Page 25 of Accidental Groom
The lobby fades around us as she looks up at me, her eyes wide, her mouth parted like she either wants me to kiss her again or wants to say something. Close enough that I can take what I want, close enough to make me forget every reason why I shouldn’t.
She’s strikingly easy to fall into. And that’s exactly why I take a very deliberate step back, letting my hand fall from her, breaking the spell before I do something stupid and put us further down a pathway we won’t be able to undo when my son inevitably crawls out from wherever he’s hiding.
Something shifts in her expression the moment cool air comes between us.
“George will come to his senses eventually,” I say, my voice far rougher than intended. “And when he does, he’ll honor his commitment to you.”
Her breath falters. “But?—”
“This is temporary, Elena.” The words taste bitter on my tongue, but I know I need to say them, for both of us. “The plan hasn’t changed. George will come back, we’ll get an annulment, and you’ll marry him instead.”
“You just said that my opinion matters to you.”
The words hit me like a blow. “It does.”
Her jaw works. “And yet I’m still expected to marry him.”
Fuck.
I don’t know what to do with that.Pivot.“I have work to focus on. We’re opening a new hotel in Switzerland, and I know you’ve got the events planning for White Distillery, so we can both work from home, from Highcourt. You won’t be alone?—”
“You’re changing the subject,” she says.
I clench my teeth. “Yes.”
She nods, turning her head from me.
“If you need to travel for events,” I continue, trying to keep myself on course, “I can arrange that. Whatever you need to maintain your career, I can handle that from home.”
“Yes, sir.”
I can’t stop the genuine, physical recoil my body reacts with. The formality of it alone is off-putting, but the immediate thought of her saying it to her own father time and time again hits me square in the chest. “Don’t—don’t call me that.”
Her mouth purses into a thin line, but she nods. I can’t even tell if it was an intentional dig or if it just slipped out.
“Last thing,” I say carefully, and her gaze snaps back to mine. I hate the words before they even leave my lips. “What we did last night won’t happen again.”
The look that flashes across her features screams that she very much hates that, too. But it’s gone before it can fully settle. “Fantastic,” she deadpans.
“This isn’t a real marriage,” I insist. “We both know that. Until George comes back, we should have… boundaries, if you’re going to live with me.”
A single brow raises. “Boundaries?”
I blink at her. “Do you genuinely think it would be appropriate for either of us to have sex when you’re meant to be married to myson?”
“I didn’t say?—”
“No, but you were thinking it.” I glance over my shoulder, half to give myself a break from staring at someone I want this badly, and half to check if anyone is listening. “And that’s okay. I was, too. But it’s not happening. That’s my rule, if you’re staying with me.”
“Christ,” she mutters. “Fine.”
“So glad you agree,” I say dryly, taking another step back. “Now, are you riding with me, or are you staying here for a while?”
“My bags aren’t packed?—”
“I can have that handled.”
She shakes her head. “I want to stay for the night. Sarah’s still here until tomorrow.”
