9. Ella
9
ELLA
Miraculously, I make it back to the hotel without a murder charge, even though Lillian made it incredibly tempting.
Gabs. Gab Gab. Gabberino. Gabster. G-Unit.
Even though it’s not my real name, my heart goes out to anyone named Gabriella if they had to endure this sick form of torture. Seriously, though, how did Ella not make the list of nicknames but Gabba-dabba-doo did?
Because she’s in love with Adrian and hates that he’s off the market, throwing not-so-subtle jabs my way. Ugh. She wasn’t remotely attempting to hide it or her disdain for me. She dove straight into the interrogation once we left the room and did not let up. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without her latching onto my arm and following me like we’re besties, all the while droning on and on about some random time Adrian was nice to her when he was visiting during Thanksgiving years ago.
Her faux friendliness was more nauseating than the turbulence. But one thing I want to know is if Adrian knew about this minefield he chucked me into, bound, gagged, and blindfolded. He must be oblivious because he never told me Sariah had a sister, and she is not a detail I think he’d overlook.
Oh, by the way. My ex’s sister is in love with me, so there likely will be a battle royale between you two at some point. Good luck! Hope you can throw a punch, grapple, or wield a stiletto like a dagger.
“Gigi!” Lillian chirps in her now quite familiar voice that will haunt my dreams into the foreseeable future.
I thought I’d escaped without her noticing me, but apparently, I’m not so lucky. I turn, flashing the best fake smile I can muster, but I’ve been at it all day, so it’s painful holding it for more than a few moments. “Yes?”
“Please give Adrian a kiss for me.”
Gritted teeth. Eyelid twitching. “Uh-huh.”
It’s taking everything in my power to restrain myself as I nod slowly and then turn around and head for the elevator.
Kiss Adrian for her? He’s not even my real boyfriend but I’m pissed off anyway. Who does she think she is? I’m not sure what I signed up for, but this was not it. I should’ve added some contingency to the contract. And after that near-kiss?
Phew.
It was always a possibility that we’d kiss at some point during this, even though it apparently never crossed Adrian’s mind. I expected something chaste, but the way Adrian held me in front of Sariah’s friend. The way he looked at me. The way my body reacted? That wasn’t going to be a chaste kiss. That was going to be a knock-your-socks-(panties?)-off kind of kiss.
I lean back against the cool, polished metal interior of the elevator, relishing the way I felt in that moment. The way his hands gripped me, riveting me in place. The way I wanted him to kick everyone out of the room and leave us alone to… Yeahhhhhh.
This is not good. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. Not so soon. But Adrian is making it really hard. I can’t let Adrian know how much that near-kiss affected me. I’m telling myself that he was only going to kiss me to make our relationship seem more realistic. A show for one of the bridesmaids. An act and nothing more. He doesn’t really want to kiss me. And I don’t really want to kiss him.
Not that much…
I try to fan the redness out of my cheeks as I leave the elevator and head to our room, telling myself that it’s all in my head. I need to get over myself. I need to focus on the task at hand. But as soon as I open the door and see Adrian standing in front of the mirror half-dressed, my plan to keep calm, cool, and collected is crushed.
This man is unreal.
His crisp white shirt is unbuttoned, and when he turns to greet me, I only see his mouth moving. I can’t hear anything. I can’t even hear my own thoughts. All I’m seeing are muscles. Slabs and slabs of meat—muscles. Chest. Abs. And the ridges of no return… Good LORD! Thankfully, his pants are on.
“Hi,” I croak, rubbing the back of my neck, trying my best to keep it simple because I don’t trust myself to formulate a coherent sentence.
He’s working on his buttons as his eyes work me over. Not a single word. No grunt or groan. Just staring. And it’s making my stomach twist and turn.
“Are you going to stand there or come inside?”
Riiiiight.
“C-come inside,” I mumble, fumbling with my purse as I walk like a completely normal person into our shared room. Not hitting more than a few corners of furniture or tripping more than once because I can walk, and have been walking for decades like a— crap! My knee bumps a side table, and Adrian lunges forward, grabbing the lamp at the same time as I do. The metal base rattles until it finally settles back in place. But with his firm hand around mine, his shirt still unbuttoned, and the heat from his body and gaze bearing down on me, every nerve in my body starts to vibrate.
“Looks like you guys had a great time. Open bar?”
