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“Yeah.”
“I guess we’re planning a wedding.”
Clay’s lips quirked at one corner, but his brows knitted with the confusion Julius felt. “Do you have any idea what the FBI budget is for a fake wedding?”
Julius grunted. “I at least get a plane, right?”
“I can probably manage a plane.”
An idea formed in Julius’s mind, more focused and detailed than the engagement in the desert had been. As soon as one part materialized, another and another followed.
“I need to talk to Avalynn’s PR team. And Lark.”
Clay nodded. “Go on. I’ll stay here and guard your bride.”
That word should make his stomach sink. Instead, it felt as if he’d drunk far too much champagne and the bubbles were popping inside his chest and making the hair on the back of his neck prickle.
What the hell was the matter with him? None of this was real.
It fuckingfeltreal, though. Too real. So real that he’d completely forgotten about Lark snapping photos of them. In those moments, all he knew was how the candlelight played in the depths of Avalynn’s beautiful eyes and how her face lit up when she saw his grandmother’s ring.
How she looked when he carried her to bed, undressed her and slid between her thighs.
Being dragged out of that press conference by Quaide today had damn near crushed him. He never lost his shit on the job, but he’d been damn close today.
Avalynn didn’tfeellike a job.
Fuck. He was in deeper than he thought. He wanted to protect herandworship her body with his.
Wasn’t that the definition of a…husband?
ChapterNine
New city. New venue. Another press conference.
Avalynn didn’t often wish that her fast-paced life would slow down, but she could use a minute to justbreathe.
So much had happened. So much more was on the horizon. And to make things worse, Julius was keeping things so…professional.
She lay in her hotel bed, too aware that only a door separated them.
They should talk. There must be something to say, right? Some way to break this silent streak between them.
Back in ninth grade, she had a crush on Tatum Freeman. He liked her too. But after having a great time at the school dance, things got weird between them. Awkward.
That was happening with her and Julius right now, and she could only guess it was because she’d drunk so much wine and thrown herself at him. Maybe he’d seen her naked and couldn’t look at her now.
She needed to be at her very best for this upcoming press conference. She couldn’t act shifty or nervous, and she needed to sayallthe right things so she passed as credible.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the mattress. She had to hitch herself up into the high bed, so when she got out now, she had a few inches to drop before her feet touched the thick area rug.
Slipping on her robe, she headed to the door that connected her room with her bodyguard’s. Nerves struck, and she chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide whether it really was a good idea to knock. After all, he might still be asleep. She wasn’t typically up this early, and he always brought her tea to help get her going in the mornings.
Biting down on her lip, she rapped softly on the door. No sound came from the other side. Instead of knocking again, she twisted the handle.
And it opened.
Heart throbbing in the base of her throat, she pushed it inward and tried the second door leading to Julius’s room.
