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We spent the rest of the night tangled in the sheets, then perched on the kitchen counter when we needed more fuel, and then tucked in the shadows of the patio. We broke in my new patio cabana mattress before we both drifted off into a totally pleasurable, totally deep sleep.
Before falling asleep, I had to remind myself this was just a little fun. It would end some day. That was what we agreed to. I had to remind myself to enjoy the moments we created while in our agreement.
I glanced over at Reyna. She was curled up and turned away from me, the blanket falling and leaving her back exposed. I can't deny I felt something. Something deep that twisted in my stomach. What the hell had I gotten myself into here?
Chapter 7
Reyna
Inthequietlightof dawn, I snuck out of Bryce’s condo while he was still asleep.
Last night had been a lot of… well, fun was an understatement, and I was a little concerned about the feelings that were making my chest tighten. Bryce was exciting to be around and I’d never felt so alive as I did when I was with him.
He was forward, confident, and a little brusque. But he was also surprisingly kind, thoughtful, and of course, carefree. I could have easily spent the morning with him.
So I realized I had to put up some boundaries.
I wasn’t a stranger to casual hookups and usually didn’t worry about catching feelings, but there was something different about Bryce. I had to remember that at the end of the day, this was fake. That, we had both agreed to. So I had to decide how far I was willing to go to make things between us seem real.
The morning at work flew by and I still hadn’t even heard from Bryce at lunchtime. I kept picking up my phone, thinking about texting him, and telling him how much I enjoyed the night before. But I kept putting the phone down.
And still, a small part of me said that maybe I had given in too soon. Maybe I should have made him chase me a little more before doing what we did. But, remembering his hands in my hair the night before, it had been worth it.
I forced myself to focus on work. I was still getting up to speed and had a lot to do, especially since my very near future would be dominated by being fake-engaged. I was working on a proposal for Bryce about a timeline and events for our engagement when Ella walked into my office, holding an obscenely large bouquet of brightly-colored flowers.
“Delivery,” she sang out, placing the vase on my desk. “I didn’t read the card, but I can only guess who they’re from.”
A wide grin was plastered all over Ella’s face.
“You and Bryce must have hit it off.” Ella practically swooned and laughed as I threw a crumpled sticky note at her retreating back.
I quickly snatched the card from the bouquet to read it.
Reyna,
You are brighter than a field full of wildflowers.
B
It was simple and to the point, just like Bryce. And still, it was the sweetest thing anyone had done for me in a long, long time. I wasn’t sure if it was just for show, or if it was genuine, but my gut said it was the latter. As I was starting to melt into a puddle in my chair, my phone chimed with a text message.
[Bryce 12:48 PM]
A driver is waiting for you downstairs. Please come see me. BTW, that long afternoon meeting on your calendar is actually a meeting with me.
I rolled my eyes. Of course, he had blocked something on my calendar. I thought a “planning and strategy” meeting sounded suspiciously vague.
Fake or not, I couldn’t remember the last time I received any sort of gesture, grand or simple, from a man. So, without hesitation, I packed up my bag, told Ella I was headed to a meeting, and went downstairs to the waiting SUV. Deep down, I was excited about whatever adventure Bryce was sucking me into right now. I’d spent too many years focused solely on school and then my career.
I needed a bit of fun. And if the rumors were true, Bryce was the expert.
Bryce wasn’t there, but as soon as I got in the car, the driver was off. Part of me thought I should be a little worried about getting into a strange car, especially as we started to speed out of the city. But I answered a few emails and got a little work done during the drive. About an hour later, we were pulling up to a dock at Lake Lanier where I saw Bryce standing next to a boat.
“Reyna.” His eyes crinkled in a smile when I walked closer. “I’m really glad you came.”
“If I’d known water activities were on the schedule, I would have dressed more appropriately,” I said, laughing, looking down at my bright green midi-dress and platform sandals.
“You look perfect.” He winked at me with his billionaire smile.
