that all of the time because I always knew where she’d hidden everything. I can’t help it.”
“I should’ve locked the door.” His face is grim, but I can hear a trace of amusement in his voice. “Find anything interesting?”
If I wasn’t so drunk, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask. But that’s the great thing about alcohol, it does a good job of shutting down the part of your brain where you keep your common sense.
“Who’s the chick in the photo?”
I expect him to refuse to answer, so it shocks the hell out of me when he simply says, “That’s my ex-wife, Amber.”
I kind of guessed that, but I’m still surprised to hear him say it. I can’t imagine him as the married type. A real marriage, I mean, not the blasphemous scam that he’s about to pull with me.
“The kid yours, too?”
“Hers. I haven’t seen him since the divorce.”
The careful mask hasn’t slipped from his face, but something in the way he says it makes me wonder. “You miss him?”
Leo shrugs, as if he hadn’t thought about it. “Ian was a good kid.”
“It’s hard to imagine you married.”
He raises an eyebrow. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
It’s impossible to mistake the sexual innuendo in his voice. I don’t know whether to throw myself into his arms or run screaming into the night.
“You’re not gonna spank me again, are you?”
Oh. My. God.
I can’t believe that I just said that. Why the hell am I giving him ideas?
But Leo just smiles. He reaches for me and my heart stops. But his hand continues right past me to the open box above my head.
I stay sprawled on the floor as he rummages in the box. The room slowly spins around me. He’s close enough that his leg just barely brushes my shoulder. I tell myself that I haven’t scooted back because any movement causes a swell of nausea to come over me, not because I’m enjoying being so close him.
Leo drops something small in my lap. I look down to see a jewelry box. My fingers fumble to get it open. When I do, a princess cut diamond ring with a white gold band is revealed.
“She gave it back to me before she left.” Leo’s voice is completely devoid of emotion. I wish I had enough brain cells still active to figure out what that meant. “We can get it resized, make this shit look at least a little bit legit.”
My mouth works silently before I can get any words out. “I can’t take this.”
“You’re not taking anything. Girls wear rings when they get married. I’ll get it back when this is all over.”
“Oh…okay,” I say lamely, not sure exactly what words you use when accepting another woman’s wedding ring for your fake marriage. “Um, thanks.”
If Leo notices my discomfort, he ignores it. Ignoring emotional reactions seems to be something he’s good at.
“I got your stuff.” I look where he’s pointing and see my computer bag and suitcase sitting by the bed.
My whiskey-addled brain doesn’t miss that he’s brought my stuff into his bedroom. And his bedroom is the only bedroom in the apartment.
I swallow hard. “Am I sleeping in here.”
“That couch wasn’t made for sleeping on, the cushions’ll get deformed,” he grumbles. “It’s the bed or the floor.”
I can’t tell if he’s ignoring the obvious on purpose, just to mess with me, or if he’s really this obtuse. “But you’ll be sleeping on the bed, too?”
His smile is dark. “It is my bed.”
“So, you want me to sleep with you…tonight?”
The smile widens. “You can call it that, sure. I also like payment for services rendered.”
The asshole is basically calling me a prostitute. Fucker. “Services haven’t been rendered, yet. I’m not having sex with you until after we’ve walked down the aisle.”
He seems to find that hilarious. And I seethe as he laughs at me. “You want to wait for your wedding night? Don’t tell me you’ve been saving yourself for marriage.”
“I’m not a virgin, not that I owe
“I should’ve locked the door.” His face is grim, but I can hear a trace of amusement in his voice. “Find anything interesting?”
If I wasn’t so drunk, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask. But that’s the great thing about alcohol, it does a good job of shutting down the part of your brain where you keep your common sense.
“Who’s the chick in the photo?”
I expect him to refuse to answer, so it shocks the hell out of me when he simply says, “That’s my ex-wife, Amber.”
I kind of guessed that, but I’m still surprised to hear him say it. I can’t imagine him as the married type. A real marriage, I mean, not the blasphemous scam that he’s about to pull with me.
“The kid yours, too?”
“Hers. I haven’t seen him since the divorce.”
The careful mask hasn’t slipped from his face, but something in the way he says it makes me wonder. “You miss him?”
Leo shrugs, as if he hadn’t thought about it. “Ian was a good kid.”
“It’s hard to imagine you married.”
He raises an eyebrow. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
It’s impossible to mistake the sexual innuendo in his voice. I don’t know whether to throw myself into his arms or run screaming into the night.
“You’re not gonna spank me again, are you?”
Oh. My. God.
I can’t believe that I just said that. Why the hell am I giving him ideas?
But Leo just smiles. He reaches for me and my heart stops. But his hand continues right past me to the open box above my head.
I stay sprawled on the floor as he rummages in the box. The room slowly spins around me. He’s close enough that his leg just barely brushes my shoulder. I tell myself that I haven’t scooted back because any movement causes a swell of nausea to come over me, not because I’m enjoying being so close him.
Leo drops something small in my lap. I look down to see a jewelry box. My fingers fumble to get it open. When I do, a princess cut diamond ring with a white gold band is revealed.
“She gave it back to me before she left.” Leo’s voice is completely devoid of emotion. I wish I had enough brain cells still active to figure out what that meant. “We can get it resized, make this shit look at least a little bit legit.”
My mouth works silently before I can get any words out. “I can’t take this.”
“You’re not taking anything. Girls wear rings when they get married. I’ll get it back when this is all over.”
“Oh…okay,” I say lamely, not sure exactly what words you use when accepting another woman’s wedding ring for your fake marriage. “Um, thanks.”
If Leo notices my discomfort, he ignores it. Ignoring emotional reactions seems to be something he’s good at.
“I got your stuff.” I look where he’s pointing and see my computer bag and suitcase sitting by the bed.
My whiskey-addled brain doesn’t miss that he’s brought my stuff into his bedroom. And his bedroom is the only bedroom in the apartment.
I swallow hard. “Am I sleeping in here.”
“That couch wasn’t made for sleeping on, the cushions’ll get deformed,” he grumbles. “It’s the bed or the floor.”
I can’t tell if he’s ignoring the obvious on purpose, just to mess with me, or if he’s really this obtuse. “But you’ll be sleeping on the bed, too?”
His smile is dark. “It is my bed.”
“So, you want me to sleep with you…tonight?”
The smile widens. “You can call it that, sure. I also like payment for services rendered.”
The asshole is basically calling me a prostitute. Fucker. “Services haven’t been rendered, yet. I’m not having sex with you until after we’ve walked down the aisle.”
He seems to find that hilarious. And I seethe as he laughs at me. “You want to wait for your wedding night? Don’t tell me you’ve been saving yourself for marriage.”
“I’m not a virgin, not that I owe
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