I swallow. “Unfortunately, not. On both accounts.” Nope, no alcohol is needed for me to walk like a toddler.
Adrian studies me for a few moments before he slides his hand away from mine and then starts to button his shirt. I want to reach out and stop him, but that would go against the whole these feelings aren’t real, so instead I do nothing.
“That’s a shame.”
I’m not sure why I can’t look away, but I can’t stop staring at his deft, thick fingers working those buttons one by one. One by…
I tear my gaze away from Adrian and force myself to move past him. I need air. But what I need more than air right now is food. I’ve hardly eaten anything all day because all I’ve been offered are salads and vegetables. Raw. No dressing. Nothing. I almost laughed when I was offered a single unpeeled carrot, like I was a horse.
“I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
Even with the distance between us, I can feel the heat from his gaze on my skin. “Oh? There’s no need for that.”
And I’m still finding it hard to concentrate. The lack of food and all. Not because a ridiculously handsome billionaire is eyeing me like a savage beast. I glance over my shoulder and sure enough, he’s staring. Sitting on the armrest of a chair, arms folded. Pants quite tight in all the right places. I should write a thank you note to his tailor next— ugh .
“You look…”
Was his voice always that raspy? That resonant? I swear it’s an octave or so deeper than I remember. And the way he’s looking at me… gulp. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone look at me like this. Fiery. Fierce. Primal. I don’t even know if anyone has ever looked at me like this before. I guess the complete makeover wasn’t such a bad idea after all, even if I had to endure Lillian. I hate to admit it, but I like Adrian’s attention on me.
He pushes away from the chair and moves towards me, each step reverberating in my chest.
“You look…” he repeats as he closes in on me. I’m having flashbacks from his office, his all-consuming presence surrounding me. His scent.
“Hungry.”
“That’s not the word I was looking for.”
I can only meet his gaze for a moment. It’s so intense this close. And my chest and stomach feel so tight and twisted because I can’t stop thinking about that near-kiss. Those lips. And how much I’d like for him to try again.
“Yeah? What were you looking for?”
He makes a throaty sound and reaches for me, my skin tingling in anticipation. But then he lets his hand fall back to his side, and I let out a short breath. I shouldn’t be pushing. I should be trying to redirect to safer grounds. Platonic grounds. Professional. Because that’s all this is: A professional arrangement.
But his smile hits me square in the chest, stunning me. I don’t have to wait as Adrian reaches for me, but this time he doesn’t pull away as his fingertips brush my cheek, and tingling erupts all over my body. It’s incredible how good a single palm against my skin can feel.
“Indescribable,” he says. “There’s not a single word that could capture how stunning you are.”
Gulp. He’s certainly amped it up since I left. Maybe there was more to that near-kiss. Maybe it wasn’t purely for show. Maybe…
“Oh?” is the only word I can muster as my throat seals up, emotions bubbling up in my chest.
“You look the way I feel watching moonlight shimmering on the Ligurian Sea at midnight from the beach in Cinque Terre.”
I snort. It’s hard not to. There are times Adrian is smooth and clearly in control. Other times… “I-I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t sound like something a fake boyfriend would tell his fake girlfriend.”
“You’re right,” he says, letting his words fill the air around us, thick and heavy. “A person faking a relationship wouldn’t say these things when no one’s around.” His thumb brushes my bottom lip as his eyes dart between my eyes and mouth. “He wouldn’t be touching you.”
My breathing quickens. I feel my pulse everywhere as I stare at Adrian’s eyes. Fiery. Hungry. Leveled straight at me. His free hand wraps around my waist, and I nearly buckle. It’s unexpected, both the touch and its effect on my body.
“And he definitely wouldn’t kiss you.”
Oh god. Ohmygod! I swallow, trying my best to focus on anything other than those lips. “Is-is that what you’re going to do?”
He makes a throaty noise. Low and gravelly. A primal sound that lights me up from the inside.
“I’d like to finish what you started earlier.” He twines a finger around a coiled strand of my hair.
“What I started? You were the one trying to kiss me.”
He makes a deep, growly sound in his chest. A primal sound that sends a sharp jolt through my core. “It would’ve played well to the audience. And you’re telling me you didn’t want it either?”
My mouth dries. Waters. Tastes bitter, sour, and sweet. My body doesn’t know what to do so it’s running the damn gamut. “And where’s the audience now? It doesn’t seem like it would be beneficial to your cause.”
