I refuse to let myself fall for his touch again. Because next time, there might not be a string that snaps me out of making a terrible decision.
15
DECLAN
I acted like a dick last night for a multitude of reasons. The way I presented myself at my wedding was the first misstep in a series of regrets, all because I couldn’t get a handle on my feelings. After all these years, one would think I would have mastered the art of not giving a fuck. It’s disappointing to know all it took was Iris in a wedding dress to ruin all my hard work.
You won’t be making that mistake again.
Not if I can help it. I stayed up far too late last night going over my new approach toward our fake marriage. Whatever happened on our wedding night is in the past. From now on, we will be more careful to avoid putting ourselves in situations that could lead to disastrous consequences.
Like you opening the door in a towel, knowing she was on the other side?
Exactly. Not my smartest move, but I won’t make the same mistake twice.
I knock on her bedroom door with my free hand. She yells something indecipherable with a raspy voice, so I rap my knuckles against the wood again. A thud that sounds oddly like a pillow slamming against the door makes me smile to myself.
Iris might be many good things, but a morning person she is not.
I clear my throat. “I was out on my run and grabbed you some coffee.”
“From Joe’s?”
It is eerie how she knows that. “Yes.”
“French vanilla with whole milk?”
My teeth grind together. “Obviously.”
Her muffled moan through the door sends a current of energy down my spine. “And extra whipped cream?”
I sigh. “Open your door and find out.”
Her laugh trickles through the cracks of the door in the same way it seeps through my chest. I wait a whole two minutes while she does who knows what inside of her room. She finally opens it up, revealing red-rimmed eyes accentuated by smeared mascara. It shouldn’t stir up any kind of interest on my end, but the way my blood heats at her faded T-shirt dragging across her mid-thigh makes me question my sanity. It requires an unbearable amount of effort to turn my gaze away from her thighs. I take my time making it to her face, easily becoming distracted by the swell of her breasts pressed against the fabric of her T-shirt.
Snap out of it.
“Here.” I hold out her coffee like it carries an infectious disease. Our fingers brush, sending the faintest buzz across my skin.
Her eyes snap up to my face before she focuses on the coffee cup. “Thanks for the apology drink.”
“That isn’t what this is.”
“Okay. Sure. Whatever helps keep your fragile masculinity intact.” The sigh she makes as she takes a sip goes straight to my cock.
“I’ll be taking that back now…” I attempt to steal the cup, but she grasps it with an iron grip.
“Don’t you think about it! This has to be the best thing I’ve ever woken up to.”
“I see why your past relationships failed.” The words slip out of my mouth before I have a chance to think.
Shit, Declan. Where the hell did that come from?
I didn’t mean for it to slip out.
Say what you came here to say and get the hell out of here.
“Did you just make a jab at my sex life?” Her voice has a lethal quality to it.
No way in hell am I touching that comment. I press my lips together to avoid saying anything else.
Then you shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.
Her gaze hardens. “I think it’s time we set some ground rules.”
“Rules,” I repeat back in a dry tone.
“Yes. Rules. You remember ours right?”
“I have a vague recollection.”
Her smile could bring a man to his knees. “Let’s review. Every look.” She drags her eyes across my body like a phantom touch, burning my skin in their wake. “Every touch.” It only takes a single finger of hers brushing across my cheek to beckon me forward like a man starved for attention. “Every kiss.” This time, she grips my chin roughly, tugging my head down. Her lips brush the corner of mine. It’s an exact replica of my kiss at our engagement party, yet this one elicits a whole different reaction from me. “Is nothing but a lie.”
I’m rock solid beneath my running shorts. I clear my throat, blinking away the arousal in my eyes before she catches on.
So much for being on the same page.
“Fine. I concede. No talk of exes.” I have none worthy of talking about and hers are exactly where they belong.
In the past.
“Great. Glad we are in agreement on that.” She sips her drink.
“As entertaining as this conversation has been, I have things to do.”
She raises her brow. “Then why are you here? With coffee?”
“Because I need to talk to you about yesterday.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“Well, then. Go ahead.” She takes a sip of her drink while scanning my face for emotions.
She won’t find any. I’ve made sure of it.
I start with the hardest subject first. “Our kiss…”
“Kisses. As in plural. Both of which you instigated, just to set the record straight.”
My skin burns hot under my T-shirt. “Kisses. As in never happening again.”
She smiles. “Fine. You won’t hear any objections from me.”
Fine? I at least expected her to put up a bit of a fight. Based on the way she looked at me last night, I thought she would do something other than stare at me with a smug smile.
Maybe you read her wrong.
“While kissing you was a necessary evil for the public, we no longer need to pretend to be attracted to each other.”
Something flashes in her eyes before she recovers. “Good. God forbid you actually have to pretend to be into me.”
It was a shitty yet effective thing to say. My words do their damage, just like they’re supposed to. It’s for the best. The way I was compelled to touch her last night, without a single person watching us, says enough.
“Well, now that we cleared the air, I’m going to go enjoy my coffee.” She proceeds to slam the door on my face.
If this is a glimpse into what marriage is like, I see why our divorce rates are shit. I’ll be lucky if I don’t become some national statistic before our time is up.
I knew my father wanting to meet with me for lunch was a trap, yet I willingly went along with his invitation anyway. After his conversation with Iris, I’m interested in determining just how much of a problem he is going to be for me. My intuition tells me nothing about my battle for the CEO position will be easy.
My father’s brown eyes swing from the menu to my face. “Any honeymoon plans?”
“No need to act like you care on my account.”
He sighs. “I’m simply making small talk.”
Bullshit. Every question he asks and all the statements he makes always have an ulterior motive. Because of him, I became an expert in reading between the lines.
“Iris and I are leaving on Friday.” At least now we are. I don’t care what the destination might be, so long as we go somewhere.