“I still don’t think it will work,” she said. “We don’t know anything about each other. How can we fake a relationship?”
“They aren’t going to give us a pop quiz.”
She folded her arms. “Why do we break up? Who gets to do the dumping?”
He rolled his incredibly blue eyes and chuckled. “You can dump me if you want.”
“Yeah, right. All the women will hate me, and everyone will feel bad for you. I want to be the one that gets dumped.”
“Whatever.”
She paced back and forth, thinking hard. “Why would you dump me? It has to be a good reason that doesn’t make either of us look totally heartless.”
“Agreed.”
They both paced in silence, passing each other every few steps. The problem kept her mind off being stuck in an elevator, but her stomach was in knots for a different reason now. She couldn’t believe she was going along with his crazy plot. Facing those judgmental, back-stabbing liars filled her with dread.
Another problem with the proposed charade hit her. “Wait a second.” They both stopped pacing and faced each other. “No one is going to believe we’re in love. Lack of chemistry. You can’t fake attraction.”
His eyes slowly narrowed. “How do you know we don’t have chemistry? We haven’t given it a shot.”
“What do you mean?”
“In three years we’ve barely looked at each other and haven’t exchanged more than ten words. Before we abort the mission, perhaps we should test it out.”
The butterflies in her stomach grew into vultures. “T-test it how?”
He lightly pinched her chin between his thumb and finger, lifting her face until their eyes met and held. His intent became obvious. Skylar Griffin was about to kiss her. Although she had fantasized about being in his arms at least a dozen times, she didn’t want to go through with it. Reality was never as good as the fantasy. What if he was a bad kisser? Maybe he used too much tongue or opened his mouth too wide or slobbered.
Silently, she began to count all the reasons not to fake an engagement.
They didn’t know each other well enough to make it convincing; she didn’t want to spend time with him; he was the son of a senior partner; she’d lose her job if they got caught in the lie.
He stared deep into her eyes, forcing her to do the same, and she was instantly lost in his beautiful baby blues. Her mind went blank. What had she been thinking about? She was sure it had been important, but she couldn’t remember a thing.
Her eyes drifted shut as he lowered his head.
His lips brushed over hers briefly, just enough to make her want more. A taste of sunshine and a warm ocean breeze swept through her. She could practically feel the sand between her toes. His hands slid beneath her hair to cup her head before kissing her again. The second kiss lasted longer. She melted against him as he grew bolder.
With her arms flat beside her on the first kiss, each one following urged her to touch him. Her hands moved up to rest on his solid chest of their own accord. Passion ignited and she lost control. His lips teased hers without mercy. He deepened the kiss, taking her to new heights. His arms wrapped around her waist as she wound hers around his neck.
The elevator moved.
It took a moment for them to realize what was happening. The truth dawned on them at the same time, and they simultaneously moved apart, both gasping for breath. Any second the door would slide open, revealing what appeared to be two lovers caught in a passionate clinch at work. Another button on her blouse had come undone. She fixed it while gesturing to his shirt. Her cheeks flamed hot as he tucked the shirt back into his pants. During their kissing frenzy, she had pulled the hem free, tugging on his clothes without giving it a thought.
The elevator shuddered to a stop on their floor.
He grinned at her. “Don’t worry about them believing us. You should see yourself. Lips puffy and smudged, hair messy, wrinkled clothing, they’d have to be blind to miss the signs. You look like a woman who has been in her lover’s arms.”
Blushing furiously, she knew he was right. Her hand went to her hair to fix it, but he caught her fingers in his. The door slid open. He refused to release her hand. Instead, he lifted it to his mouth and placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist.
She looked at the hallway nervously, sure there would be witnesses. No one was there. He had wasted the affectionate gesture. Her heart fluttered, and the reasons for not going along with his plan returned. Before she could voice her objections he was pulling her in the direction of the conference room.