“They were a gift from my mother.”
Of course they were.
“Let me know in advance the next time you leave for a month,” she said. “I want time to plan a party, redecorate the living room, maybe come up with a robust shopping list. It’s amazing how much you can do with no spending limit.”
I narrowed my eyes.
I didn’t care about the credit card usage. Luca once spent a million dollars on a ridiculous twenty-four-karat solid gold bathtub for a pajama party. A hundred grand was nothing.
What pissed me off was the way Vivian rearranged everything while I was gone. The towels and flowers were just the tip of the iceberg. There was new art on the walls, aromatherapy piping through hidden diffusers, and a massage room where the gift-wrapping room used to be.
I left for a month and came back to find my home transformed into a fucking Club Med.
“You had a good time while I was gone, did you?” A dangerous current twined around my words.
“I had a wonderful time.” Vivian threaded her fingers through my hair and tugged hard enough to hurt. She smiled. “The house has been so pleasant without all the scowls and grunts.”
“Here I thought you’d miss me.” I tsked. “I’m hurt.”
“I would apologize, but catering to your feelings isn’t part of our arrangement. It’s just a business deal. Remember?”
A reluctant smile touched my mouth.
Touché.
“Look at you two. So sweet.” Winona sighed. “Dante, why don’t you give her a kiss on the lips? It’ll be the perfect photo to wrap up the shoot.”
My smile disappeared.
Vivian went stiff in my arms. “That’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “We don’t…we don’t like PDA.”
“There’s no one here except us,” Winona pointed out.
I’d pulled some strings and reserved swaths of the park for the photoshoot. I hated public crowds. Too loud, too unpredictable, too there.
“Yes, but…” Vivian faltered. She looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.
Annoyance flared at her horrified expression. I didn’t want to kiss her, but I didn’t appreciate how she acted like kissing me was the equivalent of getting bitten by a poisonous snake.
“We really don’t feel comfortable kissing in front of any third party,” Vivian finally finished.
She tried to step back, but my hold on her hips prevented her from doing so.
My annoyance deepened. We’d agreed to play the part of a loving couple in public, but she wasn’t acting particularly loving.
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine, but it’s not an engagement shoot without a kiss.” Winona looked puzzled by our hesitation. “I promise I won’t be scandalized.”
“Right.” Vivian scraped her teeth across her bottom lip.
Christ. If she waffled any harder, she’d have a prime spot on Sarabeth’s brunch menu, syrup and all.
Instead of waiting for her to make a decision sometime in the next century, I dipped my head and brushed my mouth over hers. Softly, just long enough to hear the camera shutter click again.
Vivian’s body morphed from stiff to rigid. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale, and I tasted something sweet flavored with a hint of spices.
My blood thrummed.
It was just supposed to be a quick kiss for the camera. I should pull back, but her mouth was so warm and soft I couldn’t resist another taste.
And another.
Before I knew it, my hand slid up of its own accord. My fingers sank into her hair and evoked an overwhelming urge to deepen the kiss. To wrap my fist around all that silk and tug until her mouth opened fully for me, letting me explore and plunder at my will.
My blood thrummed louder.
I blamed my senseless actions on the month apart. Absence made the heart grow fonder and all that crap.
It was the only plausible reason why kissing Francis Lau’s daughter didn’t make me want to scrub bleach all over myself.
Vivian tilted her chin up a fraction, giving me better access. My—
“We got the shot!” Winona’s voice yanked us apart as suddenly and violently as if someone had fired a gun.
One second, we were kissing. The next, my hands were gone from Vivian’s hip and hair, her arms had dropped from around my neck, and my heart was racing like I’d just completed an Ironman Triathlon.
Vivian and I stared at each other for a frozen second before quickly looking away.
The kiss had lasted less than a minute, but my mouth turned with the imprint of her lips. Heaviness settled on my skin like a cashmere blanket as Winona rose from her crouching position.
“You two might be the most photogenic couple I’ve ever worked with.” She grinned. “I can’t wait for you to see the final photos.”
“Thank you,” Vivian said, her face pink. “I’m sure they’ll be great.”
“Are we done?” I removed my jacket and ignored her reproving look. We’d done the damn shoot. What more did she want?
And why was it so fucking hot in the middle of October?
“Yes, I’ll email you a link to the gallery in two weeks,” Winona said, unfazed by my curt reply. “Congratulations again on your engagement.”
Vivian thanked her again while I brushed past her toward the stairs leading away from Bethesda Terrace. I needed to put more distance between us immediately.
Unfortunately, Vivian soon fell into step with me again, and we walked in silence toward one of the park exits while I cursed myself for my lapse of judgment.
Not just the kiss, but the photoshoot altogether. I should’ve hired someone to Photoshop us into the park. That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with…this.
The restless buzz beneath my skin. The tightening of my muscles when her scent wafted into my nose. The memory of her mouth on mine.
It wasn’t about the kiss, which we’d had to do if we didn’t want to arouse Winona’s suspicion.
It was about the fact I’d lingered.
Vivian finally spoke when we passed through the exit onto 79th and Fifth. “About the kiss back there—”
“It was for the photo.” I didn’t look at her.
“I know, but—”
“Are you hungry?” I nodded at the food cart on the corner of the street. I would rather bathe in acid than discuss what happened.
Vivian sighed but dropped the subject. “I could use some food,” she admitted. Her eyebrows winged up when I stopped in front of the food cart. “What are you doing?”
“Buying breakfast.” I pulled a crisp twenty out of my wallet. “Two coffees and signature bagels. Keep the change. Thanks, Omar.”
While I wanted to get away from Vivian as soon as possible, I was damn hungry. We’d woken up too early for breakfast, and I couldn’t buy food without getting some for her too.
I was an asshole, not a boor.
I turned to find her staring at me like I’d sprouted horns and feathers in the middle of Fifth Avenue.
“What?”
“You’re on a first-name basis with the owner.”
“Obviously.” I slid my wallet back into my pocket. “I run here in the mornings when I have time, and I’ve tried all the breakfast carts around the park. Omar’s the best.”