Page 58 of Heartless
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“You could leave him with me one more night,” I protested as Parker came to pick up the dog the next evening.
One more thing my fake boyfriend turned out to be right about? The puppy was fun on top of being the cutest dog to walk this earth, with his blue eyes and his adorable face. And he was so energetic and lovable. Maybe not at two in the morning when he wanted to play and I wanted to sleep, but overall.
“You haven’t slept,” he traced the skin under my eyes with his index finger and I sucked in a breath. His gaze followed the sound and he focused on my mouth. The way he couldn’t tear his eyes away from my lips made my skin hot. Everywhere. But then he dropped his hand down from my face. “I know how attached you are to the concept of perfection. I assume getting dark circles is the equivalent of natural disaster for you.”
I knew it was meant to be a tease, but it hurt me anyway. How shallow did he think I was?
“Besides,” he continued. “I slept twelve hours last night and I’m up for some fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn’t stop the images of a specific type of fun the two of us could have.
The more time passed, the more I craved another kiss and I assumed he felt the same way. We were alone in my villa. No one from my family was here, so he didn’t have to touch me. Yet he did. Which only made me think that he couldn’t really stop himself. If it was any other man, I would have acted. I wasn’t the shy type that waited for the man to make the first move. But he was my boss. Temporary or not, at that moment in time, he was my boss. We had to keep our relationship professional with the occasional peck on the lips here and there in the presence of my family.
Parker tilted his head to the side and took a step closer. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
I shook my head.
“Madison,” he breathed out, his voice low and husky and oh so seductive. I could swear he knew exactly what I was thinking about.
It was so maddening, the way he constantly shifted between hating me and… what? Being nice to me? Trying to be friends? Wanting me?
I swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising desire that threatened to consume me. “I’m just thinking about the project that shall not be named.”
That did the trick. All heat disappeared from his eyes and he took a step back.
“Yeah. Have you canceled any reservations yet?”
“No. I’m waiting for confirmation about the date the crew can start.”
“Okay. If you need any help, call Katie.”
“Sure.”
We stood in the middle of the kitchen area of my villa like two statues, the silence growing more uncomfortable with every second that passed.
Parker cleared his throat. “What are you doing tonight?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me? You were right yesterday. I should at least know how much I’m paying for whatever we are building, right?”
“You definitely should. It’s a lot.”
He chuckled. “And maybe you could show me the project. Walk me through the time frame.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. It’s stupid to leave all of these decisions to someone who hates my guts.” His charming grin made me smile back at him.
“It really is.”
We ordered room service and I explained the details of the time of construction and the money it would cost him while we ate. He was mostly silent but seemed calm. Like he was coming to terms with something.
“The gazebo looks good,” he said as he scrolled through the images that the architect had sent me.
“I love it. I could see Annie Foster in a haute couture wedding gown saying her vows there.”
Then Parker stopped scrolling and focused on an image of the dance floor and I felt the need to explain.
