揇akota??he urges.
揅an I think about it??I whisper.
揅an you think while wearing pretty dresses and taking pictures with me??His eyes scan me up and down. He抯 as relentless as ever. 揑 think I抦 going to request another dress design.?
Why did his eyes roam my body as he said that? He doesn抰 think I抣l do justice to the current designs?
揥hy抯 that??I wonder, searching his eyes.
揃ecause I know exactly what I want to see you wearing,?he says without a shred of doubt.
The way he says it reminds me of last night. Memories of being held as he pummeled me into the mattress invades my mind.
揧eah? What do you want to see me in??
揝omething that hugs your curves and shows some skin. Without showing too much skin that抯 for my eyes only,?he adds with his brows pulling down.
I smile. 揧ou like leaving something to the imagination, huh??
揧eah, makes me want to tear it off you like a candy wrapper. But I like that everyone else has to keep guessing, too, and only I know.?
The jealous look he gives daggers me. Three cheers for scary-hot men.
揚ossessive much??I joke.
揘ot usually.?
He doesn抰 elaborate until I urge, 揥hy now??
揋ot cursed by a girl with a raven tattoo,?he says with a comical shrug.
God help me, I step closer and kiss him again.
When I try to pull away, he places his hands behind my head and keeps me there.
揝ee? This is why we should try. If we抮e faking an engagement, we can do this to our heart抯 content and no one will think twice.?
I hate that his madness has a certain logic that may make it worth a shot.
揃ut Lincoln, if I have to be in it before I can decide, then I can抰 really think about it, can I??
揘ot if you plan on talking yourself out of it,?he throws back.
揥hat if I don抰 want to fake an engagement with my boss who doesn抰 know how serious we are??
揇o you know how serious we are??His stare hardens.
For a second, I hesitate.
揢m, how can I? I never thought this was even possible. Aside from not being anywhere near your league棓
揟hat抯 bullshit and you know it,?he cuts in.
揧ou know what I meant. The only man who ever showed any interest in me before is a loser starving musician who won抰 stop hounding me. It抯 safe to say I抦 out of the league of someone who抯 worth梬hatever Scrooge McDuck numbers are in your portfolio. Not to mention a guy who抯 the talk of the Seattle paparazzi.?
揟hat boy was a worm, and if men don抰 approach you, it抯 because you抮e intimidating.?He thumps his chest lightly. 揥hat if you抳e met the man who isn抰 afraid??
It抯 freaky how well he has me pinned down.
揌ow intimidating can I be??
揧ou抮e beautiful and feisty and hurt. That抯 a lethal combination. Nobody wants to be shot on sight trying to pick you up. Men梟o, little boys梐re scared to approach you.?
Somehow, that makes me smile.
揧ou抮e scared right now. Don抰 be,?he whispers gently, sweeping me into his arms.
But I step back, stunned at how well he reads me now. 揧ou know my history. I don抰 know, a fake engagement, even one where the people closest to us know it抯 just a ruse…it抯 a lot.?
揑t抯 a lot for me, too,?he says with a heavy look. 揧ou抮e not alone in the broken hearts club. I was engaged once.?
I do a double take as his eyes focus on me.
揌er name was Regina. She danced ballet, everybody loved her, and I put a ring on her under the radar so we could avoid the press. She was also a pathological liar.?
My heartbeat quickens. I hate this Regina already.
Especially when I see subtle lines deepening across his face, hinting at just how much damage she did.
揑 came home early to surprise her with tickets to Broadway and an evening flight to New York one day,?he says, anger curdling his voice. 揑 found them together. In our bed. She was draped over him like a fucking sheet, naked as the day she was born.?
I gasp, a quivering hand coming to my mouth.
He must realize I抦 about to fall over because he grabs me, holds me so gently, and touches his forehead to mine.
揟hat抯 awful, Linc. My God. It抯 almost worse than what happened when Jay left me,?I whimper, my heart aching for him even if deep down, a selfish part of me is glad it didn抰 work out with this cheating bitch.
揇on抰， Dakota. There抯 no need to compare,?he says gently, his eyes glowing in the morning light as he peels back to look at me. 揌urt isn抰 a contest, sweetheart. It抯 not about better or worse. We all walk away with battle scars and bad memories. It only matters whether or not we let that shit rule us. It only matters if we let yesterday ruin tomorrow.?
I抦 almost crying now.
I never imagined he had it in him to be so deep, to peel back my layers, to find my core, my soul, my truest heart. But that抯 where he is now.
That抯 where he抯 always been destined to wind up, now that I know Lincoln Burns shared my uniquely rotten agony the whole freaking time.
揅an…can I ask you something??I whisper.
揌ell yes.?He strokes my hair.
揥hy weren抰 you afraid of me, Lincoln??
He chuckles. 揕ike you don抰 know??
揟hat stupid poem??I抦 blushing.
揘o. That stupid cinnamon roll. The first day we met,?he growls. 揇akota, I wouldn抰 have been able to stay away from you forever if we kept butting heads. This would抳e happened faster if I wasn抰 your boss, believe me.?
揙h. I always thought you saw me as an annoying nerd then.?
揧ou are,?he says fearlessly. 揃ut you抮e a beautiful, feisty, and talented little nerd. You抮e the whole damn package. So if I send Anna an email letting her know that her idea is brilliant and the extra push we need to compete, will you be pissed??
I think for a long second before I slowly, but firmly shake my head and whisper.
揘o.?
揋ood.?He kisses my forehead. 揘ow, are you going to help me frost the cinnamon rolls??
揝ure.?
We finish the rolls together and sit down at the table.
I haven抰 noticed until now, but right in the middle of the table there抯 a bouquet of bright-blue flowers with violet centers. Instead of the normal baby抯 breath mixed in with a bouquet, I see midnight-black and smoky grey feathers. The ribbon is tied up with a crystal raven.
I smile before I force my face straight.
Yesterday wasn抰 planned. He couldn抰 have had time to order flowers…
I抦 baffled.
Lincoln picks up a roll. 揂re you going to keep pretending there is nothing on the table??
He takes a manly bite and looks up from his pastry.
揊or me??I ask cautiously.
揇o you see anyone else here??
I reach out and slide them over, loving their scent. 揟hey抮e beautiful. Seriously.?
揑 thought it was high time somebody gave you flowers you抎 like after I jacked the ones you hated,?he explains.
Mentally, I抦 speechless, but I manage to say, 揙h. Oh, wow. I love them.?
揕ook at the card.?He gestures.
I don抰 see a card. There抯 a flat piece of cardboard with three small plastic objects glued to it. One silver, one blue, and one black.
It takes me a second before I ask, 揝o, the feathers are棓
揚ens, Nevermore.?He grins and nods.
Oh, crap.
My heart bursts into a million pieces. Even my parents never gave a gift that抯 so me.
揕incoln. This is amazing. But how did you get flowers here??
揊avor.?
揥hat favor??I ask, laughing.
揑 gave the word and my driver put it together this morning. I tipped Louis extremely well.?