“We work together.”
“And?”
Her deep sigh echoes the one building inside of me. “We have a deal.”
“Are you stating the obvious solely to annoy me?”
“Of course not. I’m simply pointing out the stakes. There is far too much riding on our relationship for us to screw it up because we’re horny and confused.”
I don’t miss the way she says we, although I think she did.
“I’m not confused. Far from it, actually. I know exactly what I want.”
“And what is that?”
“You.”
The way she laughs makes me want to stifle it with my lips against hers. I settle on latching onto her hand, which sobers her enough to stop laughing at my expense.
She tries to rip her palm out of mine, but I hold on.
“This has to be some kind of sick joke.”
The muscles in my jaw ache from the way I grind my teeth together. “How so?”
“You can’t want me. Not like that at least.”
“Why not?”
“This isn’t meant to be anything but a contractual obligation.”
“It’s what we say it is.” I trace over the diamond on her finger, drawing a sharp breath from her.
Her eyes widen. “Oh my God. Are you actually suggesting that we hook up?”
I’ve always been a straight shooter—to a fault. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
Her bitter laugh sends a wave of uneasiness through me. “Then I’m sure it will be extremely difficult for you to accept that my answer is no.”
“Why waste time denying what we both already know?”
“Because the last thing we need is to further complicate things.”
“Hate to break it to you, but our relationship is nothing but complicated.”
“No, Declan. Our relationship is nothing but a façade.”
Her words land their blow, and I’m struck speechless as I process her words. She stands and grabs her purse. The small smile she shoots my way feels all kinds of wrong. I don’t want her to leave. That much I know is true, yet she doesn’t seem to acknowledge the silent plea in my eyes.
“I think it’s best if we pretend tonight never happened. For both of our sakes.” She bends down to kiss my cheek, and she might as well have burned the impression of her lips onto my skin. “I’ll meet you in the car. Take your time.”
A tightness in my chest grows with every step she takes away from me. I hate the feeling sprouting inside of me like a weed, tangling around my heart like a vine, almost as much as I hate Iris walking away from me.
Tonight might not have gone like expected, but I am not the kind of man to admit defeat.
I plan. I act. I conquer.
Iris might have rejected my first offer, but I will rise to the challenge and prove just how good things can be between us if she were to give me a chance.
Our marriage might be fake, but these feelings burning inside me are anything but. It’s only a matter of time before I make her mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.
The car isn’t even parked before Iris escapes the garage.
Harrison opens my door with his lips pressed together.
“How long have you been married for?” I exit the car and button my jacket.
His head rears back like I have never spoken to him before. We might not be confidants, but he has been my driver since before I ever had a license. Of course I interact with him. He even has my personal number strictly for coordination purposes.
“Forty years and counting.” He smiles to himself as if the idea pleases him.
“Willingly?”
As opposed to what? A contractual agreement like yours?
He laughs. “She might say no if you asked her.”
My head tilts. “Why?”
He looks at me as if he’s questioning my IQ. “Because marriage is hard, and apparently I’m not the easiest person to get along with. Plus, I snore.”
A laugh gets trapped in my throat. “Makes sense.” I turn toward the door, but Harrison’s words stop me.
“Mind if I offer you some advice?”
I sigh and look over at him. “Only if you feel that it’s absolutely crucial.”
His eyes wrinkle at the corners as his lips turn up into a small smile. “You might have gone about all the steps in the wrong order, but that doesn’t mean you can’t restart from the beginning and try again.”
The back of my neck prickles like tiny needles driving into my skin. “You know.”
“Of course I know. I’ve been driving you around since before you could reach the pedals. If you owe me anything, it’s to not insult my intelligence like that.”
“You signed an NDA.”
He gives his head a shake. “I’m not interested in selling your story. If I was, I would have taken the money your father offered me and retired with Gerty on a sandy beach in Mexico.”
My mask of indifference slips. “He wanted to pay you?”
“That’s not the point.”
“How much?” I tuck my clenched fists into my pocket.
He shuts the back door. “Also not the point.”
“Why wouldn’t you accept his deal?”
“Because I wasn’t about to give you one more reason to hate the world.”
“You should have taken the money because nothing you could ever do would change my opinion about humanity. I can guarantee it.”
“Probably not, but there is one person who might.”
My body goes rigid underneath my suit. “Not possible.”
He releases a deep belly laugh.
“Am I missing something amusing about this conversation?”
He wipes his eyes with a handkerchief. “It’s comforting knowing that the smartest man I’ve ever met is an idiot like the rest of us when it comes to women.”
My brows tug together. “Do you even care about keeping your job anymore?”
“You could try to fire me but we both know Iris would hire me back first thing tomorrow morning.”
I glare at him, which only makes him smile.
“I was only trying to offer you some advice because something told me you might need it. But I see that isn’t the case, so have a good night, sir.” He tips his hat and turns back toward the car.
“Harrison,” I call out before I can stop myself. Since I already embarrassed myself, I might as well take advantage of his advice.
He pauses. “Yes, Mr. Kane?”
I must be having some kind of mental crisis because nothing else explains what I do next.
“What would you do if you’re attracted to a woman who wants nothing to do with you?”
He laughs in a way that makes me feel like I’m missing the second half of a joke. “Mrs. Kane can say what she wants, but she’s interested in you. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.”
“With or without corrective lenses?”
He taps his thick-rimmed specks. “The bifocals don’t lie.”
“Regardless of what you’ve seen, she claims otherwise.”
“Oh, I’m sure she does. But that’s where you come in.”
“And do what exactly?”