28. Amara
Chapter twenty-eight
Amara
S ilence.
Thick, suffocating silence.
As the elevator doors slide open and Nicholas and I step into the office, the room falls into a stunned hush. Heads swivel, conversations die mid-sentence, and even the hum of keyboards fades into nothing.
Nicholas, however, is completely unfazed. He walks through the office, his hand firmly in mine. Meanwhile, my legs are doing their best not to turn into jelly from the attention of every eye in the room.
He insisted we walk in together. To make it clear that we’re engaged. Honestly, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely didn’t think it would be this.
We finally make it to my desk, and I’m just about to sit down and pretend none of this is happening when Nicholas grabs my elbow, spins me around, and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“Have a good morning, honey,” he murmurs, his lips turning in a small smirk, and my stomach does a little flip.
Before I can even react, he pulls away and walks off, leaving me standing like a deer in the headlights
I turn toward my desk, only to be met with Jade’s wicked grin on her face, her blue eyes practically sparkling with mischief. Sophie eyes me curiously, arms crossed but clearly holding back a million questions.
“Oh. My. God,” Jade squeals, dragging each word out. “Tell me everything!”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I say quickly, dropping into my chair and pulling my laptop open as a makeshift shield.
“Nothing to talk about?” Jade repeats, leaning against my desk with a scoff. “You’re telling me there’s nothing to say about the fact that Nicholas Blackwood just kissed you in front of the entire office?”
“It was purely for show,” I mutter, logging into my computer, trying to focus, though my hands are shaking.
Jade lets out a laugh. “Honey, that was not a ‘for show’ kiss. That was a ‘you’re mine, and I want everyone to know it’ kiss. Now, spill. I want all the sordid details.”
“There are no details. Can we just move on? My head’s killing me.”
Jade scoffs. “Yeah, I’m sure your knees and throat are sore too.”
I don’t respond, focusing on my typing, but the heat in my face tells me I’m blushing. Sophie’s gasp from her desk confirms it.
“Oh my god. You slept with him, didn’t you?”
“No,” I lie, the words slipping out before I can stop them, and the blush deepens.
Jade’s grin widens. “Oh, this is so much better than I thought. You’re fucking your fake fiancé and didn’t tell me?”
“Shhh.” I glance around quickly. “Can you two keep it down? No one’s supposed to know it’s not real.”
“Relax.” Jade waves her hand. “Mum’s the word. So, are you two together now?” she asks. “I give you props. I thought this would’ve happened way sooner.”
“No.” I shake my head, more to myself than to her. “We’re not… This is just…”
Her brows furrow, and she glances at Sophie, who’s wearing the same confused expression. “Just… what?”
I let out a sigh. “We’re just sleeping together. We’re still agreeing to part ways once the contract ends, and I don’t need to be his fake fiancée anymore. There’s nothing else going on between us.”
Sophie raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push further. Instead, she asks quietly, “And you’re telling me there’s no chance, not even a tiny, minuscule chance, that you’re catching feelings?”
I hesitate, her question hitting a little too close to home. “Nope,” I lie, though my chest aches as I say it.
“Are you sure? First, you two are sleeping together, and then that kiss… You’ve never really been a casual kind of girl, Amara. We saw how hard you clung to Liam.”
“Nicholas is not Liam.”
“No,” she agrees. “Which is what makes this so much more confusing. Nicholas is successful, rich, handsome, a good guy—”
“Good in bed, I’m guessing?” Jade cuts in with a grin.
Heat creeps up my neck. “I’m not answering that.”
Jade scoffs. “No need, babe. Your face says it all. But Sophie’s right. There’s no way you’re keeping your emotions out of this for another two months.”
I gulp, realizing they’re both right. I hadn’t let myself think about it, but now I can’t ignore the fact that I’m already starting to blur the lines between what’s real and what isn’t. And I know these feelings will only grow stronger.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, though I don’t sound very convincing. “Can we please move on? Don’t you two have work to do?”
Jade laughs. “Absolutely not. This is way more entertaining.”
My phone buzzes on the desk, saving me from their relentless teasing.
“Shit,” I say, glancing at the screen.
“What is it?” Sophie asks.
“My sister,” I say, scrolling through the flood of texts.
Annie :
Are you seriously going to pretend like these photos are fake?
Attached is an image of me and Nicholas at the gala, his hand on my waist, and me smiling up at him.
Annie :
You’re engaged? I thought you were dating Liam. What the hell is going on, Amara?
I swallow hard, feeling a lump form in my throat. “She and my grandma found out about Nicholas.”
She blinks. “Wait. You hadn’t told them you’re engaged?”
I shake my head, guilt gnawing at me. “No. I couldn’t tell them the truth and I didn’t want to lie, so I just told them it wasn’t real. But my sister saw the photos from the hotel opening.”
Another groan slips from my lips when I see another one of my Annie’s texts. “They want to meet him.”
Jade lets out a laugh, crossing her legs as she sits on the edge of my desk. “Oh, this is going to be so good.”
Before I can spiral any further, the intercom rings.
“Boss wants to see you,” Jade singsongs, her smirk widening.
I roll my eyes and stand, slipping my phone into my pocket.
When I reach Nicholas’s office, I hesitate for a moment before knocking.
“Come in,” his voice calls from inside.
I push the door open and step inside, my heart pounding in my chest. Nicholas is sitting at his desk, his tie slightly loosened, the top button of his shirt undone. He looks up, his dark eyes locking onto mine, and the corners of his mouth tug into a lazy smile.
“Hi,” I say, closing the door behind me. “You wanted to see me?”
