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This day had turned out so much better than she ever could have dreamed, even if she’d planned it herself.
She tipped her head back to stare at the stars twinkling down at them like they were blessing their union.
But it wasn’t real, was it? It was a temporary fix for her problems. It wasn’t true love…or any love at all.
Was it?
Her mind sank into heavy thoughts of what she’d just done. Getting married was a huge step in anyone’s life. But binding herself to her bodyguard was the craziest thing she’d ever done.
His arm was solid around her back. His fingers rested on her hip. The scent of his cologne and the warm notes of the whiskey he’d drunk in celebration both made her feel dizzy with desire.
He’d done so much for her, shown how much he cared…it was impossible not to open her heart to him and let him in.
They reached a walkway leading to the side door. After a few short steps and a flight of stairs, they’d be in her suite. What then?
To have sex would make this marriage unbreakable without a divorce.
“I’ll take it from here, guys. Thanks.” Julius’s deep voice jogged her from the darker path her thoughts had taken her down.
Quaide and Jennings stopped at the entrance with twin nods at them.
Julius opened the door and took her up to her suite.
As soon as they entered, her attention swung to the door that adjoined their rooms. Would that be a thing of the past going forward?
There would be a time when she didn’t require security this tight at all.
And Julius would be gone.
As soon as he shut and locked the door behind them, he gave her that look. The one that told her he was assessing her mood, taking stock of her nerves.
He arched a brow. “Wine?”
“Yes!” Relief poured through her like the bordeaux that she’d come to link to their faux love story.
He threw her a smile that was just a softening of his lips and strode to the bar across the room. When he drew a bottle from a bucket of ice that had obviously been chilling in their honor, she homed in on the quick, efficient, masculine moves he made to uncork the bottle and tip the liquid into two goblets.
The black cuff of his tuxedo jacket tugged upward to reveal a pristine white cuff and a small diamond cufflink. Her insides knotted even more watching him serve her.
When he turned, glass extended, she wrapped her fingers around the glass stem. He lifted his glass, and she brushed hers against it.
For a moment, awkward silence fell between them. How did they toast an occasion like this?
She worked with words. They were her life.
Suddenly, it came to her.
“To the most beautiful wedding a woman could ask for.”
He brought the wine to his lips and sipped. So did she. When the flavors washed over her tongue and the alcohol warmed her, she relaxed.
Being with Julius was always easy.
She tilted her head toward the sofa. “Should we sit?”
“Yes.” He waited for her to take a seat before settling a few inches away from her. Close enough that they could touch if they chose to, but he provided her distance to make the next move too.
The more she watched him draw that glass to his lips, the more aroused she got. When he finished half the glass, he set it aside on the coffee table and extended an arm across the back of the leather sofa.
