Page 38 of Fiancé for Hire

Drevon gently shook her. “Well, what’s it gonna be? What do you want to do first?”

“How about lunch? I also want to do some shopping while we’re here. I need a dress for my work event.”

They’d be in town for four days, and they agreed to go with the flow. Antika had never been good at that, but she was going to try. The only concrete plan they had was for dinner tomorrow night with the investor and his wife.

Drevon placed a kiss against the side of her head, and she smiled. Part of her wanted to remind him of the no-kissing rule, but she remembered that she’d vowed to go with the flow.

“Have you ever been on a carriage ride?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.

“No, I haven’t. You?”

“Nope, but I think it would be something fun to do with you,” he said, and her heart flipped inside her chest.

“Dre…”

“Don’t say no. Remember, we might be here for me to meet with the investor, but we’re also on a mini-vacation. We’re required to have a good time. So what do you say to the carriage ride? Wanna create a first for both of us?”

“Well, when you put it like that. Sure, let’s do it, but after we get something to eat.”

“Sounds good, but let’s unpack and change into something more comfortable.”

“Great idea.”

* * *

While unpacking their bags, Drevon marveled at how domestic and natural it felt to have Antika in his space. He had emptied a draw for her and made room in his closet. It was weird being this comfortable with her considering they didn’t know each other well. On the other hand, it seemed like they’d known each other forever.

They were just about to leave out the door when Drevon’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, not recognizing the number. His first thought was to let it go to voicemail, but then he reconsidered. He had several calls into people he wanted to see while in town. It could be one of them.

“Hold on a minute, babe. Let me get this,” he said before answering the call. “Hello.”

“How can you be engaged?” the person on the other end of the line screamed.

Drevon gripped the phone and gritted his teeth.Kendall.

“You told me that you didn’t want to get married. You told me that was not a part of your life goals.” She was still screaming at him, and Drevon started to hang up, but changed his mind.

“Kendall,” he said, and glanced up just as Antika turned to look at him. “First of all, let’s be clear. When I said that I’d never get married, I was talking about that I would never marryyou. We weren’t a good fit.”

It was more than that, and she knew it. So he didn’t bother rehashing something they had discussed more than once.

“No! Those are the lies you tell yourself. You know as well as I do that we’re perfect for each other. And I saw a picture of your supposed fiancée. No way will I ever believe that you left me for her!”

“You can believe what you want, but she’s the one I chose,” he said, maintaining eye contact with Antika and meaning every word.

No, they weren’t heading for holy matrimony, but he could see her in his life forever. Which was more than he could say for Kendall who was rude, self-centered, and manipulative. There would never be room in his life for someone like that.

“Goodbye, Kendall. Oh, and lose my damn number.”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me again!” she yelled, just as he clicked the disconnect button.

He blocked the number, then pocketed his phone before smiling at Antika. “Ready for some fun?”

She smiled at him, and that same heat that punched through his chest and made his heart beat faster whenever she looked at him was back.

Drevon wasn’t ready to put a name to the emotion. Yet, one thing was getting hard to ignore—Antika was chipping away at the wall around his heart.

ChapterTwenty

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