Page 41 of Marry Me Not
She leaned over and grabbed the mouse from me. She was close enough for me to make out the light-brown freckles across the tops of her cheeks. Heat slipped beneath my skin, the way it always seemed to in her presence.
“We can cut the dancing at the end…” she began.
I tried to focus on what she was saying, but my gaze kept drifting to those damn freckles. It quickly became apparent she didn’t actually need any of my input, and that was a good thing considering how distracted she made me. Nettle was completelycapable of handling this. She just lacked the confidence to make the decisions on her own.
“I think this is doable,” she concluded, closing the file with the agenda. “We should also probably talk about where we’re staying that night.” She straightened up and looked down at me. “We have the honeymoon suite booked at the hotel for the original date, but I suggest we cancel. We should be able to get half of the cost refunded.”
I turned my chair to face her and linked my hands in my lap. “Why would we cancel it? Why not just move the date up.”
She tucked a strand behind her ear. “Well, since the reception won’t go too late, we could just fly back home that same night. It’s only a fifty-minute flight from the venue back to New York. Then we could each have our own room. I assume you have a guest bedroom in your house.”
I did. And of course that was where I’d planned on putting her while we lived together. So why was I annoyed by the fact that she was bringing it up proactively?
“We could cancel it, but sharing a suite for one night isn’t a big deal,” I said, keeping my tone nonchalant. “I’m sure there’s a couch.”
What the fuck are you doing?a voice in my head demanded.You know that’s a bad idea.
I ignored the voice.
She shifted her weight between her feet. “I’d prefer not to. I think it would be best if we maintain clear boundaries during the next six months. It goes without saying,” she continued, “thatsince this isn’t a real engagement or a real marriage, we’re not going to…you know.”
I arched a brow. “What?”
Her cheeks reddened. “Be intimate.”
Amusement tugged on my lips. That was the most virginal way anyone could possibly have phrased it.
“We should probably talk about what’s acceptable and what’s not,” she continued. “Holding hands and hugging is fine. I assume we’ll have to kiss at the altar, and maybe on a few other very, very rare occasions. But I don’t see any reason why we’d need to take it any further than that. Right?”
It was the secondverythat got to me. “I don’t know, Fabiana. My secretary might get suspicious if she doesn’t hear you moaning my name through the office wall at least once a week.”
The flush spread from her cheeks to the rest of her face. She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Even if we were hooking up in your office, I’m pretty sure I could restrain myself from moaning your name.”
My gaze dragged down her body. She had no fucking idea the things I could do to her. The pleasure I could make her feel. “I wouldn’t bet on that.”
“You’re pretty confident, huh?”
“Believe me, the confidence is well-earned.”
Her throat bobbed. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Guess so.”
We held each other’s gazes for a drawn-out moment, the air between us simmering with tension. She glanced away first.
At last, I returned to my senses. “You’re right. Cancel the suite. We’ll fly home.” The less time I spent in a bedroom alone with her, the better. I don’t know what the fuck possessed me to argue otherwise.
“Great,” she said in a tight voice, coming around the desk to grab her purse. “And the rest? Do you agree?”
“Yes. We’ll stick to first base.”
It was exactly what I’d wanted.
So why the hell couldn’t I shake my agitation?
CHAPTER 14
FABIANA
