Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
For the third time in five minutes, I shift uncomfortably on the couch that’s clearly more for aesthetics than comfort. A thin cotton blanket lies over the side of my body, barely covering my large frame, and my feet hang awkwardly over the arm of the sofa.
One fucking bed.
Should have requested two when we checked in. I roll my eyes in the dark, shifting again as I try to get comfortable on the glorified piece of cardboard.
Less than fifteen feet away is a perfectly plush king-sized bed. And a temptation I need to stay away from.
But at the cost of my sleep? Can’t we both suck it up for three nights?
This is ridiculous.
No longer willing to be a soldier in the battle of the wills, I throw myself off the couch, abandoning the sorry excuse for a blanket, while swiping my pillow. I’m not going to sacrifice any more of my sleep.
Stomping over to the bed, I flip the duvet on the unoccupied side, and the moment I lie down, my entire body relaxes into the mattress.
It’s not long—mere seconds—before sleep begins to pull me under, but the comfort’s cut short by an irritated groan and an obscene amount of shifting.
“What are you doing?” I growl, barely lifting my heavy head from the pillow to glance over my shoulder.
Raina’s dark shadow bobs as she slams pillows into the space between us. “Making a pillow wall.”
“Afraid I’ll touch you?” I won’t touch her. I can’t touch her. Not unless I want her to be my complete undoing.
“We won’t be making that mistake again,” Raina mocks, and I realize she’s taken my words from earlier to heart.
Good.
When there's four pillows between us stacked two high, she finally seems satisfied and lies back down, facing away from me.
She’s infuriating.
Stubborn, bullheaded, and maddening.
But also intelligent, independent, and impeccable.
Absolutely perfect.
And the bane of my existence.
A royal pain in my ass.
“Goodnight, RP,” I goad, closing my eyes again with a smug smile on my face. And it isn’t long before the sandman pulls me under.
“How was I supposed to know the hotel Javier booked would be such a far drive from his family’s estate?” Raina argues as she looks down at the GPS lit up on the car’s navigation screen.
“I don’t know, maybe you could have asked at some point?”
I’m not angry, per se, just annoyed that we’re going to be on the road for nearly four hours round trip, and we have to do this drive again tomorrow.
“He literally booked the flight and hotel and sent me the confirmation numbers. It’s not like I knew about all this ahead of time. He gave me less than a week's notice.”
“You’re right,” I say simply, not wanting to argue any longer. We still have another hour to go, and the last thing I want to do is sit in heavy tension. “Could you look up some things to do around the area so I can keep myself occupied while you’re with Javier’s family?”
Raina turns her head to look at me, her eyes growing large. “You’re not staying?”
Does she want me to? “I hadn’t planned on it.”
Originally, I had, but after seeing the possessiveness Javier exuded last night at dinner, I know that the two of us around each other for a prolonged period will be disastrous.
I may be her fake fiancé as far as he’s concerned, but to his family, I’m her fake brother, and it would look pretty incestuous for her brother to punch her husband for putting his hands on her.
As much as it makes my blood boil with rage every time he does, we all have a part to play, and the sooner we get this poorly written performance over with, the sooner we all go back to our regular lives.
Javier grants Raina her divorce.
I help facilitate it.
She signs the papers.
And when the ink is dry, she and I will go our separate ways with as much distance between us as possible. I’ll even detach myself from my friends just to ensure I don’t have to see her more than absolutely necessary.
Although, I wouldn’t mind pulling the cloth out from under Javier and ruining his entire charade. It would serve him right for denying Raina the divorce she’s asking for and essentially blackmailing her into helping him.
This whole thing is absurd, but I know I can’t be angry with anyone other than myself for the part I’m now playing in it…
I’m the one who insisted on being her fake fiancé, and had I just gritted my teeth and let her get on that dating app, I’d happily be in my apartment right now, probably between the thighs of a leggy blonde.
Raina stays quiet for another fifteen minutes or so as she scrolls on her phone. My eyes stay on the road as the GPS takes us further into the countryside. The scenery is beautiful with wide stretches of green pastures and vineyards that lead us to what I’m told is the wine country of Spain.
“Well, your options are slim out here,” Raina concludes, dropping her phone into her lap. “Explore the town, enjoy a wine tour, or drive further into a neighboring city to find some more options. Ribera del Duero is a popular tourist destination, but mostly for its rich history and wine.”
“Wine sounds great,” I say through a clenched jaw, trying not to look over at her. Every time I do, my body ignites with a heady mixture of lust and irritation, and the way she looks today is doing nothing to help.
Her hair is swept back into a ponytail, but she’s kept the front pieces out, letting them frame her lightly made-up face.
The brown sweater dress she’s wearing hugs her hips thanks to the black belt she’s paired with it, and her black leather boots sit on the tops of her thighs, giving me only a small gap of skin to admire on these back country roads.
“Tomorrow we should ride with the top down,” she muses, looking out the window.
“That sounds like a terrible idea. It’s cold. It’s November.”
“We can’t let the convertible go to waste, though.” She grins, and the sight is contagious.
Smiling, I shake my head. “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe,” she agrees.
