Chapter 6 #2
She shakes her head, and her lips slightly curve up into a warm, forgiving smile.
“It’s okay.” She waves a dismissive hand and paces before me.
“Well, there has to be something I can do to make this whole crazy idea feel worthwhile for you. What can I offer you?” Her big brown eyes hold on to mine as she looks at me beneath her thick, dark lashes.
God, she has no idea what her innocent suggestion does to me.
Images of Alina on her knees before me flash in my mind.
Tears springing to her eyes as her lips wrap around my—
I pinch the bridge of my nose, waiting for the vision to disappear, when a thought hits me.
Quickly, I type, Teach me ASL?
She tips her head to the side. “Really?”
I nod. Does she need to know that I’ve been learning ASL for years? Or why I started lessons in the first place? No, and I intend to keep it that way. But maybe if she believes I need her help, then this could be the key to us getting married.
“I am curious…” She tugs at her sleeve. “You’ve signed a few things for me recently, and I didn’t know you knew how to. How much… How much do you know?”
I lift a shoulder and sign, A little bit. I type, It would make things easier for me when I’m around someone else who speaks it. Alex knows ASL, in addition to the ten other languages he speaks fluently.
She chuckles. “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. But yeah, okay, I can definitely teach you.” She scrunches her lips to the side, her brows furrowing the tiniest bit. “So, you’re really okay with this? With marrying me?”
More than okay.
I nod again.
Suddenly, her arms wrap around me. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” She presses her face against my chest, letting out a satisfied sigh as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
I cup the back of her head, running my thumb across her hair as my other arm encircles her waist. “I guess we should probably discuss the details and set some rules so things don’t get messy.
” She glances around before separating from me, and as much as I don’t want to let her go, I do.
“Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?”
I head to the kitchen, reach into the junk drawer for a notebook and a pen, and return to her with them.
She quickly flips it open and sits down.
“Okay, so in order for me to retain what is left to me in the will, we have to remain married for sixty days. I’m not really sure why, but that’s what my mother wanted.
So, I think rule one should state that after that time, we are both free to get divorced and go on with our lives.
We can just tell everyone we realized we were better off as friends than husband and wife. ”
The word divorce sends an unpleasant ache across my chest, and I absentmindedly drag my knuckles over it.
She rolls in her bottom lip. “Is that…okay with you?”
I quickly nod.
“Okay.” She presses the pen tip to the paper. “For the second rule, I think we can both agree that this stays between us and remains our secret. As for rule number three, we can agree to play pretend when we’re around others to make it seem real.” She taps the pen a few times. “Is that doable?”
I type on my phone, Play pretend?
“Like if we’re around your family, maybe you could hold my hand, wrap an arm around me, look at me in a way you don’t look at other women, or…” Her voice trails off. “You know, like how a real husband and wife would act around each other.”
I scratch my chin, contemplating my lack of experience in that department. I’ve never been in an actual relationship, so I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do or if I can pull this off, but I’m willing to try. Okay.
She scratches the pen across the paper and then stills. Her cheeks flush a deep shade of pink as her eyes remain fixed on the page. “For the fourth rule…” She swallows hard, then looks up at me. “We probably shouldn’t partake in any physical stuff.”
I arch a brow.
She puffs up her cheeks and takes a deep breath. “Sex,” she says, her eyes quickly gauging me for a reaction and then darting to the paper.
The word coming off her tongue inadvertently shoots straight to my cock.
I sit back in my seat and type on my phone before turning the screen toward her. If that’s what you want.
Her lips part, and I swear her pupils dilate the slightest bit. “I mean…” She shifts her gaze back to the paper. “I just don’t want things to get messy. Besides, this way you’ll still be free to be with whoever you want during this time.” She shrugs nonchalantly.
Whoever I want?
Clearing her throat, she says, “I think the final rule should be the most obvious.” I wait for her to explain.
“Well, we can’t fall in love with each other.
” Her eyes meet mine for a brief moment before she scribbles her words across the faint lines.
Falling in love? It’s not something I’ve ever experienced.
Not something I’ve ever thought about. But if there was one woman I would willingly fall for, it would be— “I think that’s everything.
” She holds out the paper for me, and I take it, reading her words.
1.We divorce after Alina receives her inheritance
2. It’s our secret
3. We play pretend in front of others
4. No sex
5. No falling in love
“So…” Alina shifts in her seat. “Is that everything?”
I pause to think, then extend my hand, signaling for the pen. She quickly places it in my palm. I turn the page and write, You’ll live here.
It’s not a question, but a statement. One that makes me question my sanity. Because for a guy who loves being alone, why does it seem both obvious and necessary for her to live here with me?
