Page 27 of His Christmas Gift

AUTUMN

My stomach twisted in a nervous manner as I sat up in bed early the next morning.

I glanced over at Dean again, watching him snooze peacefully in the hotel bed next to me. Neither of our families required our presence today, so we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. We hadn’t made any plans yet, but I wanted to see if he wanted to go out and about with me today.

I was nervous to ask, though. He only came out here with me to act like my fiancé in front of our families. Who said he wanted to hang out with me outside of that? I actually wanted to spend some time with him without having to act like we were in a relationship. I wanted to get to know him better, to see what was real or fake.

From what I saw so far, he was a good guy. He could be cocky, but he also worked hard to get to where he was at. Maybe that hadn’t gotten to his head as much as I thought it had. Spending some casual time with him could help me get a better judgment of him, but I had to see if he would even agree to that.

I reached out and gently brushed my fingers through his hair to wake him. I didn’t realize how intimate that motion was until his eyes fluttered open. I quickly drew my hand back, feeling my face warm up.

“Hey, sorry,” I said.

Dean blinked his eyes a few times, rousing himself awake more. He sat up more as he gave me a sleepy smile.

“It’s fine. What’s up?” he asked me.

I brushed my hand through my hair nervously, hoping that he didn’t think that I was weird or desperate for asking this. I knew that we were probably past that point since we slept with each other, but we hadn’t even spoken about it since then. What if he regretted it?

“Are you going to be busy today?” I asked him.

Dean shook his head giving me a curious look.

“What about you?” he wondered.

“I don’t have any plans,” I replied as I sat up more and crossed my legs under the white sheets. It was now or never. He already could tell that I wanted to ask him something. “So, I was wondering if you wanted to go downtown with me. We could just walk around. Maybe grab a bite to eat if you wanted to.”

“Did you just ask me on a date?” Dean smirked, lifting an eyebrow at me.

My cheeks were red now. Of course, he would twist my words around to tease me. I didn’t think of this as a date, but I realized that it sort of seemed that way, especially after all that we had done together.

“I didn’t say that,” I replied quickly.

“Sounded like you did,” Dean said as he rolled onto his side to face me.

“Why would I ask you on a date? We act like we’re engaged all the time. You don’t want a break from all the lovey-dovey stuff?” I asked him as I peered down at him.

Dean shrugged, the sheets slipping down his torso more and showing off more of his bare chest. It took everything in me not to stare.

“Nope,” he smirked at me. “Why? Are you tired of it?”

I watched him move closer to me slowly, my heart starting to race. He had to be joking. He couldn’t actually want us to keep up this act. Why would this billionaire want to play house with me?

“I just figured you were,” I said, feeling his hand graze my thigh under the sheets. Warmth immediately flooded my body, and I found myself wanting him to keep touching me.

“So, you’re not,” Dean laughed, rubbing his thumb in circles against my thigh beneath the short length of my shorts.

“I’m going to get dressed,” I replied before hurrying out of bed and digging around in my suitcase. My entire body tingled as I looked for something to wear today, feeling his eyes on me. He was probably just playing around to mess with me. He didn’t mean what he was saying.

A minute later, Dean disappeared into the bathroom to get ready, allowing me to take a breath. I hoped that today went well. I didn’t know how I would react if he kept flirting with me. When he teased me or complimented me, I melted, losing my edge. In a way, I was weak to him, which drove me a little crazy.

I was weak when it came to my family. They hurt me in a way that no one else could, but Dean didn’t hurt me. He made me feel lighter and happier. He spiked my adrenaline, but he also helped me relax after dealing with my parents. Before all of this, I never would’ve expected him to make me feel that way, but he continued to catch me off guard.

After pulling on a black skirt and tucking a grey long sleeve into the band, I adjusted my black tights and slipped a pair of black boots on. Maybe I overdressed for a casual day out in the town, but something in the back of my mind encouraged me to dress up a little. Not that I needed to impress Dean, but I kind of wanted to.

“Ready?” Dean asked once I started walking toward him. His eyes swept over my figure without any subtlety. He wanted me to know that he was checking me out.

“This is just friendly, Dean. No expectations,” I told him in a stern tone.

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