The Arrangement(24)

Ariadne expelled a breath after they left. She glanced at Asher. He’d been curiously silent during the exchange which was simply not him. “Why are you so quiet?”

“Just sizing up the competition.”

“And what’s your verdict?” Aurora asked.

Asher took a sip of his soda and then flashed that sexy grin of his. “There is no competition.”

“What did she mean when she said she would see us later?” Ariadne asked with a frown.

Aurora shrugged. “I don’t know. Rebecca did invite everyone to come over to her house for iced coffees and dessert later. Maybe she plans to drop by.”

Ariadne groaned, losing what was left of her appetite.



“Girl, I would have thought you were faking it, if it weren’t for the way he stares at you,” her cousin Sierra said.

Ariadne glanced across Aunt Rebecca’s den at where Asher was entertaining some of the women in her family. Of course. He was like catnip to the fairer sex. “What do you mean?”

“He looks at you like he can’t wait to get you alone and do any number of dirty things to you.”#p#分页标题#e#

When her gaze met his across the room, he did indeed give her a sultry glance beneath lowered lashes that seemed to undress her. Ariadne’s breath caught. They’d been pretending to be a happily married couple all day. The more time she spent with Asher without their previous sniping, the more she found that she liked him. He was charming, intelligent, and funny. Someone said something to him, drawing his attention away from her. Then he laughed. Ariadne inhaled. And too damn sexy for his own good, she silently amended.

“Good, God, what was that?” She folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs. Ariadne heard someone issue a moan.

She frowned at her husband. She could not believe he didn’t notice the effect his laugh had on women. Hell, and some men, too, she realized as she noticed her cousin Chris practically fall into a chair while fanning himself. “That’s Asher’s laugh,” she explained.

“Yeah, but it sounds like-”

“I know.” Changing the subject, she asked, “What did you mean about my faking it?”

“Well, less than a month ago you were single. Then, boom, you’re married. Nice bling, by the way,” Sierra said pointing at her wedding ring. “Anyway, I couldn’t help but wonder if you weren’t pretending to be married so that Janice wouldn’t spend the entire reunion   gloating.”

“The marriage is real.”

“I don’t usually say this about white guys, but he’s damn sexy.”

Though she knew Sierra wasn’t interested in Ash and she could trust this cousin to never try to steal her man, Ariadne still felt a prickle of irritation. Good grief, she couldn’t possibly be getting possessive over Asher, could she? If there was a man less likely to remain with one woman, she’d never met him.

“Oh, dear,” said a soft voice at her side. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting this.”

Ariadne turned to her Aunt Rebecca. She was a soft spoken and kind woman. If Rebecca and her mother didn’t look so much alike, Ariadne would have doubted that the two were siblings. Rebecca was quiet and calm while her mother was just the opposite. At the moment, her aunt appeared quite upset. Her brow was wrinkled with worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Janice called and said that there was an issue with their hotel room. Bed bugs I believe. I couldn’t turn her away.”

Sighing, Ariadne hugged her aunt. “It’s fine.” She smiled so that her aunt wouldn’t worry. “It’s just for a night.”

Janice and Daniel arrived a half an hour later with their luggage in tow. A hush fell over the gathered family members as they glanced from Janice to her. Aunt Rebecca rushed to show them where to put their luggage. As they disappeared upstairs, conversation resumed.

“I almost wish I was staying here tonight. This promises to be full of drama,” her cousin Chris drawled.



Despite Chris’s prediction, there was no drama. Janice and Daniel never came down from their room. By some misfortune, Ariadne and Asher ended up with the bedroom next to theirs. After the family dispersed around midnight, Ariadne took a shower and changed for bed. Knowing she would share a room with Asher, she dressed in an oversized t-shirt and shorts.

The bedroom they had been given was decorated in pale blue and white. It was quite spacious. All the rooms were. Her aunt’s husband had owned a construction company. He’d died two years ago. Though her aunt had said she would sell the house and move back to North Carolina, Ariadne didn’t think she would do it. She’d built this house with her husband and it was clear that she still loved it.#p#分页标题#e#