When we finally make it to the Moreno property, I’m surprised to see an ostentatious mansion as we pull up to the gates. It’s nothing like the feeling the rest of the town gave off as we drove through it, and it’s the first time that it’s really sunk in how wealthy this family is.
Makes sense as to why he’s playing games.
Rolling my driver's side window down, the crisp air stings my cheek as I lean through the window and press the call button on the gate's security system. Moments later, we’re buzzed through.
“This isn’t at all what I expected,” I comment as we travel up the long driveway, inching closer to the mansion. “Especially with no prenup.”
“Me either. But we never discussed finances or wealth during our one-night stand,” she says with sarcasm. From my peripheral, I see Raina roll her eyes.
“Perhaps you should have.”
“Hmm, you’re right. Next time I get drunk, I’ll be sure to have a contract in my purse. I wonder if bringing it up before the clothes come off or right before we both pass out would be a better time.”
“Maybe not getting so drunk to where you can’t remember your own actions would be the better course of action.”
Raina snorts. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Dad. Maybe you’re right.”
My fingers grip the steering wheel tighter. “Unfortunately, RP, I don’t have a daddy kink, so your attempt at a dig doesn’t have the effect you’re probably hoping for.”
“Whatever,” she retorts like a disgruntled teenager, crossing her hands over her chest. “And that’s a really stupid nickname, for the record.”
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again.
Infuriating. Fucking. Woman.
It feels like an eternity has passed in flammable silence, and by the time I put the car in park, Javier’s opening Raina’s door.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s holding a match.
“Darling,” he greets. I don’t have to see his face to know there’s a smug smile painted across it. I can hear it in his tone. “How was the drive?”
“Long.” Raina unclasps the chain from her neck and makes a show of pulling my ring from her finger to switch it out with the one he gave her.
She strings my ring on the platinum chain and fastens it back together before depositing it back in the confines of her dress.
“I didn’t realize the hotel you booked for us was such a lengthy distance. ”
Javier offers his hand, which she takes, and he assists her in getting out of the car. “There’s nowhere in Ribera del Duero worthy of your presence. You deserve the finest accommodations.”
Javier really lays it on thick and leans in to kiss her gently.
“Oh,” she says a bit stunned as he pulls away. She tucks one of her loose pieces of hair behind her ear before letting him lace their fingers together. “Well, thank you.”
You've got to be kidding me. Is she buying this shit?
I slam my car door as I watch their exchange, trying to convince myself it’d be a poor choice to rip his head clear off his shoulders.
Javier dips his face toward her and whispers something in her ear, and she giggles at whatever it is.
Jealousy seethes through my veins as I stomp over to where they stand, seemingly lost in their own world.
Placing my hand on Raina's shoulder, I say, “May I have a word?”
She spins toward me, and the smile on her face instantly vanishes.
That shouldn’t twist my insides like it does.
Nodding, she follows as I move a few steps away so Javier can’t overhear.
“I made a mistake coming here.”
“You seem to be making a lot of those lately,” she snaps back, but there’s an underlying despondency in her tone.
“What time do you want me to come back to pick you up?”
“You’re actually leaving?” She looks down at the ground, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Yeah. It’s better that way. As far as Javier is concerned, I’m your fiancé, yet he has no problem dishing out the disrespect in spades”—our eyes meet again—“and he can’t keep his hands off you, Raina. It’ll only get worse as the day goes on. I can’t watch that.”
She holds my gaze, searching my eyes for anything she can find. She’s grasping at straws—I can see it. Looking for any sort of admission of my affections toward her.
I shouldn’t have said that last part. I know how she feels about me, but she can never know how I feel about her.
Although I’m sure she already suspects since I made it my life’s mission to feel her wet pussy at the dinner table last night.
When she realizes she’s not going to get the declaration she’s hoping for, she sighs. “I don’t know. I guess around five? Six?”
“What are we discussing?” Javier interrupts, strolling over to us with his hands in the front pockets of his slacks.
“Luciano has decided not to stay and was wondering what time he should pick me up,” Raina informs him.
“You are welcome to stay. Today will be a lovely celebration.” Javier brings his hand to hover over Raina’s lower back.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll go explore the city.”
“Six-thirty or seven should be an acceptable time,” Javier concedes, and I recognize how this feels very much like a co-parenting arrangement, which makes me even more angry. “Or she could stay overnight. She is my wife, after all,” he gloats with a wicked grin on his face.
A low growl vibrates through my chest and I take a step forward, but Raina places her hand on my chest. “Six will be perfect,” she diffuses, agreeing to an earlier time than he suggested. “Thank you, Luciano.”
Pressing up on her tiptoes, she kisses my cheek, and as though acting on instinct, my hand floats up and grips her hip, wanting to keep her there.
“Try to have a good day,” she whispers. A lump forms in my throat as she turns back to Javier and stretches out her hand for him to take.
With my hands balled into fists at my sides, I get to witness them walk through the front doors of the mansion and hear the families' voices shout with glee as they make their way inside, excited to start the day of celebrations.
When the door shuts, I’m left alone in the silence and practically have to force myself back into the car so I can figure out what the hell I’m going to do for the next six hours by myself.