Mr. Fiancé(49)

“Yeah,” I murmur, my chest feeling like I’ve got a lead weight pressing down on it. It’s taking away my breath and making it hard to even say what I want to say. I want to tell her that the dream doesn’t have to end. I want to promise her more than just a fantasy week on the ocean.

But I can't form the words. How can I tell her that I don’t think this is fake anymore? Our engagement might be fake, but what I’m feeling damn sure isn’t.

“What are you going to do when you get back?” she asks softly.

“Probably check on Mom first, then make sure my business isn’t in total shambles before it ever gets off the ground,” I say, slightly troubled. Last week, making Steele Security a name in the corporate world dominated my thoughts and my efforts. Now, it just doesn’t seem as important as spending time with Mindy. “Then I’ll make sure my little shithead brother hasn’t burned down my house. I asked him to watch my place.”

She smiles. “I’m sure everything will be okay. If he’s anything like Roxy, he’s a pain in the ass but comes through when your back’s to the wall.” She sighs and turns on her side, running her hand down my slightly stubbled cheek and making my morning shadow crinkle. “But I’m not gonna lie. I'm not looking forward to going back to that damn coffee shop. I’ve been having so much fun, and the days have flown by.”

“I’ve been having a blast,” I agree. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”

A flush comes to her cheeks and goes down her neck to her chest, and she bites her lip, smiling slightly. “Thank you. It means a lot, and you make me feel good. And to think, the first time I met you I wanted to choke you.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, well, that was hot. I loved how you walked in there with your little list, thinking you could tame me. It was . . . cute.”

Mindy smiles and traces my jaw with her fingers like she’s trying to memorize me with her touch as much as with her eyes. “Who’s to say I'm not just doing this to wrap you around my finger? An insidious plan to make you my love slave?”

“Who’s to say I’m not doing the same? When I first saw you, I told myself you thought you were a queen and I was going to have to be your king. How am I doing?”

Mindy laughs. She runs her hands down my body, making my skin prick. “I can’t complain, that’s for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever been this satisfied.”

I don’t need compliments, but her words still warm me on the inside. Her opinion matters to me. It makes me feel important.

Her eyes flicker for a moment before they dim, and I see her gaze grow distant. She’s thinking about something. I’ve grown close enough to her over the past few days to know that look.

“What is it?” I ask her. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Her lips part, and she struggles for the words that I can sense even before she tries to form them. They’re foolish, but I want her to say them. I want her to tell me that she truly wants me, that perhaps there’s a chance for something back home. I don’t know how I’d react, but to hear her say those words . . . I need it. I need her.

She looks away, turning over and wrapping her arms around her body. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s something,” I say, spooning behind her and feeling her amazingly soft skin press against me. I bring my lips to the back of her neck and nuzzle, knowing just where she likes to be touched already, just how much she likes that little spot right where her hair makes a little V-shape at the nape of her neck. I kiss and nibble, wrapping my arms around her and stroking her arms. “You know you like it. Tell me what's on your mind.”

She lets out a soft little moan, arching her back to slide her right breast into my hand and pressing her ass back against my cock. “Jesus, you know what you’re doing. But really . . . it’s nothing.”

“Oh, really?” I say playfully, trailing my free hand down her thigh, enjoying the feel of her soft flesh. “I think you’re lying to me.”

“What gives you that idea?” she asks breathlessly, gasping as I pinch her nipple and tug on it lightly. “Fuck . . . I didn’t know I could get this hot so quickly again.”

“I can feel your pulse racing,” I murmur, kissing her neck again. “Under my lips.”

“That’s just because of what you’re doing to me.” She gasps. “And we both know where your hand’s going.”

I grin, recognizing the deflection. “Well, if you’re not gonna tell me, I can stop. Or I can continue.”