Chapter 4
VANCE
When I knock on her door, there’s a part of me that hopes she won’t pick it up. This business of fake dating is ridiculous—straight out of some romcom I would never watch. Then, if I know this, why am I struggling?
From all the women on the planet who could have been house-sitting for my neighbor, why did it have to be her? She’s gloriously bright, stunning, and irrevocably hot in those thick curves of hers. I was never attracted to any woman this intensely, and yet this one flips my world upside down.
I stand there, chewing on the inside of my cheek as if I were some nervous teenager. The door swings open, and I pull my shoulders back as my gaze lands on her.
“Hey,” she greets, cocking her head. Wet hair clings to her exposed arms, the fluster of a hot bath staining her cheeks and her shoulders. “Come in.”
Has she exited the bath recently? The image of her showering, droplets of water running down her face, dripping down her chin to her breasts, flashes across my mind. It shoots blood straight to my cock, tightening my pants. Shit, I was not supposed to think this.
Delta motions me in, and I dig one hand into the pockets of my lounging pants.
Fuck, these pants are too thin to hide my erection.
If she as much as looks down, she’ll know what I truly think of her.
Fake dating be doomed. If I cage her against a wall and devour her mouth with mine, she’s going to think I’m paying her for more.
She might get insulted—with reason—and swear to never see me again.
I can’t afford that. “You’re up early,” she says as she ambles out of the living room into a hallway. It’s damn near impossible to pay attention to anything else when she’s nearby, but I try, my gaze darting everywhere to avoid her delicious-looking ass. “Can I get you some coffee?”
We cross a threshold into a kitchen, where her laptop, a notebook, and a forgotten ring rest on top of the island.
Delta goes straight to a coffeemaker nearby.
“No,” I tell her because I’m not here for small talk and things that could get us closer.
“No, I just came to bring you this.” And I put the white boxes I’ve been carrying over the island.
She looks over her shoulder once, then again, her eyes widening to saucepans. “What? Already?”
Delta blinks in disbelief as she approaches the MacBook, with its matching keyboard and mouse and AirPods.
She gapes at it as if she couldn’t believe what’s in front of her.
The childlike wonder in her face makes my heart swell.
Shit, I want to do more for her. I want to see this delight on her face every day.
“Yeah,” I blurt, remembering I should reply so I won’t look like an ass staring at her. “I felt it would be better to give these to you already so you can work.”
She arches an eyebrow. “You sure? I could run off with your money and not show up at the dinner.”
“You’re not like that,” I say, then feel like a fool. I don’t know what she is like. We don’t know each other, and we will never know each other. This was stupid. “I mean, the money wouldn’t be missed.”
Her lips tilt with amusement. “Oh, Mr. Rich won’t miss several thousand dollars.”
“It wasn’t that expensive.” Not that I checked. I just told my assistant to buy the best there was out there, no matter how much it cost. I don’t understand why, but I want to make this girl happy. I want to see more of that smile.
She twirls around, pressing her back to the edge of the island. “Thanks. And don’t worry, I will show up at the dinner.”
I step closer, her body an inescapable force of attraction. “Of course, you will. Or do you think I’d give you the computer without a way of tracking you?”
Her brows shoot up and she glances at the computer, then back at me. She sees something on my face that makes her smile. “You’re such a tease.”
“Me?” She has no idea who the tease is. I step even closer, her body inches from mine.
Delta tilts her chin up, her eyes on me.
Silence presses into my ears as we stare at each other, and in the back of my mind, I tell myself I shouldn’t stand so close to her.
The smile has disappeared off her face, and yet I don’t move away. “You think I am the tease?”
Delta cocks her head, her hair spilling down her shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I gaze at her, admiring how gorgeous this woman is.
She does not know, does she? From the disbelief in her eyes and the complete lack of understanding, she has no idea what I’m talking about.
I’ve always known how stupid society’s standards are and how they expect every woman out there to fit a cookie-cutter mold that fits no one at all, but I’ve never seen what it does to the most beautiful woman out there.
She’s stunning, and I hate that the world made her feel anything less than perfect.
“Vance?” she murmurs my name, a question, once I don’t reply.
And the sound of her voice, the way it wraps around my name, and her eyes glinting like that...
Everything comes together and clashes into a perfect fantasy.
An image I can’t shake off. My gaze drops to her lips, and my body presses to hers.
Delta gasps, my hands coming around her to grip the kitchen island, caging her in.
Her hands shoot up to my chest, but she doesn’t push me away.
“Shit,” I hiss, my breath ghosting her lips. “You’re so fucking hot when you do this.”
She blinks. “Do what?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
Leaning, I capture her lips with mine. Delta makes a small, surprised noise in the back of her throat, and the fingers on my chest close tight on my shirt.
My hands slide from the counter to her back, and I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me.
Delta tilts her head back and parts her lips.
And she tastes as exquisite as she looks.
We kiss, and somehow this doesn’t feel like the first time. The moves are natural and smooth. There’s no clashing of teeth, no hitting of noses. Kissing her is as natural as breathing, and I can’t wait for my next gulp of air.
Delta breaks the kiss, pulling back to look into my eyes. She doesn’t let go of my shirt, so I don’t step away, taking my time to gape at her reddened cheeks and how brightly her eyes glow. I can’t help it. I lean in and kiss her again.
She chuckles, pecking me and then turning her face to break the kiss. A smile flashes across her pretty features, and she shakes her head. “What was that?”
“A damn good kiss,” I reply with a raspy voice.
There’s so much need bubbling inside me now I can barely believe it.
My hard cock twitches against her stomach, and though she flusters harder, she doesn’t say a thing about it.
I reach up and cup her face in a hand, stroking her cheek with a thumb.
“I could do that all day.” And I lean for another one.
Shit, I’m an addict now. How am I going to get anything done like this?
Delta chuckles and lets me brush my lips with hers but doesn’t kiss me. “It was a good kiss, but you caught me by surprise. Like, I would be less surprised if a shark walked out of the ocean and sat down for coffee with me.”
I laugh at the image. “Can’t say I’m not surprised either. You’re gorgeous, but I thought I’d manage to stay away. Turns out I can’t.”
“You can’t?” She snuggles closer into my arms. I like this. I like how she feels against me. “And why would you want to stay away?”
A breeze bursts into the kitchen through the open doors and wafts her sweet scent up to me.
I take lungfuls of it, vicious in committing her to memory.
All of her. “There’s no such thing as love, really,” I tell her, not thinking straight about my words.
“And I avoid getting involved in case the woman wants more than I can give. But for you, I’d make an exception.
Even if it’s just to get you out of my system. ”
The horror on her face takes me aback. I’m confused why she’s staring open-mouthed at me, her eyes veiling over with barely contained tears. Shit. What did I say? Was I too honest?
Delta shoves me off and slips from my arms to stride around the kitchen island, putting the furniture between us. The cold of her absence sinks to my bones, and clarity enters my brain again. Holy fuck. Did I really say all that?
“It’s okay,” she shoots at me, her brows furrowing hard. “You don’t need to force yourself to stay close to me. I don’t care about being your exception.”
“Delta...”
“Get out of here, Vance.” And she whirls around, crossing her arms. I could go to her, force her to look at me, and talk to me. But what’s the point? I’ve already upset her, and I’ve already told her the truth.
But is it the truth? Is it what I feel? Or am I setting myself up for another failure?
Shaking my head, I slip the ring on the island into my pocket and leave the house behind.
And I try to put the image of her away...
It’s impossible. She haunts my thoughts every minute after this, and I have no idea how to make it stop.
I have no idea what to do now.