Page 17 of Another Shot At Forever
He flicked the HW-engraved box open and plucked out a five-carat diamond ring.
A ribbon of shock twirled inside my belly. “Reed…” I tugged my attention to him, then snapped it back to the sparkling ring. “Where did you get this?”
“Harry Winston, silly. Now”—he gently grabbed hold of my left hand—“let me do this properly.” Clearing his throat, Reed looked at me and said, “Giana Rossi, will you be fake engaged to me?”
My hand shook as though he were asking therealquestion.Snap out of it girly, this is all fake. “Yes, Reed Cortez, of course I will.”
We shared a laugh which quickly faded as he slid the ring onto my finger.
A whirlpool of electricity crackled between us and the flicker of warmth in his eyes stoked a fire in my heart.
“Reed, this ring…” I trailed off, not wanting to sound presumptuous. Had the ring—which hugged my finger perfectly—been meant for me, or had it been for someone else?
He tipped my chin upward, his barely-there-touch blazing a trail of heat up my spine. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
I dipped my head in agreement but knew curiosity would murder me before long.
Reed slipped on his blazer, and as we approached the door, a thought about a possible hiccup or gap in our ruse sprung to mind. I whirled around to face Reed, who grabbed hold of my waist when he bumped into me.
Back cemented to the door, I bit down on my lower lip, hoping it would stifle the rise and fall of my chest. “We…should probably kiss.”
A lopsided smart-ass grin adorned his face. “Kiss?” He slid his gaze down to my mouth, then slowly back to my eyes. “And why is that?”
“It’s what engaged couples do.” A snicker eased past my lips. “If we want this to seem real, we’ll need to exchange a few smooches in front of everyone at tonight’s dinner. We should kiss now, get it out of the way so it won’t feel awkward later.”
“Kissing you never felt awkward.”
Please don’t let my cheeks look as hot as they burn. “But that was six years ago.”
Reed squeezed my waist with one hand and cupped my cheek with the other. I nearly melted in his caress, my heartbeat strengthening, my ability to stand weakening.
“You sure about this, Gigi?”
His voice was a lower, sexier, raspier version of itself, and I thought I’d lose my ability to breathe when he leaned in, closing the breadth of space between us.
Head tilted, his lips softly brushed mine. “We both know one kiss could lead to more.”
Tugging on his shirt, I nodded, eyes closed as his lips softly pressed against mine.
What started off slow and unhurried, quickly evolved to hot and needy.
The feel of his warm breath, the taste of his sweet tongue, God help me. Who knew a smooch could be like wine? Aged to perfection, much better over time. Reed Cortez rocked my world off its axis again, this time with only a kiss.
As our impromptu make-out session eased to an end, the side of Reed’s mouth tilted up in a smirk. “How’s that, Miss Rossi?” His voice sounded groggy like he’d just come out of a drunken haze.
“Pretty damn spectacular.”
CHAPTERELEVEN
Reed
One kiss and I was royally fucked, dazed, and drunk on my fake fiancée.
Giana tasted sweet and looked hot as smoke in that little black dress and sky-high heels; if my lips so much as brushed hers again, there’d be no turning back. How a kiss could feel a million times better than before was beyond me. Our chemistry flared like a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate with a tiny spark.
When we arrived at the rehearsal dinner, Giana’s grandmother spotted us immediately.
“Tesoro,” she said, pinching my cheeks. “It’s so good to see you.”
