I acted like a dick last night for a multitude of reasons. The way I presented myself at my wedding was the first misstep in a series of regrets, all because I couldn’t get a handle on my feelings. After all these years, one would think I would have mastered the art of not giving a fuck. It’s disappointing to know all it took was Iris in a wedding dress to ruin all my hard work.
You won’t be making that mistake again.
Not if I can help it. I stayed up far too late last night going over my new approach toward our fake marriage. Whatever happened on our wedding night is in the past. From now on, we will be more careful to avoid putting ourselves in situations that could lead to disastrous consequences.
Like you opening the door in a towel, knowing she was on the other side?
Exactly. Not my smartest move, but I won’t make the same mistake twice.
I knock on her bedroom door with my free hand. She yells something indecipherable with a raspy voice, so I rap my knuckles against the wood again. A thud that sounds oddly like a pillow slamming against the door makes me smile to myself.
Iris might be many good things, but a morning person she is not.
I clear my throat. “I was out on my run and grabbed you some coffee.”
“From Joe’s?”
It is eerie how she knows that. “Yes.”
“French vanilla with whole milk?”
My teeth grind together. “Obviously.”
Her muffled moan through the door sends a current of energy down my spine. “And extra whipped cream?”
I sigh. “Open your door and find out.”
Her laugh trickles through the cracks of the door in the same way it seeps through my chest. I wait a whole two minutes while she does who knows what inside of her room. She finally opens it up, revealing red-rimmed eyes accentuated by smeared mascara. It shouldn’t stir up any kind of interest on my end, but the way my blood heats at her faded T-shirt dragging across her mid-thigh makes me question my sanity. It requires an unbearable amount of effort to turn my gaze away from her thighs. I take my time making it to her face, easily becoming distracted by the swell of her breasts pressed against the fabric of her T-shirt.
Snap out of it.
“Here.” I hold out her coffee like it carries an infectious disease. Our fingers brush, sending the faintest buzz across my skin.
Her eyes snap up to my face before she focuses on the coffee cup. “Thanks for the apology drink.”
“That isn’t what this is.”
“Okay. Sure. Whatever helps keep your fragile masculinity intact.” The sigh she makes as she takes a sip goes straight to my cock.
“I’ll be taking that back now…” I attempt to steal the cup, but she grasps it with an iron grip.
“Don’t you think about it! This has to be the best thing I’ve ever woken up to.”
“I see why your past relationships failed.” The words slip out of my mouth before I have a chance to think.
Shit, Declan. Where the hell did that come from?
I didn’t mean for it to slip out.
Say what you came here to say and get the hell out of here.
“Did you just make a jab at my sex life?” Her voice has a lethal quality to it.
No way in hell am I touching that comment. I press my lips together to avoid saying anything else.
Then you shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.
Her gaze hardens. “I think it’s time we set some ground rules.”
“Rules,” I repeat back in a dry tone.
“Yes. Rules. You remember ours right?”
“I have a vague recollection.”
Her smile could bring a man to his knees. “Let’s review. Every look.” She drags her eyes across my body like a phantom touch, burning my skin in their wake. “Every touch.” It only takes a single finger of hers brushing across my cheek to beckon me forward like a man starved for attention. “Every kiss.” This time, she grips my chin roughly, tugging my head down. Her lips brush the corner of mine. It’s an exact replica of my kiss at our engagement party, yet this one elicits a whole different reaction from me. “Is nothing but a lie.”
I’m rock solid beneath my running shorts. I clear my throat, blinking away the arousal in my eyes before she catches on.
So much for being on the same page.
“Fine. I concede. No talk of exes.” I have none worthy of talking about and hers are exactly where they belong.
In the past.
“Great. Glad we are in agreement on that.” She sips her drink.
“As entertaining as this conversation has been, I have things to do.”
She raises her brow. “Then why are you here? With coffee?”
“Because I need to talk to you about yesterday.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“Well, then. Go ahead.” She takes a sip of her drink while scanning my face for emotions.
She won’t find any. I’ve made sure of it.
I start with the hardest subject first. “Our kiss…”
“Kisses. As in plural. Both of which you instigated, just to set the record straight.”
My skin burns hot under my T-shirt. “Kisses. As in never happening again.”
She smiles. “Fine. You won’t hear any objections from me.”
Fine? I at least expected her to put up a bit of a fight. Based on the way she looked at me last night, I thought she would do something other than stare at me with a smug smile.
Maybe you read her wrong.
“While kissing you was a necessary evil for the public, we no longer need to pretend to be attracted to each other.”
Something flashes in her eyes before she recovers. “Good. God forbid you actually have to pretend to be into me.”
It was a shitty yet effective thing to say. My words do their damage, just like they’re supposed to. It’s for the best. The way I was compelled to touch her last night, without a single person watching us, says enough.
“Well, now that we cleared the air, I’m going to go enjoy my coffee.” She proceeds to slam the door on my face.
If this is a glimpse into what marriage is like, I see why our divorce rates are shit. I’ll be lucky if I don’t become some national statistic before our time is up.
