Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
REGINA
“It’s an impossible task.”
I stare around me at the chaotic scene with a sinking heart.
Bags, boxes, tissue paper and every accessory under the sun fill the rather enormous closet that is surely every woman’s dream.
Nico is ripping stuff out of its packaging and thrusting it onto the shelves, and it’s an amusing sight to see the rather surly man holding scraps of lingerie in his hands and stuffing them into drawers without a care.
“We’ll get it done, and then you must pack for a three-day stay.”
He fixes me with a determined gaze. “Consider everything, breakfast, lunch, dinner, walks in the grounds, cocktail evenings and a smart outfit for Christmas and Boxing day.”
“It sounds–” I groan, “exhausting.”
I picture the way I was intending to spend Christmas, which acts as a huge wake-up call.
“Oh my God!”
“What?”
“Quincy. I completely forgot to return her call, and she must be worrying if I’m still alive.”
He shrugs. “Then call her.”
“My phone died, and I haven’t charged it. To be honest, I can’t find my charger either, and I wasted one hour searching for it.”
“I’ll find you one, hand it to me.”
As I hand the phone over, he shakes his head. “What is this?”
“My phone, of course.”
“This is not a phone; it’s a dinosaur.”
I must admit it’s an old one, but until it actually dies, its fit for purpose.
“It works perfectly well for me.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll see if we have a charger that could work.”
As he makes his way out of the room, I stare at the impossible task ahead of me.
To be honest, Christmas at Quincy’s is sounding more appealing right now because I have a feeling that this will be a challenging assignment.
If his family wants him to marry somebody else, they won’t take too kindly to my presence at the Christmas table.
This is shaping up to be a disaster, and yet I can’t let Nico down. He’s been so kind, and it’s only two days after all. What could go wrong?
It’s strange that after two days I have grown accustomed to traveling in convoy. This one is larger than most due to the fact that our luggage and gifts have been loaded into another car.
If I considered anything was strange about traveling this way, I don’t now.
If anything, I love the convenience it offers because I don’t need to wonder about where I’m going or how I’m getting there.
All I’m required to do is stare out of the window and contemplate how well my life has turned out right now.
Nico is quiet beside me, and after a while he says with a deep sigh, “Do you have any questions?”
“Just one. Who will be there?”
I’m surprised when he tangles his fingers with mine and groans. “My father, mother and brothers.”
“How many?”
“Three. Simeon, Joseph and Julius.”
“You’re lucky. I’m an only child.”
“Then you are living the dream.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He must be teasing, and I guess that’s what siblings do. They pretend to hate one another, but really they love one another because it’s the law of nature.
“What should I call your parents?”
“Sir and ma’am.”
“Really?”
That sounds a little formal, but who am I to judge?
He squeezes my hand hard. “My family is unconventional. The security that surrounds me is there because of my upbringing.”
“In what way?”
I’m intrigued, and he sighs. “It’s complicated, but well, my father runs an empire that makes many enemies. It’s why he prefers to keep strangers out and why he wants me to marry somebody acquainted with our family. His best friend’s daughter.”
“What does she think about it? She may not want to marry you.”
“She does.”
His words act as a warning, and I wonder exactly how welcome I’ll be and once again picture my previous plans for Christmas.
“Oh my God!” I stare at him in shock. “I forgot to call Quincy again! In fact, did we even bring my phone? I was so busy last night I forgot all about it.”
“I’m sorry, Regina, I must have left it charging.”
He offers me his phone. “Perhaps you could call her from mine.”
“But I don’t know her number. She’s been programmed into my contacts for so long I’ve forgotten her number.”
“Where she works, perhaps?”
“She works from home.”
I groan, hating how quickly I’ve discarded my best friend and placed everything else before her. She will be pissed, and rightly so.
“Can we turn around and get it?” I ask hopefully, and he shakes his head.
“We’ve been traveling for one hour already, and still have a long way to go. I’m sorry, Regina, you will have to call her when you return.”
“I feel bad.” I stare out of the window, and a ball of shame lodges itself in my heart. She’s my best friend, and I didn’t attempt to call. I never even wished my followers a Merry Christmas, and forgot to film the usual fun-filled video I always schedule for Christmas day morning.
My entire business is on that phone, my life and even my family will miss hearing from me at Christmas, which isn’t as much of a disaster as Quincy.
“Perhaps I should distract your attention.”
Nico’s voice interrupts my self-loathing.
“How?”
I’m shocked when his hand slides behind my head and he pulls me hard toward him, his eyes burning deep into mine as he whispers huskily, “We are in love, Regina, remember? The rest of the journey will be spent rehearsing that.”
“I don’t understand.”
My heart rate is near critical as his lips descend on mine in a surprise attack that lights a dormant fire inside me that I never realized was smoldering.
His tongue forces entry into my mouth, and as he swipes around my tongue, his other hand rests on my thigh, the pressure distracting me from his assault.
I’m more surprised when I moan, shifting closer as I return the kiss with more enthusiasm than is good for my image.
I never realized how hungry I was for this. How I anticipated it and desired it. He shifts even closer, and his hand moves lower, inching under the hem of my respectable skirt as he bites down on my lower lip, causing a ripple of expectation to pass through me.
This is different, unexpected and a long time coming if I’m honest.
As rehearsals go, this one is almost perfect, and he presses me down on the seat, his hand sliding under my skirt and stopping inches from my panties.
Is this normal for a platonic fake engagement? It must be, and so I kiss him back, my libido out of control as I shiver inside. As distractions go, this is the best one of my life because Nico is seriously hot and extremely bad for my principles.
My fingers tangle in his hair and I hold him against me, shamelessly and wantonly as I pour everything into this kiss.
As his fingers slide under my panties, I jump and for a moment consider this a step too far.
There’s nothing fake about this. This is full-blown x-rated, and as he bites my neck, I toss my head back to give him easier access.
“Fuck.” I groan as his fingers rub against my clit and I shamelessly moan out loud, “Oh God.”
My eyes snap open in shock as he presses two fingers inside me and his lips fasten on mine as he hits the bullseye and I come apart, screaming into his mouth as a tsunami of an orgasm hits me.
It’s as if I’ve been transported to paradise, the kind where every wish you have ever made is granted in a flurry of good fortune.
Rich boyfriend
Seriously hot
Kind and considerate
He is everything I ever hoped for and even more, and yet I doubt I can ever look him in the face again after what just happened.
As the moment passes, cool realization hits me like a bullet train, and I push him away and gasp, “What just happened?”
He shrugs and, pulling back, says easily, “Phase one of your training.”
“What training?”
I’m mortified, and it must show in my expression because he surprises me by reaching out and smiling softly.
“We are in love, Regina. I can’t keep my hands off you or from being inside you.
You are the light in my day and the dreams when I sleep at night.
When you speak, you hold my attention, and when you cry, I will burn down the world for you.
You are my everything, and that is why we cannot keep our hands off one another. ”
“What did you say?”
I must be dreaming and he cups my disbelieving face in his hands and whispers against my lips, “My family must believe that I can’t keep my hands off you and so it’s my responsibility to keep you in a permanent post orgasm after glow to convince them that we are in love.”
“Permanent?”
Why do I like the sound of that so much?
He runs his thumb against my cheek and whispers, “Two days, Regina, possibly three. When you gaze at me, I want the entire world to believe you love me more than life itself.”
His lips rest lightly on mine, and his kiss is soft, sweet and tender, and the butterflies inside me flutter in ecstasy as all of my dreams come true at once.
Connor never once treated me like this. As if I am a rare object of incredible importance, and rather than be annoyed at what just happened, I can’t wait for the encore.