Crossing my arms over my chest, I cock my hip to the side. “Afraid you’ll get too close and touch me? I didn’t peg you for a cuddler.”
“I’m not going to touch you, Raina.” His brows crease together.
“Good.”
“Good.”
We stare at each other for entirely too long before my phone pings, breaking our silence.
“I’ll take the couch,” Luciano grumbles as he walks to the suite’s bathroom. The way he says it reminds me of how a defiant child would talk back to a parent, and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me.
“Something funny?” he calls over the sound of running water.
“Nope.” Pulling out my phone, I read my message, ignoring the sound of the door shutting.
Javier
I trust everything went well with your arrival?
Sighing, I sit on the edge of the luxurious king-sized bed. The duvet feels like a cloud under my thighs, and I can’t wait to crawl beneath it later.
Yes, just got to the hotel.
Javier
Wonderful. My family and I will meet you at Sobrino de Botin at eight. Unfortunately, my mother was unaware of your company, so there is not an extra seat on the reservation tonight; however, I can arrange for dinner to be brought to your boyfriend while we are away.
You mean my fiancé, and he won’t be happy about that. You can’t add one more to the reservation?
Unfortunately not. See you tonight.
Tossing my phone next to me, I groan and fall backward on the bed, rubbing my hands over my face.
“Something wrong?” Luciano asks as he emerges from the bathroom a few minutes later.
Sitting up, I nearly die on the spot when I see him fresh out of the shower and practically on full display for my greedy eyes.
There’s a towel hung low around Luciano’s waist, and water droplets cling to his skin like they’re a crucial part of his structure. I can’t help but to take him in—he’s all hard edges anddeep ridges, and it takes every ounce of strength I have not to stand up and go rub my hands against every inch of his skin.
Swallowing my pride as my inner walls clench around air, I muster up a steady voice to tell him, “Javier expects me to meet his family tonight, at dinner. I’m supposed to be there at eight. He said to come alone…”
“No.”
“How am I supposed to explain who you are to his family? I’m supposed to be pretending to be his wife.”
“And you’re also supposed to be my fiancé when Javier is around, so I may as well pretend to be someone else when necessary, too. Perhaps your…brother.” Luciano holds the top of his towel as he bends to unzip his suitcase.
“What?”
“I’m not leaving you alone with him, Raina.”
“Lies on top of lies, on top of lies, on top of lies.” I toss my hands into the air. “Wife, fiancée, fiancé,brother. How the hell are we supposed to keep up with it all?”
He pulls out some clothes—navy slacks and a white button-down, from the looks of the folded garments—and shrugs when he stands. “Should be relatively easy.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
