Page 23 of The Wedding Pact

I’m sitting back at the dining table with my laptop, frantically finishing off an email outlining what I need my team to be getting on with for now so I can fully concentrate on being present tonight, when I sense Ida coming into the room.

Giving the end of the mail one last quick scan, I press send then turn to look over to where she’s standing, waiting patiently for me to finish what I’m doing.

Holy shit.

She looks amazing. The summer dress she’s changed into is an intense forest-green colour – that I can actually taste, somehow – and it fits her perfectly, showing off her amazing body, but it’s not so tight that it shouts ‘look at how gorgeous I am’.

Her hair is out of its ponytail now and it falls over her shoulders in waves, the dark sheen of it radiant in the bright light pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I’m guessing she’s wearing contact lenses too because the oversized glasses are gone and the smoky-coloured make-up she’s put on gives her eyes a sultry, sexy vibe, which I feel like a punch to my chest.

Ah, fuck.

She looks seriously hot.

I was really hoping we’d be able to get through this week on a purely friendly vibe, but nope, my body definitely isn’t playing ball with that idea.

‘You look great,’ I say, aware that my voice is a whole octave lower than usual.

She doesn’t seem to notice though because she gives me a warm, friendly smile and says, ‘You too.’

I stand up from the dining chair and glance down at the chinos and linen shirt I’ve changed into for the evening. At least our outfits match pretty well, which I guess is going to be helpful in convincing people we’re a real couple.

She walks closer to me, stopping a foot away, then reaches out to make a small adjustment to my collar. The proprietorial gesture makes my blood pulse harder.

‘So just to double check, before we go out. Is there anything you particularly want me to say, or not say, to your family about us? Or about myself? Any topics of conversation to avoid? I’d like to be prepared before we head over there,’ she asks.

My skin rushes with an electric kind of heat as her now-familiar scent hits my senses.

Oh man. There’s something about the way Ida smells that gets me right in the gut. I think it’s more than just her perfume. I think it’s the natural scent of her.

‘Fair enough,’ I say, aware of how dry my mouth is. I try to keep my gaze casual, which is not easy when she looks like that. ‘Well, there’s nothing really to avoid, they’re a pretty liberal bunch. Probably best to avoid politics as a general rule, but everything else is up for discussion. I’m not going to police what you say though, that’s not my style. I’d never do that to anyone.’

She nods slowly. ‘Okay, cool. What’s our party line about our relationship though? Been dating for a while but not serious? Or serious but not even thinking about the future? Or serious and you’re about to pop the question?’ She flashes me a wide, mischievous grin at this last suggestion.

I let out a startled snort of amusement. ‘Let’s go with been dating for a short time but not rushing into anything. We’re both building our careers so just seeing where it goes.’

She nods again. ‘Okay. Good call. That way we can bat away any questions about the future.’

‘Exactly.’

‘So less lying required.’

‘I don’t see it as lying, exactly.’

‘Just role playing?’

‘Yeah. Precisely.’

We smile at each other and our gazes lock. I’m suddenly drawn into the strangest, most intense feeling of connection I’ve ever had with a person.

Like we understand each other.

It’s both comforting and deeply uncomfortable at the same time.

I wonder whether Ida might be experiencing the same thing because she breaks her gaze and walks over to the mirror on the back wall to check her make-up, leaving me standing there in a state of weird longing for something.

Okay, this isn’t good. I wanted to bring her to distract my family from my love life, not distract myself and start exploring how I feel about it.