Page 17 of Never Fake Date the Financier
Everything is hot. Everything is throbbing. And everything is—Dear. Lord!
I’ve never seen a T-shirt and jeans look so sexy before. The slate gray shirt clings to the wide planes of his chest. The veins on his taut forearms meander up the length of his arms, disappearing under his sleeves as they stretch over his biceps. It’s hard not to think about how those arms would feel wrapped around me. Those strong hands. Thick fingers. Gripping, kneading, sliding insi—ohmygod!I’m not exactly sure where that came from.Phew. But it’s clear from the smirk growing on his lips that my face is doing nothing to mask the thoughts racing through me.
I suck in a breath and exhale, attempting to calm my nerves. “You’re… punctual,” I say, after mentally crossing out all the other adjectives that flooded into my mind to describe the man in front of me.
“Time is the most valuable resource,” he says in a low voice that rumbles through my chest. “And I’d never waste another person’s.”
The sincerity in his voice and gaze is comforting as the words rumble out of his mouth. There’s something different about him. I can’t place it. But there’s a warmth about him that was missing in his office.
“Good to know.”
“We have a tight schedule,” he says, grabbing my suitcase. His hand brushes against mine, electricity sparking across my skin and radiating in my core. His eyes meet mine, riveting me in place and stealing my breath. It’s not fair. Not fair at all. A man this ridiculously handsome and wealthy? Billionaires arenotsupposed to look like this. And no man should ever be able to make me wobble with a single glance. It’s ridiculous how strongly he’s affecting me. He hardly touched me, and my body’s sizzling.
Adrian narrows his eyes and then he turns on his heel and strides for the elevator. “I’ll fill you in once we’re in the air.”
I take a shaky step but have to stop myself when I breathe in his scent. I’m not sure what cologne he’s wearing, but someone needs to fill a portable oxygen canister with it, so I can breathe it in wherever he goes.
This is going to be a loooooong week is all I can think as I watch Adrian make his way down the hallway, my suitcase swinging beside him like a child’s toy.
“Come,” he says over his shoulder.
It’s enough to tear me from my trance. “So demanding.”
“You have no idea.”
Olivia moans beside me, and I nearly jump out of my skin. And when I look at her, I’m not sure if she’s moaning from the cookie she’s munching on or from admiring Adrian.
“Good luck,” Olivia says, taking another bite out of her cookie, her eyes still locked on Adrian.
“Thanks.”
Adrian’s gaze sears my skin as I walk to meet him. He’s hardly touched me, and he’s making me feel more butterflies than any ex-boyfriend.
This is fake. This is fake. This. Is. Fake.
I repeat the words like a mantra, but my body contradicts my thoughts as soon as Adrian places his hand on my lower back and guides me into the elevator.
A single touch has never felt so sensual, and if the effect of his touch is any indication of what’s to come, it will be a miracle if any of my rules remain standing at the end of the week.
And a part of me doesn’t think that would be so bad.
* * *
“I’m impressed,”I say, leaning back in my seat as I scan the sexual harassment and workplace conduct manual for BlackeThorne Entertainment displayed on my laptop screen. When he sent it over last night, I’d only had time to glance at it before I passed out. “I didn’t think you could do it.”
Adrian laughs—a deep rumble. “I’m glad you approve. And that you hold such a high opinion of me,” he adds, leaning forward in the seat across from mine. Thankfully, there’s a table serving as a barrier between us. Then again, there could be a brick wall, and I’d still probably feel these butterflies in my stomach knowing he’s on the other side.
“I haven’t known you long enough to form an opinion.” At least, not one that I’d like to share. He’s detail-oriented. Intense. Driven. No one could build what he has without a unique skill set. Talents. And with a body that rivals any professional athlete, it’s clear he approaches all aspects of life with the same discipline and rigor that launched him into the rarified air of the one percent of the one percent.
Which makes me wonder—why me? Why, out of everyone in the world, did he choose a stranger to pretend to be his girlfriend?
Ahem.Fake girlfriend.
“We have a long flight ahead of us. Plenty of time to… acquaint ourselves.”
I snort a laugh. “Acquaint ourselves? I’m sorry, but I’m not sure you realize how difficult it is going to be to sell this.” I motion between us.
The unperturbed expression on Adrian’s face tells a different story.