Her eyes widen. “You want me to live here?”
I write, Wouldn’t it look strange if my wife didn’t live with me?
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “I didn’t think about that.” She nods, deep in thought. “I guess you’re right, though. That does make sense… So, yeah. I can do that. It’ll be nice to get a little break from my crappy apartment.” A soft laugh slips from her lips. “Anything else?”
I quickly write, You’re no longer working at Darkest Desires.
“I don’t really have a choice. I need the money. Well, that is if they haven’t fired me yet.”
I slowly shake my head. Then, looking at the page, I write, I’ll take care of everything you need during this arrangement. Your bills, rent, food, clothes. Whatever you need, consider it taken care of.
She scoffs. “What? Like with an allowance?”
I shrug. Sure, if that’s what she wants to call it.
“Be serious.”
I am. And to prove how serious I am, I reach into my back pocket, pull out my wallet, and retrieve the thickest credit card, sliding it across the table toward her.
She eyes it like it might bite her. “I’m not doing this for your money.” Her eyes look at me with a solemn expression, her brows furrowing.
I know. Grabbing the notebook, I write, Temporary or not, no wife of mine will ever know what it means to want.
She shakes her head. “Someday, you’re going to make one woman very happy.” She smiles and reaches for the card. “I’ll take it to make you happy. But I’m not using it.”
We’ll see about that.
She sighs. “But I think I will quit working at the club. I was kind of getting tired of all the grabbing and pinching.” She cringes, squishing her face. “Maybe I can use this time to find another job.”
Grabbing and pinching…?
I drag a hand down my face, shaking off the sudden fury sweeping through my veins.
Placing the notebook on the coffee table, I lean back in my chair. She extends her hand, asking for the pen, and I raise an eyebrow in response.
“We have to sign it.” She snatches the pen from me. “A contract means nothing if it’s not signed.”
After she signs her name, she hands it back to me, and I do the same.
“Alright then.” She tears the piece of paper from the notebook and leans into her chair, mirroring my posture. “I can’t believe we’re getting married.” A laugh bubbles out from her. “Is this crazy?”
I lift one shoulder and then stand, heading to the kitchen.
Is temporarily marrying a beautiful woman to help her secure her inheritance really crazy? Nah, I’ve heard of crazier stories in our world.
Opening the oven door, I let the delicious aroma waft through the air, making my mouth water. I plate the steak, cutting it into slices, and distribute it onto two plates, along with the herbed potatoes.
“That smells really good.” Alina enters the kitchen and, after selecting a magnet on the fridge, sticks our rules to the front of it.
She turns, dropping the notebook on the counter, and then rests her hip against the wall and crosses her arms over her chest, watching me as I add some steak sauce to each plate. “I had no idea you could cook.”
I grab both plates and set them on the counter. My index finger curls in a beckoning motion for her to come over, and I jerk my chin toward the seat.
“Oh, no. I don’t want to eat your dinner. I should probably go anyway.” I raise an eyebrow, and she immediately goes quiet, rolling in her bottom lip with a slight grin. “I guess I could eat a little.” She takes her place, and as she cuts into her first piece, I pour us each a glass of whiskey.
When I slide a cup toward her, she grips it and then, with a playful smile, lifts it in the air. “To being newlyweds.”
I clink my glass against hers before taking a sip. She grimaces as the liquid travels down her throat, but at least she doesn’t cough up a lung this time.
Maybe she’s developing a taste for it.
I grab the notebook, find a blank page, and write, So, after the sixty days, who do you have to inform in order to claim your inheritance?
Her eyes flick to her plate. “A relative of my mother has been overseeing everything. I’ll let them know I’m getting married, and once we hit the sixty days, they’ll just require my signature to complete the transfer.”
Seems easy enough. I scratch the pen across the paper and write, What about your dad?
She wrinkles her nose. “What about him?”
Are you going to tell him we’re getting married?
She waits a moment before saying, “I think it would be better not to. Especially, since it’s only temporary.
Besides, he’s traveling right now. I would hate to…
bother him about this.” Bother him? She’s his only daughter.
And I know for a fact that man wouldn’t want to miss her getting married.
But I let that information slide and watch as she takes a bite of her food, chewing slowly and, after swallowing, asks, “How do you think your family will take the news?”
I shrug and write, I assume with skepticism and disbelief. But they like you. You’ve always felt like one of us, so I’m sure they’ll ease into it.
She rolls in her bottom lip. “I guess we’ll eventually find out.”
I tap the pen against the paper and then write, So, when should we make this official?
She presses her index finger to her chin, tilting her head to the side, and asks, “Are you free tomorrow?”