Page 37 of Fake It For Him

“Yes, but⁠—”

“But nothing.” It didn’t really sit right with me that Freya might end up getting a little attached to a woman she wasn’t ever going to see again after her wedding, but those were the breaks. “You’re going to get to wash your hands of all of it and disappear from mine and Freya’s lives. You’ll never even have to know about the fallout after we end things.”

Ella was still conflicted, though. Her shoulders were caved in and the twist of her lips gave her away. “I know you don’t have much experience with serious relationships. At least, not the ones where the families get involved, but loved ones often suffer during breakups as well, Calan. It’s not as simple as you seem to think it is, and what happens if our deal gets your sister hurt?”

“That’s not going to happen.” Okay, so I didn’t know that for a fact, but I had a pretty good idea I was right. “By the time she gets back from her honeymoon and finds out about our breakup, you’ll be long gone and she’ll be a happy newlywed. No offense, but she’s going to get over said breakup pretty damn quickly. Besides, she’s only going to have known you for two months by then. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Ella arched a brow at me but didn’t argue. Instead, she sighed and dipped her chin in a nod. “Text me the time and place she wants me to meet her. I’ll be there.”

“Good.” With my official business here done, I finally eased back and let my gaze roam over her properly.

The hallway was a drab, off-white that might’ve been painted that way or it could simply have been white that had gotten dirty. Gray squares of carpet covered the floor beneath our feet, and the pungent odor of stale cigarette smoke seemed to cling to the very air itself.

By contrast, Ella was all bright colors and the scent coming from her was earthy. Like vegetables and homecooked meals that reminded me of being home. Not home as it was for me today, but like it had been back in the day, when my mother would give the staff the night off and cook for us herself.

We’d spent hours in the kitchen with her, not really learning but keeping her company and performing the tasks she delegated from time to time. It was weird that Ella should remind me of that time of my life. A time I had the fondest memories of but never really thought about.

In her bright yellow and purple lounge pants paired with a deep purple off-the-shoulder type cardigan, and big, fluffy slippers on her feet, the woman looked damn cute.

And okay, it doesn’t look like she’s dressed for a date.

Knowing that, I couldn’t help myself when I moved toward her again, my steps slow and measured. Ella’s gaze darted back up to mine, and she frowned slightly, catching her lip between her teeth again as she backed up.

She kept moving with me, inching back as I inched forward, and it wasn’t long until she stepped into the wall behind her. I smirked, not stopping my slow approach as her eyes tracked my every move, curiosity and lust creeping into them as I pressed myself against her front.

“What are you doing?” she whispered huskily, one of her hands coming up to my chest. “Stop it.”

“Stop it?” I bent my head to run my nose along the side of her jaw, all the way up to her temple. “Are you sure? Because you’re breathing awfully fast all of a sudden.”

Her chest was rising and falling against mine, her cheeks growing hotter with every passing second. “I don’t… I just need space, Calan. I know you think I’m going to be back, but I won’t be. At least, not tonight.”

“Okay,” I breathed against her hair before pushing myself off her with one of my hands pressed against the wall. As my gaze dropped down to hers, I forced myself not to look at her rosy cheeks or parted lips, but to keep looking into her eyes. “You’ll be at the lunch tomorrow?”

She nodded again. “I said I would be there.”

“Great. Have fun with Freya, Ella.” With that, I dropped my hand away from the wall, turned my back on her, and walked away before I did something that would make her smack me—like kiss her.

I would get to do that again. I knew I would, but she’d asked me to stop, and I was stopping. Much to my cock’s disappointment, we would give her the space she’d asked for. I didn’t know why she was fighting this so hard, but she was.

Soon, however, she would be back. The chemistry she and I had was undeniable and we still had nearly two months left to work it out. After that, I was going to have to quit my growing Ella Carver addiction cold turkey.

And that was going to suck if we didn’t get a chance to work it all out of our systems before then.

20

ELLA

When I arrived at the location on Fifth Avenue Calan had texted me this morning, it was cold and raining out. I tucked my chin into my scarf. My hands burrowed into the pockets of my jacket as I looked up and down the street. Standing under the awning of a swanky designer store, all I could do was hope Freya wasn’t planning on actually going into the boutique behind me where she’d asked me to meet her.

She wasn’t here yet, but I wasn’t sure I should’ve been either. Not only was there not a single shop on this entire street I could afford to shop at, but I was also about to tell a whole lot of lies to a very nice person.

I sighed into my scarf and bounced on the balls of my feet to stay warm and to work out some of my anxiety. I still didn’t think this was a good idea, but with Calan’s dark eyes glittering and intent on mine, I hadn’t been able to say no.

The guy had a way with me I couldn’t quite describe. I would face him filled with resolve, and within minutes, he broke through my walls and somehow coaxed me into bending to his will. Maybe it was the whole dominant, alpha thing he had going on.

I had never had that kind of personality. I was a free spirit, an easygoing soul that generally went with the flow. I’d never thought of myself as a follower, but I’d never really had someone to follow. The only thing I really tended to listen to was my heart.

Constantly on my own mission, there had never been anyone else taking the lead, but with Calan, it was different.