“Maybe the board should have a talk with you about a stable marriage.”
He seethed. “You’re not concerned that a month ago, she was planning to marry someone else?”
“No.” I lied. It bothered me a great deal. A great deal more than it should have. “Why do you think I was so desperate to get her to come work for me? To get close to her? To stop her. And in the end, she chose me. I won. I always win.” I was about to get irritated to the point that I could blow this deal, so I turned to Reyna. “How about a dance?"
She smiled brightly up at me like she was excited about the idea. It occurred to me that she was much better at this fake marriage thing than I was.
"I thought you'd never ask."
I scowled at George and Simon, not even bothering to try and hide my disdain for them. "Excuse me while I dance with my wife."
I led her to the dance floor and pulled her into my arms. The minute her body was flush with mine, the irritation that was already coursing through me worsened. It wasn’t that I didn't like having Reyna in my arms because I did. She felt so fucking good against me. That was the problem. I was about to have to go an entire year enduring sexual frustration.
Admittedly, my issue now was more than just the never-ending hard-on, which brought me back to what started this whole thing. "Who is Dean Winters?"
Reyna looked up at me, her brow furrowed, probably at the harshness of my voice.
"If George is watching you right now, he knows that he has gotten to you. Is that what you want?"
I didn’t miss the fact that she hadn’t answered, but since she was right, I tried to soften my expression.
Apparently, I failed as she laughed. "Now you look like you have indigestion."
My jaw tightened. "Who’s Dean Winters?"
"He’s someone from my past." She studied me, her head tilting to the side as if that angle would reveal something about me. "Are you really upset or are you just acting jealous to make George think you really care?"
"I do care."
Her eyes widened, and only then did I realize my words could be giving her the wrong idea. “I care that this situation with Dean Winters could ruin what we’re trying to do here.”
She looked away, turning her gaze over my shoulder although I didn't get the feeling she was looking at anyone in particular. "Who Dean is doesn't matter."
"The hell it doesn't."
She sighed. "Nobody is going to believe that we’re happily married."
She was probably right. She didn't look very happy, and I didn't feel very happy. I needed an excuse so that we could leave, but if I hauled her out of here now, people would be more suspicious of our marriage.
“Reyna.”
When she turned her gaze to me, I dipped my head and captured her lips. A tsunami of fire crashed through me, as it did every time I kissed her. Good Christ, how much I wanted this woman. But that wasn’t why I was kissing her. I was kissing her so that the room would believe that we were newlyweds who couldn't keep their hands off each other.
I pulled my lips away and then, wrapping an arm around her, I ushered her toward the exit of the ballroom.
"Where are we going?" She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I had lost my mind. I lost it the minute she walked into my office.
"We're going home where you're going to tell me about Dean Winters. But everyone here is going to believe I'm taking you home to fuck you."
I hurried her through the casino, the loud bells like gnats buzzing in my ears.
"But you're not really going to fuck me, right? This is very confusing for me because when you act like this, it’s usually the point at which you do fuck me."
My jaw tightened so much I wondered whether I’d be able to open it.
We got outside, and I ordered my car from the valet then whirled around on her. "Why do you always have to poke at me?"
She smirked. "I don't poke at you, James. You're just easily annoyed, that's all."