Chapter 8
SEXY PANIC ONLY
CLAIRE
Most of the day I’d stayed locked in my bedroom, avoiding Declan like the plague. Last night I agreed to pretend to be his fiancée but now I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. I didn’t know how to be someone's fiancée–I hadn’t even been a girlfriend since college.
Declan told me that I was now here as a guest. He offered his credit card and spa days for me to relax and fit in with the other wives on the trip, but that felt wrong. I didn’t fit in with them. We weren’t the same. The things they generally expected were luxuries that I couldn’t get used to.
Like this room and this bed and this chalet.
I plopped down onto the bed and pulled the duvet over my head, letting out a soft scream. It was as soft as a fucking cloud that you just melted into. Two light knocks sounded on the door, startling me out of my cloud induced coma.
“Claire? Are you okay?” Declan asked through the door.
He’d gone out earlier to meet some colleagues for lunch. He invited me, of course, but I’d declined. I needed some space to think about the dumb ass decisions I’d made since leaving Texas.
“Claire?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I shouted back. I stood from bed and walked to the door, pulling it open just an inch since I currently looked like I’d eaten a pound of chocolate in the pajamas I’d been wearing for seventeen hours.
Not that I did that—okay, I did, but can you blame me?
Declan’s eyes trailed down my face as he smirked at me. “Still sleeping?”
“No,” I said quickly. “Just relaxing.”
Not hiding at all.
“Well get dressed, we’re going out.”
“Out?”
“Tonight is the tree lighting ceremony.”
“Oh, right.” That was on the itinerary. “I’ll be up in a few.”
Declan nodded before turning and heading into his own room. I shut my door and leaned against it, letting out a sigh. This was it. This was my first trial by fire.
I slipped on a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater before heading to the bathroom.
One look at myself had me wincing. There were circles under my eyes since I hadn’t actually been able to sleep and my hair was matted in a ball.
I brushed it to the best of my ability before doing two dutch braids and covering them with a knit hat.
I slipped on my boot socks and snow boots before turning to leave.
One hand on the door handle, my eye caught on the diamond ring sitting on top of the dresser.
I didn’t know why Declan had an engagement ring on him when we got here but it didn’t feel like a coincidence. The ring was a massive emerald cut diamond sitting on a hidden halo. The band was gold and also covered in diamonds. It was obnoxious and detailed and definitely not bought off the shelf.
Most women would fall over their own feet for this ring, but it was too much. Everyone was going to notice it and ask if it was what I wanted. I’d lie and say it was perfect and rave about how Declan knew me so well.
Gag me.
I took a second before grabbing the ring and slipping it onto my ring finger.
When I made it to the top floor, Declan was leaning against the kitchen island with a rocks glass in his hand.
“I have yet to see you in this house without whiskey in your hand,” I said as I approached him.
“Incorrect. Right now, it’s tequila.”
“You’re sipping tequila?” I scoffed. “Who do you think you are?”
“Declan Alexander,” he said with a shrug and a shitty smirk.
“Well, Declan Alexander, pour me a glass.”
He arched a brow at me. “Really?”
“I need to be a little drunk for people to believe I’m the love of your life.”
Declan snorted before popping the cork on the clear bottle and pouring me a glass. “Can’t have people believing you’d be with me sober.”
“The horror,” I gasped as I took a sip. The liquid burned as I swallowed, causing me to cough.
“Can’t handle it?” Declan asked, his face smug.
“You don’t know what I can handle,” I said, tossing the rest back with the straightest face I could muster.
His eyes found mine for a second before he shook his head and pushed off of the counter.
“Come on. We’re late.”
I followed him out onto the main sidewalk and into the center of town where a massive tree sat in the dark.
This was the first time I’d shown my face since Declan’s proposal and it wasn’t going unnoticed.
Eyes were locked on us as we made our way to the other side of the square where Tom and Sarah were standing.
I felt like a local celebrity.
“People are staring,” I whispered through my teeth as I faked a smile.
“Let them,” Declan whispered back.
“Do I need to tell you that I panic when there is too much attention on me?”
Declan stopped walking abruptly, grabbing my wrist so I was yanked back to him.
“Panic, how?”
I shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know. I say random facts and blurt stuff out. I sweat. I lose control.”
Declan barked out a laugh. “I’d love to see you out of control Claire. Like, I literally can’t think of something I want more.”
My face was flat as I stared at him. “No thanks.”
“Come on, Bear. Live a little.”
Live a little.
“My bad, I thought agreeing to marry a stranger was living.”
Declan looped an arm around my shoulder. “We’re not strangers. We’ve seen each other almost every day for three years.”
“What’s my favorite color?” I asked, positive he wouldn’t know. Declan stayed quiet so I tried again. “What’s my middle name?” Nothing. “Here’s an easy one. What part of the city do I live in?”
Declan opened his mouth to answer but came up short. Just before we made it to Tom and Sarah, I twisted in his arms and draped mine around his neck. To anyone on the outside, we looked lost in a cozy conversation.
“Your favorite color is blue. Your middle name is James. You live in the Civic District. You bought your condo two years ago.” I played with the collar of his shirt, tilting my head in a flirty way that looked like I just couldn’t keep my hands to myself.
Declan tightened his grip on my ribs and tugged me so I was standing flush against him.
“I know you, Dex. You just don’t know me.
I was paid to get to know you. No one paid you to care. ”
I leaned on my toes and kissed his cheek before turning toward his friends with a smile.
“Lovely to see you, Claire. You two disappeared so fast last night, I wasn’t able to say congratulations,” Sarah said, picking up my hand without consent to inspect the ring. She gave a hum of approval before looking toward Declan. “You always did have good taste,” she said in a sultry tone.
The look on her face did not scream friends. She was practically undressing him with her eyes after looking at his taste in jewelry. But, she was here with her boyfriend so I had nothing to worry about, right?
Not that I needed to worry at all–none of this was real.
It would just be weird for my fake fiancé to cheat on me right after our fake proposal.
Right?
“I couldn't wait to get her alone,” Declan said in a tone that was flat and nowhere near as playful as he was a few minutes ago.
I laughed nervously as Tom and Sarah stared at me as if they’d asked me a question. Was I supposed to say something to that?
I’m really not good on my feet. I like a plan. I stick to my plans. This was not my plan.
“Did you know that snails have teeth?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around my middle.
“What?” Sarah practically gasped.
“Are you guys excited for the tree lighting?” Declan asked quickly, changing the subject. The arm he had around my shoulders pulled me into his side as we turned to face the dark tree.
“Uh, yeah,” Tom said behind us. I could feel the awkward tension in the air.
Declan leaned his head down to whisper in my ear, “snails have teeth?”
“I told you I blurt things out,” I hissed.
“Maybe next time go for a sexier fun fact.”
“I’ll be sure to do that when I’m freaking out. Sexy panic only.”
“You’re something else, Bear.”
Declan kept his arm around me for the rest of the night.
He pushed me in front of him and snaked his arms around my waist during Paul Driscoff’s speech to light the tree, he held my hand in line for hot chocolate, and throughout the night, he did his best to keep the attention on him and not our looming surprise engagement.
I appreciated that he was present next to me, but the entire time he seemed different.
In the office, Declan came off cold and cocky.
He rarely spoke to me, and when he did it was in orders and grunts.
But, at the airport he was different. He made jokes and tried to support me when I was scared.
Even since we’d been in St. Moritz, he’d been playful and funny.
That all changed the moment we were around his peers.
He would only make jokes if they were a whisper or he’d save his comments for a moment we were alone.
It was an interesting duality.
Maybe I didn’t know Declan Alexander as well as I thought I did.