“Ah, so you’re the kind of woman who frequents clubs to meet men?”
A flood of heat rushed to Jacyn’s face, and the tips of her fingers twitched, almost as if her claws were becoming unsheathed like a cat’s. The way she saw it, she had two options: suck it down and smile so that she could continue to execute her agreement with Alex, or scratch this rude bitch’s eyes out. Which would probably end with her back on that plane, headed west, to face charges for vandalism the moment she landed.
She didn’t realize there was a third option until she heard the voice behind her. “Sweetheart! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Both women jumped in surprise as Alex appeared from behind a neatly trimmed hedge, looking relaxed and urbane. His dark brown hair was still damp from his shower, slicked back and with a sheen like an otter’s pelt. The first two buttons of his cream-colored linen shirt were open, revealing a fine sprinkling of dark hair.
Relief at her rescue battled with another emotion that Jacyn was not yet ready to define, but all of that was swept aside the second he was close enough to place his hands on her hips and pull her to him, pressing her against the front of his dark slacks. He bent his head, and the last thing she saw before his lips met hers was a twinkle of malicious amusement in his eyes.
The shock of that first contact rendered her immobile. There was nothing she could do, nothing she could say, except give in to the pressure of his mouth upon hers. While a little voice inside her head was squawking,What? Why?and other such nonsense. Her lips were tingling deliciously under his exploration, and her body softened against his.
And then it was over. He lifted his head, slipping her a sly wink, and turned to face Sofia, whose cheeks now matched her dress. The only thing that stopped Jacyn from falling over from the shock of that kiss was the fact that he retained a possessive hand around her hips.
“I see you’ve been showing Jacyn around,” he said laconically to Sofia.
His sister-in-law clasped her hands across her chest. “Ah, non.We just happened to meet in the gardens.” She said it as if there was nothing lowlier in her mind than to have to perform such a task.
“Well, then, I suppose that pleasant responsibility falls to me.” Alex turned and smiled at her as if nothing would delight him more.
Only the crackling of twigs underfoot and the stomping of expensive shoes let them know that Sofia was gone.
***
Alexandre slid an arm casually around Jacyn’s shoulders as he guided her deeper into the sprawling grounds. But in his mind, there was nothing casual about what he had just experienced. Of course, he’d meant to kiss her—it was necessary to keep up the charade—but he hadn’t expected it to feel the way it had. It was just a kiss, a simple kiss, but it had felt perfect. Which was stupid. This was all make-believe; a mere charade he had arranged to give him a protective layer during a visit that he’d dreaded for many years.
It was that plain: an elaborate farce, a facsimile of love. Nothing more.
“You didn’t need to do that,” Jacyn hissed.
“Do what?” he asked, although he knew very well do what.
“Kiss me!”
“You’re my fiancée,” he reminded her. “And we have already discussed—”
“No, I meant kiss me likethat!”
He stopped to face her for a minute. “You’re upset with me because I’m a good kisser?”
She glared at him. “That’s not what I meant!”
He began walking again, and she had no choice but to go with him. When he held her hand, she made to tug it away, but he grasped it even tighter. “The grounds are visible from almost anywhere in the château. If anyone is watching, we must appear to be blissfully in love, my little wife-to-be.”
She nodded in what he took to be a concession. “Speaking of which,” Jacyn began, “Sofia was grilling me about us. She wanted to know stuff, like how we met.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“That we bumped into each other late one night while I was clubbing.”
Alex chuckled. “Impressive. That was the absolute truth.”
“But what about the harder questions? There is certainly going to be more. We need to get our stories straight, Alex. Or we’re going to blow this before it’s even begun.”
She had a point, so he nodded. “Of course, let’s talk. Tell me more about you, and I will tell you more about me.”
“Great. I’ll start. What is this between you and Sofia?” she responded briskly.
He stopped dead, almost felled by an arrow-tip made of ice shot through his heart.“Pardon?”