Is he for real right now? He’s one to talk about trust issues when the man has a seventeen-digit code to unlock his cellphone.
“Is this the part of our relationship where we share our deep-seated daddy issues?” I coo in a joking manner despite the thundering pace of my heart. “Because I’m pretty sure we could spend the whole flight debating who had it worse growing up.”
He shrugs. “Defensive as always.”
This motherfuc—
Relax. He’s good at stirring up people’s insecurities and using them to his advantage. Instead of giving in to his taunts, I pull out my phone and busy myself with my email inbox. Sorting messages is a soothing task that keeps my mind numb.
Despite my best efforts, my thoughts drift.
Trust issues? Who is he to call me out on such a thing? Everything about him screams trust issues, from the thirty-page prenup I signed to the way he won’t open up despite my knowing him for years.
He readjusts his position in the chair. “You can trust me to remain faithful.”
“As if that was a concern,” I bite back.
His brow raises in silent question.
“Everyone knows about your sleeping habits.”
“And what are they?” His eyes lighten with amusement.
“You don’t sleep around and you don’t date. Half the company thinks you’re gay while the others think you visit a sex club to let off some steam every week.”
“I’m disappointed at their lack of creativity.” There is a tightness in his voice that wasn’t present a moment ago.
“I tried to help them all by spreading a rumor about a woman who secretly visited your office on Fridays, but it only lasted a year.”
“Why the hell would you say that?” His neutral expression morphs into something terrifying. If it weren’t for the crazed expression on his face, I would be proud to have ruffled his feathers like this. It is no easy feat to get under the great Declan Kane’s skin.
I become engrossed in pushing back my cuticles. “It forced people to send me their assignments earlier than usual because no one wanted to interrupt your sexy time for a signature. It was a win-win really. I was able to prepare your Monday briefing reports before the weekend and they earned promotions for their diligent work.”
He blinks at me. “You had them believe this for a year?”
“Are you proud of me?”
“No.”
“You should be. I was so committed to the storyline that I even hired a few women to leave your office at 5 p.m.” I waggle my brows.
“Please tell me you didn’t charge this to my personal card.”
I grin. “Nope. Considered it a business expense.”
He rubs his eyes. “Sometimes I feel like I know everything about you, and then you open your mouth and say something like that.”
My cheeks heat and I hide my bashfulness with a smile. “Keeping tabs on me?”
“It’s expected.”
“Because I’m your wife?”
His response is interrupted by the flight attendant showing up with our bottle of champagne. She pops the cork and moves to pour us a glass, purposefully leaning forward. One peek at her cleavage pushes me into action.
I interrupt her. “I got it.”
Her face reddens as she places the bottle on the table and leaves.
“Jealousy looks good on you.”
“Oh, shut up.” I fill the glasses and swipe one for myself.
Declan rewards my brazenness with a deep chuckle so low, I can barely hear it over the hum of the plane’s engines.
I smile in return as I lift my flute in the air toward Declan. “To the vacation I desperately needed.”
He begrudgingly grabs the other. “And the honeymoon I never wanted.”
I tap my flute against his. “Cheers!”
It takes me two whole days to recover from a severe case of jet lag. By the third morning, I am feeling better than ever. My head brushes against my silk pillowcase as I turn on my side and stare out my panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bush. The moon glistens off the surface of our private pool, and I’m tempted to dive in to wake myself up.
I stretch my legs before doing a celebratory wiggle in bed. I haven’t had a vacation since before I started working for Declan, so the idea of spending ten days off the grid has me wanting to dance my way through my morning routine.
The sound of my alarm breaks the silence. If I wasn’t used to waking up early for work, the 5 a.m. schedule here would have sucked big time. I’m quick with getting ready given my limited choices of safari-appropriate clothing.
By the time I make it to our living room, I expect Declan to be annoyed that I’m ten minutes late. Except Declan isn’t here. I spin around in a circle before making my way through our private villa. His room is located on the opposite side of the place, giving him an equally beautiful view of our pool outside.
A muffled noise comes through the bottom of his bedroom door. I turn the knob and push his door open, finding Declan bent over a desk, looking fresh as a daisy in a three-piece suit. I try my best to ignore the way his ass sticks out, but my eyes linger on his form-fitting pants because I’m not blind. Although the little jolt in my heart concerns me enough to avert my gaze back to his face.
I frown at his attire. “You can’t go out like that. The lions will eat you alive.”
He ignores me as he scribbles something down on a notepad.
I check the time on my phone. “We’re supposed to meet with the ranger in five minu—”
“Sorry, Mr. Kane, what was that?” a woman’s voice cuts me off.
He glares at me as he holds a finger to his mouth.
“Just my assistant checking in on me. Carry on, Ms. Tanaka.”
Tanaka. Of course Declan would answer a call from Mr. Yakura’s assistant. She and her VIP boss are one of the few people who have direct access to Declan’s personal line.
Ms. Tanaka spouts something off in Japanese and Declan responds without missing a beat. Watching him shift between languages always impresses me. Whether it is Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, or Japanese, the way the words roll easily off Declan’s tongue is something to be admired. I’ve tried to pick up on a few words here and there while listening in on his conversations, but I never had a knack for any kind of words—let alone foreign ones.
While Declan speaks to Ms. Tanaka, I enter his closet and start unloading his luggage. I make quick work of the job since I was the one who packed everything anyway. The suit was a surprise, and I’m somewhat peeved Declan thought to pack it in the first place. We were supposed to be on the same page about all this, including no work.
Because really, what is the point of going through this entire sham of a honeymoon if he is going to work the entire time. That doesn’t scream happily in love.
Ms. Tanaka finally ends the call, and I exit his closet with a safari-approved outfit. “Here. Change into this.”
“We’re not going.”
I blink at him. “I’m sorry, what?”
His eyes shift from my face to my trembling arm holding onto his clothes with an iron grip. “Mr. Yakura wants to meet in a few hours to discuss the latest proposal.”
“You’re joking.”
“No. The man is impossible. I’m close to abandoning the land and sending the scouts out to find me a new location.”