I can’t ignore that kiss. I can’t ignore the way he looks at me like I’m the only thing in this world he wants. The way my heart hammers when he’s near. Everything.
I close my eyes. One more day. I have to get through one more day, and then I can figure everything else out. Who knows? Maybe I’m imagining everything. Seeing more to this situation than what’s there. Maybe once we go back to the real world, he’ll follow through with his end of the contract, and that will be the end of it. We’ll be done.
But as soon as that thought crosses my mind, something inside me screams. I don’t want this to end.
* * *
With my hairand skin still damp, I change into my sleep clothes, a pair of silk shorts and a matching cami that suddenly seem much more revealing than they did when I packed them. I’d brought them because they’re comfortable, but as I glance at my reflection, Adrian might see the outfit differently. There’s not much left to the imagination, that’s for sure.
I could grab the robe I saw hanging in the closet, but a part of me is interested in Adrian’s reaction. And that’s not like me. I tend not to try and attract attention to myself, but I’m craving a little more of Adrian’s. A night wandering the charming coastal town together was not enough.
I head for the door, pausing as I reach for the handle as I listen. Metal clangs and Adrian curses. I can’t help but smile. But when I open the door and see Adrian, I damn near choke.
Adrian in a suit is heavenly, but Adrian in gray sweats and a white t-shirt is downright sinful. His muscles are on full display as he attempts to wrangle the metal cot in the middle of the room, banging on one end as he bends over…ahem.
I’d offer to help, but I’m enjoying the view.
“Congrats,” I say, when he finishes.
