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Another squeeze of my hand…and my heart.
“In the meantime, let’s have fun with this, yeah?” I looked back at Bryce and saw the pleading in his eyes. The lights from the edges of the suburbs lit them back up. The sincerity reflected through those beautiful eyes softened all my resistance to keep this strictly business.
“Yeah, let’s have fun.” Did it matter that I might be falling for him?
With that, Bryce pulled me into a deep kiss and slipped his hand under my dress, heat racing up my thigh. We made out like teenagers in the back of the car until we reached the city lights. Just that ride shook loose a little of the concern that had tightened around my stomach.
I knew the terms now. And I could just let loose and have some fun.
At least, that was what I desperately hoped.
Chapter 8
Bryce
AsItriedtofocus on work the next day, my mind kept drifting back to Reyna. The way she looked at me, her eyes fierce in one moment, soft in the next, made my heart skip a beat. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. But as much as I wanted her, there was still a part of me that knew this was likely just a fling for her – another checkmark in her list of experiences in her bid to make her ambitious dreams come true. This wouldn't be the first time a woman enjoyed being on my arm. The heart stuff always seemed a little too deep for my relationships.
And I had to remind myself that I wasn’t looking for anything serious either. There was a reason I had to resort to a fake engagement. I wasn’t interested in a real engagement. I heard my mom's voice in the back of my head that it was time I settled down, but I felt like I was in prime dating time. I glanced up at the office window, which served as a bit of a mirror. Damn. I knew I looked good. All those hours in the gym chiseled my muscles out quite nicely. No sucking in for Bryce.
My mind drifted back to how Reyna's manicured fingers explored my body and how I buried my head into her neck, smelling her sweet scent. So I couldn’t let good sex with a gorgeous woman make me think I was falling in love when it was designed to come crashing down at any moment.
I repeated this to myself as I boarded my dad’s private jet. He’d roped me into a business trip – something he did every once in a while. He’d funded the start-up of Raven and mostly let me off the hook for the family hotel and hospitality business, but sometimes he invited me with him for his expansion deals.
Today, it was just a quick trip to New York where he was meeting with the owner of a handful of a few successful independent hotels. They were in acquisition talks with my dad. The owner was keen so that he could ride off into the sunset with a very comfortable retirement.
I wasn’t entirely sure why he brought me to these meetings – I knew nothing of the hotel business besides what I’d picked up from him over the years and had very little to offer. He had his own marketing team too, so I wasn’t even useful there.
I was pretty sure that he was just a little lonely when he was on the road. He was still in good health but, with age, he was slowing down. He stubbornly refused to retire.
But the jet was luxurious and not a terrible way to spend my time. I even enjoyed it for the most part, but today, my mind was too preoccupied to notice any of the amenities or benefits.
Dad was talking about the deal and I nodded along without paying too much attention until he abruptly switched the subject.
“Your mom said you were jewelry shopping recently.” It was a casual, almost throwaway comment, like it didn’t matter at all.
I knew Mom would have told him immediately.
“It’s not what you all think. I’m trying to rebrand and freshen up my image. Appear stable and committed.”
Dad rolled his eyes. He’d been preaching this to me for more than a decade.
“Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing. Things like this can have a way of blowing up in your face if you’re not careful.”
“Don’t worry, I've covered off all the details in an iron-clad contract.”
Dad nodded and looked out the window.
"You know, son, life can't always be run through your PR company. Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. And that means truly feeling and truly loving something… or in this case, someone."
I sat silent. I didn't want to encourage one of his monologues on life. I had a plan and was working it. He, the consummate businessman, should understand this. Don't tell me he's going soft.
“Anyway, we should finish planning –”
Dad waved his hand, dismissing my comment.
“Everything for this trip is planned and taken care of. There isn’t really anything more to talk about. I’m more interested in why you look so uncomfortable talking about your engagement, especially since it's fake.”
“There’s nothing to say. Reyna and I have an arrangement. There’s nothing else there. I tried to tell Mom, but you know how she can be.”
