Page 36 of Papers Don't Lie

She stays still for a second before she playfully hits me with her fist. “Get out of here.” She moves her head from side to side as Kendrick opens the door for us. She gets in, and I quickly follow.

Kendrick drives away to the apartment where we’re staying for the night, closing the window and separating the front of the car from the back to give us some privacy. I swear this guy reads my mind or something of that sort. That’s why he’s the man I trust the most, no matter if it’s about business or personal life.

“I have a present for you,” I tell her.

She fidgets in her seat, giving me a disgusted look. “I hope you didn’t do anything to get back at me for the dick thing.”

A corner of my mouth lifts at the memory. “No, though I wish I would’ve done it just to see your face. Your gift is waiting for you at home.”

“But… I didn’t get you anything,” she mutters, glancing out of the window.

She didn’t have to. “You married me.”

NINETEEN

ESMERAY

I keep tossing and turning in the king-size bed, Kai’s words refusing to let my mind rest and go to sleep.

You married me.

Just the thought of him thinking that our marriage is a gift to him makes understanding things harder. Where does that leave us?

The only explanation I have is that he said that because we were in the heat of the moment. He can’t mean it. It’s not like we married because we love each other so much. Kai married me because he wanted to help me. And he did.

Ugh.

I flip onto my back, sighing as I stare at the ceiling. Guess there’s no sleep for me tonight.

I wonder if he’s sleeping.

Maybe I should walk to his room and see if he wants to talk about what happened today.

As quietly as possible, I get off the bed, sneaking my feet into the slippers at the edge of it. I walk on my tiptoes to his room, glad to see his door is cracked open. When I look inside, Kai’s in nothing but his boxers, all his muscles on full display with his hand flexed under his head. I can’t see from here if he hashis eyes closed or not, but since he’s not saying anything, I step further into the room.

Just to make sure.

Surely not to stare at his gorgeous body that’s on full display for me with nobody to judge around, not even himself.

“Can’t sleep?” His raspy voice fills the silence, and I jump on my feet, putting a hand above my heart.

I take my time inhaling, replying only when my exhale is anything else but shaky. “No. You?”

“Me neither,” he murmurs, putting his other arm behind his head. “Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember what you asked me, what I expect from you?” he asks, tilting his head to me.

Of course I remember. He told me he expected nothing from me, that he just wanted me to be myself, and I believed him. Turns out I was wrong though since he’s bringing this to the conversation.

“I remember.”

“There’s one rule I find important for our marriage to work,” Kai says, and even if I don’t see his green eyes very well, I can feel them on me. “Honesty. I want us to be honest with each other, no matter how bad or embarrassing the truth is.”

My eyes squint in the darkness. “Where is this going?”

Kai sighs, rearranging his pillow. “Why can’t you sleep, Esmeray?”

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