While one hand continued to roam the breadth of his back, the other dropped lower, first to his waist, and then to the hard muscles of his butt. She held him fast, signaling him to please, please not pull away, and then actively pressing him against her body.
If only I wasn’t so short,she thought.If only he wasn’t so tall. Then we’d be groin to groin, hardness to heat, and I could enjoy the pleasure of him against my…
“Jacyn,” he rasped into her ear. His grip on her hair, fingers buried deep, was exquisite torture. She felt a flutter of petals against her cheek and realized that the geranium she had tucked behind her ear earlier had become dislodged and tumbled to the ground.
This is crazy,said a voice in her head.We should stop.
In the end, it was Alex who had the strength to lift his head and to pull away. Something deep and visceral inside her silently protested, but she knew he was right.
His face loomed above hers, eyes darker than she had ever seen them. A lock of hair tumbled over his forehead, and she reached up to brush it out of his eyes. They were both panting, both perplexed.
When he stepped away from her, she shivered, as if the sliver of cool breeze that could now pass between them was an arctic wind.
He bent down, picked up her flower, and examined it. “A bit bruised,” he murmured, more to himself than her.
Like I will be,she thought,if I ever let that happen again.And yet her entire body hummed while he placed it back behind her ear, fingers lightly brushing her temple.
She stepped aside to allow him to open the door for her, and once she was seated and buckled in, he came around and sat next to her. Under his hands, the engine purred like a contented animal being roused from sleep. He turned the car around expertly, and the gates opened to let them out. As they closed behind them, Jacyn had the sensation that she was waking up from a fantasy—on taking place on an imaginary place like Narnia or Middle Earth—and returning to the stark reality of her situation and her life.
This engagement between her and Alex wasn’t real. It was all a charade he’d dreamed up, for whatever reason, to dupe his family into believing that he was in a happy relationship. Therefore, the emotions they strove to project to the world weren’t real either. Which meant they shouldn’t be kissing. Not likethat.He’d given her a few light pecks before, usually when Madeline or William were around. Or Sofia, especially Sofia. But this time there was no audience, no witnesses to his elaborate charade. So why?
This had to stop. They had to end this foolishness. She cleared her throat. “Alex.”
“I know.” His eyes were focused on the road with deep concentration, as if this was the first time he was driving on it. As if there would be dire consequences if he looked away.
“That was wrong… it wasn’t part of the deal.”
“I know,” he groaned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable,” she reassured him, not wanting to make him feel bad. “It’s just… this is a show, yes? It’s all pretend. There’s no need to kiss me or touch me like you did. There’s nobody around to—”
Alex wrenched the wheel, and the Ferrari skated aside, coming to a harsh stop. “I hear you. I agree with you. I have no idea what got into me. Maybe it was the sight of you, so happy and beautiful and alive.” He exhaled gustily. “I was wrong, and I apologize. And I promise you; this will not happen again. If I ever try to kiss you like that, without cause, feel free to slap me.”
She smiled at him. “How hard?”
“Hard.”
Sounded good to her. “Deal,” she agreed.
***
Despite the cool of the afternoon, Alex could still feel the residual warmth of his morning with Jacyn. First on their leisurely ride, and then on that sun-splashed visit to the atelier. Even now, the memory of the delight in her eyes and the pleasure on her face as she took in every moment of the visit, made him smile with satisfaction. While it had been his mother who had suggested the visit, he was glad he had been the one to make it all happen.
“What the hell are you grinning at?” His business partner, Nathanael, demanded to know.
Goddamn video calls. Unlike phone calls, they stripped you of all privacy, and sometimes you forgot you weren’t only being listened to, you were being watched. “What’s it to you?” he shot back.
“Well, when the guy who’s all-in with you on a new project, to the tune of hundreds of millions, would rather drift off on a wave of sunbeams and rainbows rather thanpay attention to the conversation, I’d say it matters. I hope it’s that secret, surprise fiancée of yours—who, I might add, you never breathed a word to me about—who put it there. ‘Cause you look like an idiot, grinning like that over a woman.”
“Easy for you to talk. You’re on your honeymoon. Who’s grinning now?”
Nathanael shrugged. “Okay, fine. I guess we’ve both been cut off at the ankles by beautiful women.”
Alex wanted to deny it. Not exactly cut off because surely that couldn’t be true! But he’d committed to the charade, so instead he nodded amiably and asked, “You guys bored with Greece yet? Or are you so busy in the bedroom that you haven’t made it outdoors to see the sights?”
Nathanael flashed him a grin. “Oh, I guess we’ll get around to seeing the sights sometime.” Then he grew a bit more serious. “Anyway, word out of Hong Kong says we’ll have those contracts ready for signing in a few days, and Tokyo will be right behind. So it’s looking like we’re going to be on schedule with this phase.”
“Good. And what about—” He was interrupted by a tap at the door. He lifted his head, his attention drawn from the screen.“Oui?”