Page 79 of Reputation (Tempt)

“What?” She turned to me, aghast. “Mine? Not on loan?”

“Anything you want to keep is yours.”Including me.

Holy. Shit. Wait. What?

Did I want to be Emerson’s?

Was I…

“Wow.” She shook her head, and I ignored that thought. “Damn. I mean, there are some serious perks to this gig.”

Right. This gig.To Emerson, this was still just a job—fake fiancée.

And why would she think otherwise? I’d never given her a reason to believe anything else. I supposed maybe I’d been better at hiding my attraction than I’d suspected.

She lingered on each and every piece. “Gah! I just want to try them all on right now.” She was practically vibrating with excitement. Jay had impeccable taste.

I chuckled. “Be my guest.”

I imagined Emerson stripping out of her clothes and sliding into the dress she was currently holding. It was backless and had a slit up the thigh. I held back the urge to groan.

“I’ll leave you to it.” I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I grabbed my swim trunks and raced toward the bathroom.

“Nate,” Emerson called. “Wait.” I turned back to face her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled, genuinely pleased by her reaction.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool with Brooklyn. I’d left my phone inside, and it was nice to get away. Escape LA and all the pressures I faced there.

I so rarely got to spend so much uninterrupted time with my daughter, and I treasured these moments. She was growing up way too fast. And with the threat of the custody battle looming, I felt even more determined to make my already-limited free time with Brooklyn count.

I wouldn’t start filming for a few more days, but now that Emerson and I were engaged, my team had lined up some interviews and press ops. I was dreading them, but I told myself it was necessary.

Brooklyn passed out soon after dinner, leaving Emerson and me alone. Neither of us had made a move for the bedroom, opting instead for the living room. It seemed safer somehow, even if I knew that was ridiculous.

I ran a hand over my face. It had been a long day of travel, and swimming with Brooklyn all afternoon had worn me out. I’d been attempting to review my script for the last hour, though my eyes had glazed over long ago. Being in Emerson’s proximity was too distracting. Especially with the way she’d draped her long legs over the couch.

She seemed to have more luck concentrating than I had. She’d been busy with something on her computer for a while, but she kept yawning. When I looked over again, her eyelids were drooping.

“You’re tired,” I said. “You should go to bed. I’ll take the couch.”

“And what’s Brooklyn going to think when she comes out and finds you here? Or the staff when they bustle in in the morning?” She shook her head then paused. “Wait. Maybe I could sleep out here. Blame it on your snoring or something.”

I gave her a flat look. “I don’t snore, and Brooklyn would know it’s a lie.”

“Okay, then…” She glanced around as if a solution would magically appear. “What if we say you sleep better alone, and you need your rest while you’re filming?”

I chuckled. It was certainly creative, but… “It feels like a stretch. We’re supposed to be madly in love. Newly engaged. Everyone probably thinks we’re fucking all the time.”

Her breath caught, eyes flaring with heat.

“True.” She gnawed on her lip, and damn if my cock didn’t start to harden.Fuck.“Fine. It’s fine,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. “We’re adults. I’m sure we can manage to share a bed. Besides, we’re both so exhausted, we’ll probably pass out almost immediately.” I could only hope she was right. “Do you want to use the bathroom first?”

“Sure.” I stood, setting the script aside.

I brushed my teeth and then returned to the bedroom so she could have a turn in the bathroom. While she changed, I tried to ignore the thought of her naked in the next room. Instead, I lay on the bench at the foot of the bed. It was no match for my six-foot-four frame. There was no way I’d be able to sleep on it.

I eyed the tile floor, imagining how hard it would be. How hardIwas going to be sleeping in the same bed as Emerson all night. I sighed and sat on the edge of the mattress, unwilling to make the first move to get beneath the covers.

---