He leans back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over me, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin. “Yes, but now I’m wondering if I can actually be professional with you in here.”
I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the way my pulse kicks into overdrive. “Be serious.”
“I am serious,” he replies, a smirk playing on his lips as he rises from his chair. “Come here.”
As soon as I’m within arm’s reach, his hand shoots out, gripping my wrist and pulling me toward him. Before I can protest, his lips find mine, slow, sweet, unhurried at first… but the kiss deepens quickly as his fingers tangle in my hair, tugging me closer.
“God, I missed you,” he murmurs against my lips, his other hand sliding around my waist to lift me, positioning me on the edge of his desk.
“It’s been ten minutes since you last saw me,” I manage to say, breathless, the words faltering on my lips as his kiss consumes me.
“I know.” He chuckles, pulling back just enough to brush his thumb over my cheek, his eyes dark with something that makes it hard to breathe. It’s a look that makes it impossible to forget, makes it impossible to push away the thought that I won’t see this look again in two months. “You’ve ruined me.”
A laugh escapes me, before his lips find mine again, his hand trailing down my thigh, slowly lifting my skirt.
“What did you want to talk about?” I murmur, trying to catch my breath.
“Hmmm?” he hums, his lips trailing a lazy path down my neck, making it hard to think.
“You… called me in here. Did you need something?”
“Yes,” he groans, his mouth hot against my skin, his tongue flicking over the sensitive spot just below my ear. “You.”
“Nicholas,” I chuckle, pulling back just enough to catch his gaze. “We’re at work, remember?”
He sighs, reluctantly pulling away. “I got a call about the new couch, which is coming today.” He raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into a teasing smile. “We’re getting a new couch?”
We .
I swallow, the word hitting me harder than I’d like to admit, but I keep my expression neutral. “You need a new one.”
He scoffs, crossing his arms. “What’s wrong with my couch?”
I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “It’s too long, too hard. Grey. I thought a light, fluffy fabric one might make the place feel less like a bachelor pad and a little more… homey.”
His smile widens, his gaze turning softer. My pulse quickens as his eyes linger on me. “Got any more surprises I should know about?” he asks, teasing.
“A few more,” I admit, my lips curling into a smirk. “You told me to redecorate however I’d like. So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
His grin widens, and he steps closer, his hands reaching up to cradle my face, tilting my head back just enough to meet his dark, intense gaze. “Fine by me,” he murmurs, before leaning down, brushing our lips together, sending a shock of heat through my body. His lips part slightly, groaning into my mouth as if he can’t help himself.
Then, my phone buzzes, immediately pulling me out of the moment. I freeze, remembering the endless texts from my sister.
Then my phone buzzes, loud and intrusive, cutting through the haze of desire. I freeze.
Nicholas pulls back, a frown knitting his brows together as his gaze flickers toward my phone. “Do you need to get that?”
I shake my head quickly, the moment already slipping away. “No. It’s just… my family.”
His brow arches. “Oh?”
“They found out about us.”
Nicholas leans back slightly, crossing his arms as he props himself against the edge of his desk. His eyes narrow, curiosity flickering. “Found out, as in…?”
“As in, I didn’t tell her we were engaged,” I admit, tugging my lip between my teeth, my words spilling out in a rush. “I didn’t want to lie to her or my sister, but now they both found out and they won’t stop blowing up my phone with a million questions.” I let out a shaky breath, trying to hold it together. “They both want to meet you. And I don’t know what to say because I hate lying to them, and now they’re asking about Liam, and I don’t—”
“Whoa, whoa,” he cuts in gently, his voice warm and soothing. “Calm down, honey. It’s okay.”
“Calm down?” I echo, shaking my head. “That’s not exactly an option right now.”
His expression softens, the teasing fading. “There’s no need to panic. I’d love to meet your family.”
I blink at him, stunned. “You would?”
“Of course.” His lips curl into that unfairly charming smile of his. “They’re important to you.”
I stare at him, the tight knot in my stomach slowly starting to loosen. “You’d really do that?”
He tilts his head slightly, the sincerity in his gaze making my heart skip a beat. “It’ll be just like a meeting, Amara. I’ve done hundreds of them. I think I can handle one with your grandma.”
A laugh escapes me, but my heart is still racing, too loud in my chest. “We’re going to have to pretend in front of her, too.”
Nicholas leans forward, brushing his lips over the corner of my mouth. “Fine by me,” he murmurs. “I could use another excuse to kiss you.”
I laugh again, breathless, my fingers curling instinctively against his chest as I pull him closer. “You don’t have enough of those already?”
“Not nearly enough,” he replies, his voice dropping lower, as his hand trails down my arm. “It’ll never be enough.”
Another buzz from my phone brings me back to reality, and I glance down at it reluctantly.
“Answer her,” Nicholas tells me, lifting my chin gently so I’m looking at him again. “Tell her we’ll be there on Saturday.”
I search his face, looking for any hesitation, any sign that he’s second-guessing this. “You’re sure about this?”
He meets my gaze, unwavering and confident, like he’s already planned this out. “I’m sure.”
And just like that, the panic that had been clawing at my insides disappears. I breathe out slowly, the tension easing from my shoulders.
“Okay,” I whisper, my lips brushing his as I say it.
He smiles against my mouth, his hands sliding around my waist, pulling me closer. “Saturday,” he repeats. “We’ll be there.”
His smile makes my stomach flutter, and for a moment, it’s easy to forget where the lines are drawn between what’s real and what’s part of the act.
But I can’t let myself forget.