Page 66 of Knocked Up by My Fake Fiancé
I've been holding her ever since.
I'm amazed at how at ease I feel right now—more relaxed than I've allowed myself to be in months, maybe years.
Yet the day hadn't started that way. Quite the opposite, in fact. From the moment I woke up, I'd been in a foul mood—thanks, of course, to my father and the meeting with him and George. I'm sure I'd been an absolute nightmare to be around. My employees spent the whole day avoiding my eyes, giving me a wide berth, and finding excuses not to attend meetings unless absolutely necessary.
But right now, I feel… okay. Calm. Sated.
Maybe it's because I finally slaked the lust that's been tormenting me for days. That's part of it, sure, but it feels like more than that. I feel refreshed—like I've been hit with a burst of new energy.
I just want to lie here and bask in it, which is strange, because after sex I'm usually thinking about how quickly I can get away.
But we've been lying on this couch for nearly an hour now. It's barely big enough for the two of us, my leg's cramping from the way she's draped over me, but I don't want to move. I don't want to disturb her sleep.
I study her face, tracing the outline of her features with my gaze. Those delicate yet expressive eyebrows I've so often seen furrowed in annoyance—thanks to my bad moods and constant arguments—are now relaxed. For the first time, I notice how perfectly shaped they are, how they flatter the lines of her face.
Those lips that flatten whenever she's about to yell at me are now soft and full, just slightly parted. Taunting. Tempting. Kissable.
Her wide-set eyes are gently closed, lashes long and naturally curled.
I brush a few loose strands of her dark ruby hair away from her face. As I do, something stirs in me—something I haven't felt in a long, long time. Warmth. Tenderness. Affection? I rarely feel that anymore, even toward my own family, maybe with the exception of Steph now and then. But something about her triggers it.
What is it, exactly?
I'm not sure. She's hard to pin down, personality-wise.
She's such a contradiction. Soft and gentle at times, yet tough as nails when she has to be. Ambitious, but not driven by greed or power.
She demands hard work from her employees, but she pays them well—too well, if you ask me—and always leads by example, arriving first, leaving last.
I did a little digging into her company and found out she takes home the same salary as her management team—no more.She also offers the most competitive rates and benefits in her industry.
Maybe she does it to attract the best talent.
But something tells me it's more than that. It's about fairness with her. She pays people well because she thinks it's the right thing to do—because she knows what it's like to work hard for low pay.
Digging into her past showed she's been working since high school, mostly in low-wage jobs. I can see how that shaped her. It explains why she took it so personally when my team canceled the design she'd chosen for our opening event. It wasn't just about her pride. She was angry because we'd wasted her vendors' time—people whose effort she respects because she's been there.
It also explains why she treats Alvaro more like a friend than an employee—something none of my other dates would ever do. For Jenna, that sort of thing is instinctive. It's just how she operates.
She probably believes in fair pay even if it means taking home less herself. Sure, she might also know it earns her loyalty, but I think she genuinely wants to do what's right. It's an admirable trait—very admirable, actually.
Thinking about it—which, I admit, I haven't done until now—from that angle, she's a better person than almost anyone I've ever met. Certainly better than me.
Or am I just projecting those qualities onto her because I want them to be true?
When she wakes up, I'll ask her.
But why do I want it to be true? That's another question entirely. Maybe because it fits the story, because it aligns with everything else I know about her. Maybe because it's refreshing to spend time with someone who doesn't just think and act selfishly, but genuinely cares about others.
Maybe because I want some of that goodness to rub off on me.
My phone rings, jolting me out of my thoughts. I slowly ease myself out from under Jenna's sleeping form to grab it from the floor before it wakes her.
I glance at the caller ID, and the tension floods back into my body.
Mother. Damn.
I know why she's calling, and I'm tempted not to answer. But knowing my mother, she'll drive over here in person if I ignore her call—and that's the last thing I want right now.
