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“I could ask you the same thing. ‘Sweetie-poo’? That’s the best you could come up with?” His irises blaze with incredulity.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I guess I’m not used to showing affection to my ‘husband’!” I sneer the word as it quakes through me.
“Shh!” he hisses, brushing past me to close Leo’s door. A dinosaur poster hanging on the wood rattles against the force, threatening to fall.
“Don’t shush me, Roman. You said I would be done for the day by now, and instead, I’m playing ‘happy family’ with you!”
He pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a long huff as though I am inconveniencing him with this little charade.
When his eyes open again, they rove from my pointy silver stilettos, up my bare thighs and over my cocktail dress. It feels like fingers clawing over my skin, and I fight not to show how impacted I feel by his attention.
Especially when his pupils darken with something I’ve seen twice before now: in his office and in my bedroom.
Want.
Goose bumps rise across my skin, but I’m strong. I keep my glower steady despite the way my gut coils.
“Why are you dressed like that?” His dulcet voice is almost indifferent. Almost. I hear the way it wavers just below the surface.
The knowledge that I have the power to shake him leaves me feeling powerful. Triumphant, even. He might be able to unravel me, but we have that in common, and I plan to use it to my advantage.
“Is that any of your business?” I put my hands on my hips.
His nostrils flare. “Considering you’re supposed to be looking after my son, yes. I think it is.”
“Your son is asleep upstairs, and I have plans. You promised nine, Roman. It isn’t my problem if you can’t keep to your word.”
“God, Madison. What have you gotten me into?” He shakes his head, pacing and turning his back to me, but I can’t stop focusing on the way my name trembles in his mouth. It’s like hearing a new word for the first time, yet those three syllables have been familiar to me my entire life.
How does he change it so intrinsically?
How does he make me ache just by saying my name?
Most importantly, why is he blaming me for his mistake?
“I didn’t get you into anything. I was ready to tell him we weren’t together. You’re the one who jumped in.”
“You’re wearing a ring! Why on earth are you wearing a damn wedding ring?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s a normal ring. I forgot to put it back on my other finger earlier. I didn’t realize that one small mistake would make us married!”
He bats a hand, a look of disdain twisted across his mouth. “Reid is a family man. He wouldn’t invest in me because he doesn’t trust bachelor billionaires who just want to make money… or something.”
“Hmm, I wonder why that might be. It’s a shame Reid isn’t looking for a new fake wife. I think I like the sound of him a lot more. He has integrity. Values.” Something Roman clearly lacks, if he thinks lying will impress an investor.
His glare is sharp enough to penetrate my skin, and I can’t help but smirk. He makes it too easy.
This time, as he drags his attention up and down my body, it feels like something more than just curiosity.
It feels like possession. It’s an effort not to sink beneath the weight, to submit to his power.
He takes a step forward, his head tilted. “Madison, this is serious. If Reid finds out I’ve lied, he won’t make the deal with me.”
“Still failing to see how that’s my problem.”
The vein snaking across his forehead throbs irritably. “Maybe it isn’t, but I need this opportunity. My company needs it.”
I look around. His kid’s bedroom is bigger than most apartments, and it’s brimming with gadgets, toys, and furniture most parents could only dream of giving their children. He’s so out of touch with reality. “I don’t think you’ve ever needed anything in your life.”