I don’t know why I’m talking. This man. A very handsome man who’s flipping my world on its head wants to kiss me, and I’m resisting. Well… the bare minimum.
“I think it plays well for my cause,” he rasps, as my mind blanks, tingles radiating across my scalp.
I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing, but for some reason, I don’t mind right now. I don’t mind the way he’s touching me. Talking to me. Looking at me. His eyes are hazy as he stares at me, as though he’s in a trance. Mesmerized. And it’s making me feel a way I’ve never felt before. I don’t want this to stop. And as he cups my face, thumb brushing my lips, I don’t think he wants it to stop either.
“What better way to prevent an awkward kiss in public than to perfect it in private?”
My heart is hammering so hard that I can barely hear Adrian when he speaks. “You might be onto something.”
“There’s only one thing I want to be on right now.”
I swallow. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. “And what’s that?”
“You, sweet girl. I need to find out if those lips taste as sweet as they look.”
“Okay, but this is practi?—”
As soon as the words leave my lips, his crash against mine and every cell in my body screams. His hands wrap around my face, holding me in place as his tongue swirls against mine.
Practice. That’s all this is. We’re making sure that a kiss in public will be convincing. That— oh, what the hell. This kind of kiss is not meant to be public.
“Fucking better,” he growls before diving back in as I grip the hard planes of his back, digging, clawing, pleading for him not to stop. Never stop. This feels so good. He tastes so good. Kissing Adrian is better than any sex I’ve had, and I’m not sure if that’s an indictment of my sex life or how skillful Adrian is with his mouth. I wonder if he’s just as skillful elsewhere…
I gasp as he grips my ass and pulls me off the ground but then I recover quickly, finding his lips again, threading my fingers through his hair as I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding against him. He moans against my mouth as our kiss deepens. And for a brief moment, I think he’s carrying us to the bedroom.
And I wouldn’t mind that at all. I’d love that. My body is all in on whatever this is . Fake relationship or not, I don’t want it to stop. Please don’t let it stop.
“Fucking gorgeous,” Adrian rasps a few moments after setting me down on the couch.
He’s standing above me, breathing like he’s in the midst of a marathon, eyes burning into mine as he begins unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I breathe, my mind racing. Wondering. What is he talking about? All he needs to be sorry about is not kissing me. Taking those lips off of mine. And if he keeps them off any longer, I might lose my mind completely.
“In advance of ruining your makeup. Your hair. Your…” He swallows hard. “I’m finding it hard to control myself around you, Ella. It’s been a problem from the moment I saw you. I…”
Whoooosh. The wind is knocked right out of my sails.
He presses one knee into the couch, brushing against my center with his thigh as he leans in. This was not where I thought this was going to go when I opened that door. Or hell, on this trip. I figured this whole thing would be a simple business transaction. I give you x, and you give me y, and then we part ways.
This is not that. This is becoming complicated. This is becoming all too real.
He cups my face again, brushing my lips briefly with his thumb before sliding his hand down the column of my throat.
“You’re unbelievable. Irresistible. So damn…” He shoves his fist into the cushion, screwing his eyes shut as he turns his head. I can hardly breathe, caged beneath him. And then he turns back to me, eyes fiery. Animalistic. He brushes his fingers tenderly against my cheek. “I can’t get you out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about you. I?—”
There’s a knock at the door.
Why does there have to be someone at the door? Is it… no. She wouldn’t. There’s no way Lillian followed me up here. She’s the maid of honor. She should be doing maid of honor things, not stalking me.
Adrian laughs. Deep and rumbling as his forehead presses against my skin.
“What’s so funny?”
He kisses my sternum, stealing my breath. Another on my throat as he makes a raspy noise. When his eyes meet mine, a few seconds later, I’m struggling to think of anything sexier than Adrian right now.
“Nothing. The timing could’ve been better.” His lips are a few inches from mine, but he’s not moving. Just another inch… just…
There’s another knock on the door, and then a voice: “Room service.”
My eyes light up.
“Did you?”
He smiles. “I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered room service. “
That settles it. There is nothing sexier than Adrian right now. Forget all praise or compliments—all I need to hear is that last sentence. Again and again.
“You thought right. I had to force down a kale smoothie while everyone else scarfed down pizza. Literal torture.”
Adrian smiles. “Oh, you wanted something with meat?”
I can feel my soul leave my body. No. He better not…
He smiles. “Kidding. I got you a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake.”
