揋reat.?The doorknob clicks. 揑f you just want me to leave the spec sheets, I抣l棓
揘o!?He roars, grabbing my hips, slamming in so deep my whole body thumps the desk. 揓ust. Fucking. Go.?
Fitting words because Lincoln is already gone.
For a hot second, his cock swells. I hear a frantic sound like he抯 covering his own mouth as he grinds against my hips and releases.
Holy fuckamole.
Edgar Allan Poe could rise from the grave and walk in right now and neither of us could make ourselves care.
He抯 groaning against his hand.
I抦 leaving a full imprint on his wrist.
We抳e forgotten how to breathe.
And this fireball detonates through us for minutes that feel like years, storming our bodies with unrelenting bliss, making me feel him coming as much as I know he feels me.
When he finally pulls out, I think I need to be scraped off his desk.
揕inc. That was桮od.?I have no words.
Honestly, he does a better job of summarizing it than me. I watch as he tosses the condom in the trash, tucks himself back in his pants, and hovers over me, brushing his lips so gently against mine.
揟hat was what you get when you trust me, Nevermore,?he whispers with a kiss. 揑f you抮e a good girl, there抯 a whole hell of a lot more to come.?
The next day, I knock on Eliza抯 door with my elbow.
My hands are full, clutching my laptop and holding a small disposable cup of campfire coffee.
She opens the door with her eyes narrowed. 揑 knew I was being haunted. What brings you back to the land of the living, ghost girl??
揑 brought you a present to make up for being so busy.?
With a silly smile, she throws the door open.
揅ome in! Why are you never home anymore? I almost thought you skipped out on me and moved.?
揑抦 Lincoln Burns?full-time fake bride. That means lots of time with my faux fianc? taking pretty pictures.?
Ugh, I can抰 hide anything. A rosy red blush betrays me and my mind instantly goes to the photo shoot a few days after the yacht cruise.
How sweetly Lincoln cradled me against his mile-wide chest.
How good he smelled, cologne and man distilled into the best scent.
How fast we raced back to his place, tearing at each other抯 clothes before we even stepped off the elevator to his penthouse floor.
揌oly crap, lady. You and the bosshole??Eliza looks dumbstruck.
I just hold out the small cup of coffee I brought along, courtesy of Wyatt after our latest cinnamon roll visit with him this morning.
Eliza takes it and turns it around slowly. She sniffs and jerks back.
揥ow, that抯 strong! What is this stuff??
揕incoln抯 friend, Wyatt, he makes this brew. I thought you might find it interesting棓
揥ait, Lincoln? You抮e on a first-name basis now? Wow. You are spending quality time with the boss. Are you sure it抯 just fake??
?I抦 not sure what it is,?I answer honestly. The sex is truly the most intense experience of my life. My face goes hot at the thought. 揟hat抯 not my point, though. Wyatt brews this coffee over a campfire, and whatever he does, it always comes out with this smoky flavor. It抯 pretty good when you add a little creamer to take the edge off. I started bringing my own after it choked me the first time. Try it!?
She sniffs the cup again and smiles.
揗aybe I will. But first, why are you blushing??
揃lushing??
I抦 not sure why I bother playing dumb. She sees my scarlet face.
Eliza laughs and levels a look that抯 determined to make me fess up.
I shrug. 揙h, I don抰 know. It抯 a warm day. Just try the coffee. Then I have some pictures to show you.?
With a frown, she finally drinks from the paper cup. Her eyes widen comically.
揥hoa桰梠h, mama. This is good. I don抰 know why I never thought of a fire roast before, but it does give the bean a nice smoky undertone.?She stares at the cup, transfixed. I almost think she抯 forgotten about my Not Relationship with Lincoln. Until she looks at me again. 揝o, do you think your fake fling with the boss is leading you anywhere besides cool experimental coffee??
I sit down on her small love seat.
揘ot a clue, Eliza.?
揌ow抎 it happen, anyway??
I fill her in on everything, deciding there抯 no sense in hiding the truth. The flowers from Jay, the ridiculous proposal, the nights in Seattle, the moment one blinding kiss turned the whole world into a waking dream when I opened my eyes.
揂mazing,?Eliza whispers when I抦 finished, shaking her head in awe. 揧ou guys are a thing.?
揑 guess we are…？I nod slowly. 揂nd I love it.?
She smiles. 揥ould you love it more if you could put a label on it??
Would I?
揑 don抰 know. I抦 not even sure if it should be anything besides what it already is,?I say carefully. 揌e抯 still my boss, Eliza. This is pretty taboo as it is, and it抯 also the kind of thing that follows you if it goes sour…？
揂w, I don抰 think he抣l come after you if it isn抰 meant to be. He agreed to this fake engagement so no one would question it, didn抰 he??
揝till, what if HR finds out it抯 not all fake when we抮e off the clock??I swallow, worry balling up in my throat.
揅ross that bridge when you get there,?she says simply.
揑t抯 not like I can stay away from him, so…maybe you抮e right.?
揑f you can抰 stay away, trust the chemistry.?
I stare at her. 揇o you have some catchphrase for everything??
揧ep. It抯 what I do. You have a lot of time to think while you抮e waiting for the bloom on the perfect pour over or steeping cold brew.?She grins smugly, her eyes flashing.
揈liza, life isn抰 as easy as coffee. I抳e just stacked all my chips in one place and obliterated boundaries. If this doesn抰 work out, it could get ugly.?
揃ut what if it does? What if penny boy decides he抯 game to take you on a real date the whole world knows about??
Oh, God.
The minute she says it, I tense. Hope and nervous horror knife through me. What if Lincoln did do that?
揚enny boy??I whisper.
揧ou know, Lincoln? Abe? Penny? Never mind!?She throws up her hands, laughing.
揧ou come up with the goofiest names,?I say, cracking a smile that takes the edge off.
揧eah, my other talent. Now you said you had some pictures??
Right. I turn on my laptop. The company images aren抰 synced up to my phone so we抣l do this the old-school way.
揧ou have to promise not to scream first,?I warn her, wagging a finger.
She crosses her heart with her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth.
Oh, Eliza. With friends like you, who needs trouble?
I press forward anyway.
An image comes up on the screen with Lincoln in a cream-white tux, holding me like I抦 an absolute treasure. I抦 wearing a simple white dress, resting my head under his chin, a bouquet of bright cornflower clenched between us.
Even though I抳e seen it ten times, my breath still stalls.
Is that really what we look like together?
Do cameras ever lie?
God. We could be shooting for a Pride and Prejudice reboot. And why not? Darcy was the original billionaire bad boy.
Eliza lets out a scream that would be earsplitting if it wasn抰 for her palms pressed to her mouth.
揌ey, you promised not to scream! Covering it still counts.?I elbow her in the belly playfully.
She skids back, a messy laugh falling out of her.
揇akota, that抯…a big deal. You抮e wearing a wedding dress. The suit has you cradled against him. You both look like you just found your stars. Like, I抦 over the freaking moon for you. You wouldn抰 have allowed this in a million years if you didn抰 feel something. Not after that annoying little blue jay…？