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"I like your shirt. And your...eyes."
"Thank you. I like yours, too." He's looking in my eyes, but I can't tell if he's being sincere. I don't know if I'm ready to believe him, or if this is part of the dating act. Because we have to be believable, and the sooner we start, the sooner we'll be able to get into the habit of making people believe us.
"Thanks." I'm nervous, but he doesn't seem to care. In fact, his eyes are still fixed on me. My face, my chest, my lips. I should tell him to stop looking at me like he's suddenly seeing me as a woman, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to.
I just want him to touch me.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asks.
"Kind of, but I need to get over it."
"I'm sure this will be awkward and uncomfortable at first, but I want to do everything in my power to make it as comfortable as possible. So help me do that," he says.
My heart melts. He really is sweet. He's tall, gorgeous, and powerful, but he's so sincere and vulnerable in this moment.
He doesn't have to go out of his way for me, he's paying me to pretend to be his girlfriend or fiancée.
Without warning, he stands and closes the gap between us and I stand to meet him.
"First, let's see if we can be convincing." Nathan takes my chin between his curled index finger and thumb and tips my face back as my heart thunders and my whole body tingles to life.
He's going to kiss me.
I want him to kiss me. Right here, right now.
I close my eyes, enjoying this perfect moment.
He barely moves, his lips but a hair's breadth from mine and I struggle to breathe. This doesn't seem real, but it feels so good, too good. My whole body begs him to move faster, to actually kiss me, to claim me like I'm his...
Instead, his lips brush against mine and the lightest of kisses make my knees weak. The world disappears and time ceases to exist as his lips move against mine. His breath tastes of coffee and mint, he smells of soap and spice, and his warmth seeps into my bones like chicken noodle soup on a cold winter's day.
I wind my arms around his shoulders, needing to pull him closer, to close the half-inch gap between our bodies. In response, he curls his hand around the nape of my neck, tugging me up to him as his other hand holds my face. His lips pull slightly away from mine as his thumb traces my bottom lip as if marking the spot he wants to taste next before he kisses me again.
This is happening. He's kissing me. And it's amazing.
Nathan doesn't deepen the kiss and my chest tightens in disappointment as he backs off an inch. He steps back and lets his hands fall to his sides. I see and feel him pull away and struggle to keep panic from welling up in my confused and foggy brain.
"That was convincing," I say, my voice breathy.
"It was." There's some reservation in his voice that I don't understand as my pulse begins to drop to a more reasonable pace even as I struggle to pull in a solid breath.
"I have an idea." I cross my arms over my chest, my heart still pounding.
"What's that?" He's still not looking at me.
"What if we're engaged?" I try to sound casual. "Not boyfriend and girlfriend, which isn't as serious and might not be enough for your patents to drop their plans." What am I doing? Why am I digging in deeper? The way he kissed me... there's no way I'm not going to wind up with a broken heart, and he can't even look at me after kissing me! I must be reading the situation all wrong.
"I think you're right."
"It's settled then." I reach out to him, then pull him into a hug. He's tense and tight, but I melt into him anyway, feeling at home in his arms. "I think we can be convincing, if you relax a little bit."
"Trust me, you don't want me to relax."
I glance up into his stormy eyes. "Why not?" I ask, breathless at the fire raging in his expression. I can see he's holding back, but what.... and why?
"Because I want you, Stacia." His eyes warn me he's not lying as I watch his lips move. "I want to pick you up, carry you to my room, and really make you mine right now."
"Okay," I say, every inch of my body feeling weak. "So do it, then."
