Page 58 of Papers Don't Lie

Did he just…

I lift my hand, touching the spot where he just placed his lips, the skin still burning hot. He did kiss me. It wasn’t my imagination; the evidence is flaming on my cheek. And on top of that, he called me "wife."Wife. He never calls me that unless we are surrounded by his family, my family, or if we are in public.

Because I just can’t stay in place while he showers, I start cleaning the room. The housekeeper didn’t get a chance to come yet, so I arrange the bed, organize my clothes again, and make sure the chairs are at an even distance from the bed. And when he gets out, I’m already ready to pass out in bed.

“How do I look?" he asks, his voice making me turn to him, and it’s hard as hell to keep the gasp from escaping my mouth.

My eyes roam all over his body and the perfect way the suit hugs it, showing just enough of his muscles and lean chest. Iknew purple was going to look amazing on him, but I didn’t intend on making him a hot man walking.

“How many female employees do you have?" I ask, stepping forward and tugging the sides of his coat, acting like it needs to be readjusted.

Kai smirks, eyeing me down. “Who are you, and what have you done with my wife?”

I look up at him, meeting his burning gaze. Since I met him, I think this is the first time I’ve seen him this happy. Even the wrinkles on his forehead have faded a bit, the laugh lines more prominent. He lifts his hand and cups the back of my neck, his fingers curling around it like a string.

“What are you talking about?” I say, trying to resist his pull that begs me to take one more step so we can be chest-to-chest.

That can’t happen, because if it does, I’m sure we’ll both give in and ruin the friendship that’s just starting to build. I’m not willing to destroy that when it’s everything I have.

He takes his hand away, and I try to not sigh in relief at the loss of him—and implicitly, the end of my misery—but he moves it under my chin instead. “You made me breakfast, and now you’re acting jealous.”

I step away, putting on a shocked face even though he might be right. “I am not.”

“You are.” He smiles, nodding his head at me.

“I was just asking because that suit looks good on you, and I don’t want it to be a woman magnet,” I tell him, keeping my chin up and avoiding his gaze. “That wasn’t my intention. Work is work. You can go pull a girl in other places.”

Kai turns serious, his brows lowering dangerously close to his eyes while his twitching jaw turns into a sharp blade. He walks to me, stealing my breath.

“Esmeray, what do you think this marriage is? Just a cover-up so you can go be with another guy and me with another girl?”He quirks his brows at me, and I look away, not knowing what to say. “Look at me,” he orders, and I do as he says. “You are mine in every way. Your smile is mine, your body is mine, your laugh is mine. I’ll never go to someone else when I have everything I need waiting for me at home.”

My eyes drop to my feet as I bounce them from side to side, biting the inside of my cheek. “But you don’t really have anything at home, Kai. I’m just breathing next to you, and I understand that you have some needs, no matter their kind. You’re twenty-six. You don’t need to be abstinent waiting for me.”

He cups my cheek in his palm, a smirk stretching on his lips. “I’ll wait as long as it takes you to want me like that because trust me, Ray, you will.”

And just like that, he turns around and leaves me with my mouth agape.

THIRTY-THREE

KAI

Working today is the hardest thing I've had to do in years, and that’s mostly because of the way Esmeray and I said goodbye this morning. Plus the smell she made sure I couldn’t get rid of by literally bathing my suit in a blueberry scent. I'm distracted in meetings, and if I didn’t have an assistant, there's a big chance I would’ve blown everything off.

God, I have to pay the woman more.

Caroline is one of the few women in our company that I get to work with or with whom I have a true conversation besides a “good morning,” so Esmeray has nothing to be worried about. She’s happily married, has two kids, and would leave me without balls if I ever tried to hit on her.

Speaking of women, I don’t know what happened to my wife this morning, but I never thought I could love jealousy as much as I did. I told myself I won't do anything until she does, considering she’s young and I may be the first man in her life. I don’t want her to feel pressured to do anything just because she’s my wife now.

I can only guess that the sudden change in her behavior means that she finally chose to let go of that cold armor she was wearing around me, afraid that I’m using her for some kind oftwisted game. I’m not Carter, and I never will be. Her happiness tops my need for her.

But I’ve come to realize it’s not just her body that I’m craving. It’s her laughter. It’s finding my clothes for the day prepared in our walk-in closet. It’s her stealing my blanket in the night. It’s her bows and innocence.

Since I was young, I've wanted a lot of women, but none made me feel like connection is more important than sex. With them, I never noticed what color they like, or their favorite food, or anticipated their reaction, no matter how long we were together. They were just satisfying my needs, and I was doing the same for them. It was never anything more than that.

With Esmeray, in just the three weeks that she’s been living with me, I could go my entire life without sex if that means having her in my life.

“Mr. Graves, you’re leaving?" Caroline asks when I exit my office, ready to call it a day.

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