Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“I want to do what’s right. And… if I was actually hired to work this wedding, I would only act if I found something worth acting on.”
“You’re still pretending you aren’t working the wedding?”
“I sign a confidentiality contract with my clients when I do work weddings. If I was working this one, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”
Emma’s face darkened. “I’m not stupid, James. But… I love my sister. And if you hurt her somehow in this mess, I will never forgive you.”
“That’s not what I do,” I said.
“No,” she said softly, eyes falling to my lips. “You just… show up and complicate things.”
“Pardon?”
“You arrived and had your mouth on mine within seconds. You convinced everybody we’re a couple. And now I’m in your bed, James. Tell me that’s not complicated.”
Her soft voice, the moonlight, and the cold sheets… It all felt so damn intimate, and I wasn’t sure if I was reading too much into her body language, but—
"Emma..."
“You talked about trust,” she continued. “How do you think it felt for me when I trusted you with my body in that wine cellar? And then the next day you were destroying everything. Imagine what that does to a girl’s mind. And her heart.”
“I didn’t think I meant anything to you. I wanted to tell you that night, but I knew you’d probably go to the groom and bride. You’d try to talk them into working it out, and it would only lead to more pain for them.”
She was quiet for a long time. “And what about now, James? Why are you doing this? Why spend so much of your time here selling the lie about us to everybody? I don’t see what’s in it for you.”
“I thought I owed you after everything. I saw a chance to help. That Dick asshole was going to be all over you. I could see it the moment I walked in the door, and I just did what I thought was right.”
“You thought kissing me was right?”
“It certainly felt that way,” I admitted.
Emma swallowed hard. “Sometimes, I wonder if you’re really pretending. Sometimes, it feels pretty damn real.”
My pulse kicked up. "Does it?"
"You know it does. That first kiss when you showed up, maybe that was just for show. But today, at the tasting..."
"What about it?"
"It felt different. Like maybe you weren't just pretending to be possessive."
I reached out to brush hair from her face, noting how her breath caught. "Maybe I wasn't."
"James..."
"Maybe we should work on our technique,” I suggested. Was the suggestion just about the oldest trick in the book? Yeah. But fuck if I cared. I wanted her lips on mine again. I couldn’t muster the willpower to care if I was being obvious about it or not.
Emma raised an eyebrow, but I saw how the pace of her breathing had increased. “You can’t think I’m really going to fall for that…”
“A real couple would have all kinds of kisses,” I continued. “Possessive ones, passionate ones, casual ones. It might look suspicious if we have to kiss in front of people again and don’t do the right kind.”
“I feel like you’re full of shit.”
“You can feel how you want. I happen to be a professional, and I’d prefer to know we’re prepared for any situation.”
Emma rolled her eyes, lips slightly pursed in a smile. “So you think we need to kiss here… lying in bed… and you think that will somehow prepare us for any situation?”
I traced my thumb over her bottom lip. "That’s right. It wouldn’t mean anything. We’re both professionals, and we’d only be putting in the work to do our jobs convincingly.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, catching the edge of my thumb. The small contact sent fire through my veins. “I suppose if we can both agree it doesn’t mean anything… I could let you try some practice kisses. Just for the sake of appearances, of course.” Her voice had dropped low, all breath and heat against my face.
I closed the distance between us slowly, giving her time to change her mind. When my lips touched hers, she made a small sound that shot straight through me.
This kiss was different. The others had been for show, even if part of me had deeply enjoyed them.
This was heat and need and three years of wanting.
Emma's hands slid into my hair as she pressed closer. I groaned at the feel of her body against mine, all soft curves and thin clothing barely separating our bodies. When her leg hooked over my hip, I rolled us so she was beneath me.
"James," she gasped as I kissed down her throat. “What context would we use this in, exactly?”
“This would be…” I said, pausing with a small smile. “Unexpectedly interrupted while having an intimate moment.”
Her lips curved at the corners. “And you think we’re really going to need to demonstrate this one in front of anyone?”