As we drove, it started to bother me how quiet Reyna was. "Yesterday, you were excited about the idea of doing something crazy like this. If you're having second thoughts, now's the time to express them."
She turned her gaze on me, and in her gray eyes, I saw annoyance. "I think you're projecting your own cold feet onto me. I'm resolved to go through with this, so if you're looking for an excuse to not get married, you need to be the one to come up with it."
My jaw tightened, and I gripped the steering wheel tighter as I turned into the community where Amelia and Max lived.
“Resolved, huh? You’re accepting that this is going to happen, even though you're not so sure." Once the words left my mouth, I realized how silly they were. They revealed that there was hurt around her use of the word resolved. That wasn't a good sign.
"What are you? I don't see you buzzing with excitement."
I was buzzing, but excitement wasn't it. I wasn't annoyed. I suspect I was mostly worried. Or if I were completely honest, terrified. Interestingly enough, the terror didn't come from being concerned about what would happen if the board discovered our plot. The terror came from what the next year was going to hold for Reyna and me. Would we be able to go the whole year without indulging the wild attraction that was nearly released last night? Would we be able to maintain the illusion of a couple in love while keeping our hands and hearts out of it? This game of mine was a lot more dangerous than I had originally considered.
I pulled into Amelia and Max's driveway, parking the car. I turned toward Reyna. "Last night, you told me that if we're going to pull this off, we have to act like two people in love."
She looked me straight in the eyes. "And you told me we didn't have to do that unless we were in front of people to whom it would matter."
I continued to hold her gaze. "When we walk into this house, it will matter. God knows who my sister has here, but rest assured, they're going to be people who will talk. Las Vegas might seem like a big city, but word spreads."
"Got it."
I held her gaze for a moment longer, ignoring the increasing electric charge growing between us. My gaze left her eyes and drifted down to the lush lips I tasted last night. Even after I jerked off in the shower, I dreamed about those lips around my dick.
Reminding myself that this was bad, my gaze drifted down to her left hand, empty of the engagement ring I’d bought her. Before we left, I shoved the box into my pocket. I pulled it out now, opening it and taking out the ring.
"If you don't like it—"
She took the ring from me, sliding it on her finger. "It's just a showpiece, right?"
"Right." I studied her, trying to figure out how our nice morning had turned into negative tension. The only thing I could think of was that she was angry about last night. If so, it only heightened my concern about how this marriage was going to go over the next year. If she wanted more, she would continue to be disappointed.
Hoping to ease the tension between us, I said, "I'm sorry about last night."
She arched a brow. “About what?"
I tamped down on my growing irritation. "All of it. Ignoring you at the party. About touching you when I’d promised you that I wouldn’t."
Annoyance in her eyes morphed into something I could only describe as resolve. "Apology accepted."
We were at the place of no return, and I needed to be sure that she was going to follow the rules. "Maybe it makes me an asshole, but this chemistry or whatever it is between us, we have to ignore it."
She sighed. "I understand, James. I'll do my best not to distract you. I won't fall for you, if that's what you're worried about."
The tightness in my chest eased.
After a moment, her expression turned challenging. "I wonder if you will be able to do the same?"
She opened the car door and stepped out.
"What do you mean?" I called after her.
She bent down, looking into the car. "I wonder if you'll be able to resist falling for me."
The words landed in my gut like an anvil. I exited the car, following her up the walk to the front door, worried that I might in fact fail in my quest and find myself falling for my wife.
CHAPTERTEN
Reyna
I don't know where that sass came from in telling him not to fall for me. I suppose it was just my annoyance that he was working so hard to make sure that I understood the rules. I certainly didn't feel the bravado that I’d tried to exude when I told him not to fall for me.