Chapter Five #4
Daniel’s expression changed.
Meagan felt Aaron’s heartbeat beneath her fingers.
“You asked whether this is going to work,” she continued. “That is not your question to ask.”
“No,” Daniel said quietly. “It isn’t.”
The admission should have ended the conversation.
But Daniel’s gaze dropped toward her hand on Aaron’s chest.
Then moved to the space between them.
Doubt remained.
Not malicious.
Almost worse because it was not.
He did not believe the relationship. Meagan could see it. He believed she was trying on a different life. He believed Aaron was part of the experiment.
He believed Meagan would return to New York, accept the promotion, and become recognizable again.
Aaron’s hand settled at her waist.
Slowly.
Giving her time to step away.
Meagan looked up.
His hazel eyes held hers.
The room disappeared around the edges.
He was asking something.
Not with words.
A pause.
A chance to move.
Rule four rose in her mind. No kissing unless absolutely necessary.
Nothing about this was truly necessary.
Daniel’s doubt did not need to be corrected.
Meagan did not need to prove she was wanted.
Then Aaron’s gaze softened.
And she understood.
He was not asking whether Daniel needed convincing.
He was asking whether she wanted the moment.
Her heartbeat moved hard beneath her ribs.
She gave the smallest nod.
Aaron’s free hand lifted to her face.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His fingertips touched her jaw.
Then his mouth met hers.
The kiss was brief.
That was the first thing Meagan understood.
Sweet.
That was the second.
His lips were warm and gentle, the pressure certain enough to feel real without asking for more than she had agreed to give.
Her fingers curled into his shirt.
The contact should have lasted one second.
Possibly two.
Long enough to establish the story.
Aaron began to pull away.
Meagan followed him.
Barely.
An instinctive movement she could not stop before it happened.
His breath caught.
The kiss deepened by the smallest degree.
A soft return of his mouth to hers as though he had felt her answer and could not pretend he had not.
Heat moved through her. Her hand slid from his chest to his shoulder.
Aaron’s thumb brushed once along her cheek.
The ballroom vanished.
Daniel vanished.
The director position, New York, Celeste, the gala, and every rule Meagan had written disappeared beneath the warm pressure of Aaron’s mouth.
Then he ended the kiss.
Slowly.
Their faces remained close.
Meagan opened her eyes.
Aaron was watching her.
The emotion in his expression was not rehearsed.
No amusement. No triumph. Only wonder.
And something warmer that frightened her more than the kiss itself.
For one suspended moment, neither of them moved.
Then Daniel cleared his throat.
The ballroom returned all at once.
Meagan stepped back.
Aaron’s hand dropped from her face but remained at her waist.
Her knees had become unreliable.
Daniel looked politely uncomfortable.
“I should let you finish the walkthrough.”
Meagan turned toward him.
Her thoughts reorganized themselves slowly.
“Yes.”
Daniel glanced at Aaron. “It was good meeting you.”
“You too.”
“I’ll see you both Saturday.”
Meagan nodded.
Daniel’s attention returned to her.
“The position is real, Meagan. Whatever you decide about the rest of this.”
His gaze shifted once toward Aaron.
“Call me before the gala if you want the introduction.”
He walked toward the doors. At the threshold, he stopped.
“I am happy for you.”
This time, the words sounded uncertain.
As though he no longer knew which version of Meagan he was speaking to.
She looked at Aaron.
His hand still rested at her waist.
“I’m happy too,” she said.
Daniel left.
The doors closed behind him and Silence settled across the ballroom.
Meagan became aware of the ocean beyond the windows.
The clipboard hanging loosely from her hand.
Aaron’s thumb resting near the side seam of her blouse.
Her own fingers still curled into the fabric at his shoulder.
Neither of them moved.
The kiss had lasted only seconds.
Her entire life felt different around it.
Aaron’s gaze dropped to her mouth.
Meagan’s pulse stumbled.
“That was—”
She stopped.
Necessary.
Convincing.
For show.
Each word waited.
None felt true.
Aaron’s hand loosened at her waist. Not leaving. Giving her the choice again.
Meagan looked at him.
At the man Daniel believed did not fit her life.
At the man who had asked permission without saying a word.
At the man she had followed when he tried to end the kiss.
The director position waited in New York.
Daniel’s doubts remained in the room.
Every practical part of her life still existed exactly as it had before Aaron touched her face.
But Meagan could no longer convince herself that nothing had changed.
Aaron said her name quietly.
“Meagan.”
She should step away. Explain. Return them to the rules. Instead, her fingers tightened once against his shoulder.
Aaron felt it.
The warmth in his eyes deepened.
Meagan’s breath caught.
The kiss had been meant to prove something to Daniel.
The terrifying part was that Daniel was no longer the person she needed to convince.