I’m not sure if I want to punch or kiss this man again. Maybe kiss him so hard it feels like a punch? Whatever.
“Don’t you dare do that again.”
That smile. Dear lord…
There’s another knock, and I scramble away from Adrian and head for the door. As much as I like kissing Adrian, I like eating something other than root vegetables and rabbit food even more. It takes only a matter of moments for me to spread out the food on the table and dig in.
I take a single bite. One single bite before there’s another knock on the door.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I wipe the ketchup and mustard from my chin and snatch a dangling piece of bacon. I can feel Adrian’s eyes on me. I should be a little more self-conscious about looking and sounding like a bulldog with asthma eating spaghetti, but I’m famished. I’m on the verge of starvation. What good am I for this whole plot if I’m dead?
Adrian sighs before heading for the door.
I take another bite, but nearly choke when I hear a woman’s voice. It’s bright and airy and thankfully not Lillian’s.
“I told you about the pictures, Adrian,” she says as the sound of her heels striking the ground grows louder.
I swallow the bite of my burger as quickly as possible, but it gets lodged in my throat. Shit. Shitshitshitshit. I choke-cough, panicking as I look around the room. What should I do? Hide the food? Launch myself onto a chair for a self-Heimlich maneuver?
Is this how it all ends?
Something takes over, and I rush to the bathroom, clipping a chair and face planting onto the hard ground. Noises no man or woman should make explode from me as I watch the half-chewed burger fly from my throat and land in front of the woman who’s looking at me as though I’ve just clubbed a baby seal. I have no doubt that I look like a mess after what I just did to that burger.
“Oh dear,” the woman says.
I try to respond but it comes out less like English and more like the sound of a wounded animal.
Adrian rushes over to me and helps me to my feet. “Are you okay?” he asks with the same concerned look on his face that he had on the plane. He holds my face in his hands, his thumbs strumming my cheek. It’s sweet until I realize he’s trying to wipe condiments off my face.
“I’d like to curl up in a ball and die,” I whisper.
He kisses my forehead, and almost instantly, my embarrassment melts away. Well, until I realize the woman who just witnessed me hacking up a half-eaten burger is Adrian’s mother. And she is stunning for her age.
“Gabriella,” she coos. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I say, brushing myself off as Adrian helps me to my feet.
Thankfully, we don’t linger on my near-suffocation, and Trudy steers the conversation toward safer waters.
“I wanted to meet you sooner, but you’ve been so busy. How’s the film? It’s all wrapped up now, I suppose.”
I try hard not to sputter as I side-eye Adrian before giving Trudy a noncommittal. “Yes. It’s been a hectic time for me. But I’m glad we’re finally able to meet. Adrian’s told me so much about you.”
“He has?” Trudy asks.
“Oh, of course,” I say, leaning into Adrian. “What was that story you were telling me earlier?”
“I don’t recall,” Adrian says, tightening his grip on me.
Trudy beams at us. “I’m so happy for you two,” she says. “When I found out about Max and…” she pauses. “Well, it’s no matter now.” She pats Adrian on the arm. “Now finish getting ready. We have pictures to take in fifteen minutes. We have a short window before we need to leave for dinner.”
“Pictures?” Adrian asks.
“It’s in the schedule I sent you weeks ago.” She sighs, looking at me. “He’s always been forgetful.”
I can feel Adrian tense for a moment. “Forgetful?” I say. “I can’t say I’ve noticed my—Hon—Adrian forget anything.” I almost called him Honey Buns. I need to sell this, not make Adrian squirm.
Adrian relaxes as he draws his hand down to my waist. I love the feel of his body against me. His touch. I could get used to this, even though I shouldn’t. This isn’t going to last, and I need to remind myself of that.
“Fifteen minutes,” Adrian says. “We’ll meet you down there.”
Trudy smiles at us. “Great.”
“I feel like a broken record, but I have to ask again. Any more surprises I need to worry about?” I ask Adrian when Trudy leaves.
Adrian pulls me into him, one hand pressing on my lower back as the other tilts my chin toward him. “I wish I knew,” he says. “But I promise you that we’ll face each one together. I won’t leave your side.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” he says, sealing it with a kiss.
If there’s one thing that will get me through this, it’s his lips.
“And I’m afraid you might have to deal with me kissing you.”
I smile. “I think I’ll manage.”