I knew my father wanting to meet with me for lunch was a trap, yet I willingly went along with his invitation anyway. After his conversation with Iris, I’m interested in determining just how much of a problem he is going to be for me. My intuition tells me nothing about my battle for the CEO position will be easy.
My father’s brown eyes swing from the menu to my face. “Any honeymoon plans?”
“No need to act like you care on my account.”
He sighs. “I’m simply making small talk.”
Bullshit. Every question he asks and all the statements he makes always have an ulterior motive. Because of him, I became an expert in reading between the lines.
“Iris and I are leaving on Friday.” At least now we are. I don’t care what the destination might be, so long as we go somewhere.
“What about the quarterly budget meeting?”
“I’m sure you can handle reviewing my reports without me. I only get one honeymoon after all.” The corners of my lips threaten to rise.
“You seem to find a solution for everything.”
I don’t miss the double meaning behind his words. “I had a lot of practice picking up after someone’s messes over the years.”
“Do you even pretend to like me anymore?”
“I find it to be a wasted effort. You hate me and I hate you, so why bother acting otherwise?”
He dares to fake his displeasure. “I don’t hate you.”
“I find that hard to believe given our past.” One I will never forget, so long as I live.
“This is exactly why I respect you more than your brothers. Unlike Cal or Rowan, you aren’t afraid to speak your mind.”
“We both have two very different definitions of respect.”
“Regardless, I find your efforts admirable. It’s why I consider you a threat to begin with.”
“Yet I can’t say the same about you.”
He chuckles. “I thought I taught you better than to underestimate your enemy.”
“Please. If anything, I give you too much credit.”
“You might be smart, but you let your need for revenge blind your ability to think clearly. Why else would you marry your assistant of all people? Even I didn’t think you were that desperate for your inheritance.”
Something snaps inside of me. “Talk about her like that again and I swear I’ll make your last twelve months as CEO absolutely miserable.”
I can work with him or against him. For the sake of the company, I’ve been willing to do the first option, but if he continues to insult Iris, all bets are off. She has proven herself loyal time and time again, so the least I can do is defend her from scum like him.
Whatever expression he sees on my face draws a deep chuckle from him.
“Don’t tell me you actually care about her?”
I make an effort to keep my gaze blank and withdrawn.
He slowly shakes his head. “To think I considered you my smartest son. What a disappointment.”
“Is there a point to this conversation or do you solely speak to hear the sound of your own voice?”
“I’m sure you’re aware of why I asked you to come here.” His malicious smile puts me on alert.
“You might have to explain yourself given how disappointing you find my intelligence to be.”
“Consider this a warning from father to son.”
“About?”
“Your grandfather might have provided you with an opportunity to usurp me, but that doesn’t mean you will be successful. I don’t plan on stepping down without a fight.”
“It’ll make my victory all the sweeter.”
He raises his glass of water. “Let the best Kane win.”
I tap mine to his. “He already did.”
“I need you to book a trip.” I stop at Iris’s desk. After spending the entire drive thinking over my father’s conversation, I came to one conclusion.
I need to commit to my role as a doting husband—honeymoon included.
Iris looks up from her desktop with a pinched expression. “To Tokyo?”
“No. Pick a place. Any place with running water and Wi-Fi.”
She looks around the room and under her desk.
“Searching for a hidden camera?”
The faintest smile crosses her lips. “Either that or a wiretap. Just to be clear, I have never nor will I ever take drugs. Whatever green substance you might find in my room is definitely Cal’s.”
“Funny,” I reply dryly.
“Do you ever laugh?” she asks.
“Only when I make people cry.”
Her face contorts as she slams a palm against her chest. “Cal is right. You are a monster.”
“A monster who expects you to have a honeymoon chosen by the end of the business day.”
“A honeymoon? Wow!” She looks far too excited about the prospect for my comfort.
“Don’t get any ideas. This is strictly for appearances.”
“Appearances?” Her grin is snuffed out.
“I’m positive that my father will do everything in his power to delegitimize our marriage. It is up to us to make his attempt futile.”
Her lips purse. “By going on a honeymoon? How is that going to solve anything?”
“It proves I care enough about you to take my first vacation in over a decade.”
She laughs. “You must live such a sad life if you think sacrificing work for a honeymoon is a declaration of your affection.”
“Is it not?” Did she not hear a word of anything I just said? I don’t take vacations. Doing so should silence any doubts about our relationship.
Wouldn’t it?
“No. It’s not.”
I grimace. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Her eyes roll. “Sure. We can do things your way since you have so much experience when it comes to relationships.” She mumbles something about men always think they know everything under her breath.
I knock my fist against her desk. “Book the plane for Friday.”
“This Friday?”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
She squeals. “No! Even if it was, I refuse to let this golden opportunity go to waste. I haven’t had a vacation in years.”
“At least you finally get something good out of all of this.”
She slaps her desk with a stern look. “You mean there’s supposed to be something better than marrying you? I refuse to believe it.”
I turn and walk toward my door, hiding the grin spreading across my face. Iris is the only person with the ability to make me smile. Not that she knows it. I’ve done everything in my power to hide how much sway she has over my moods.
