10. Kash
Chapter Ten
KASH
Naina had that all business look in her eyes. Even though I told her I didn’t want a real relationship, I was disappointed to see the spark and softness disappear from her eyes. She was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, and the fact that she was smart and witty was not helping me keep a distance.
The brush of her tongue against my lip burned. It was probably for the best that her sister walked in when she did.
Naina cleared her throat, tucking the loose pieces of her hair behind her ears and turning away.
“Let me grab that coffee,” she said. “Just stay right there.”
As if I was going to risk moving again. My need for a fake fiancée was a lot greater than my need for her. I knew I was lying to myself even before my eyes dropped down to admire the curve of her ass in those jeans. Or the way she looked wearing my jacket.
Like she was mine.
This might be harder than I thought.
I wondered what Vera would say if she knew what I was doing. Probably call me an idiot. She would see right through this facade.
Naina turned around with two coffee cups in her hands. Placing one cup on the countertop between us, she pushed it towards me with the tip of one finger.
I grinned at her. “Really?”
“I think it’s best that we maintain a safe distance,” she said.
“I think you’re more attracted to me than you want to admit.”
Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of red. Even if she tried to deny it, I had my answer. Good to know.
Stepping away from the counter, Naina turned her back on me.
“Do you want cream or sugar?”
“No, thank you.”
She poured just a splash of cream into her coffee, put the container back in the fridge and turned back to me.
For a few long minutes, neither of us said anything. I already knew she would say yes. I also had it right that she was stubborn and pushing her would mean her denial. So, we stood in the gleaming, industrial kitchen in complete silence. It was actually kind of nice.
Naina stood a few feet away from me, facing my direction but not looking at me. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked out through the window toward the employee parking lot at the back.
Her hair escaped its bun in soft curls, the small diamond in her nose glinted as it caught the morning light. There were dark circles under her eyes, her eyelids heavy with sleep.
My coffee was almost finished by the time she spoke.
“I’ll do it. But I have some conditions.”
I set down my coffee cup and gave her my full attention.
“Go ahead.”
She blew on her coffee and my eyes dropped down to the pout of her lips.
“One, none of this can ever affect my sister,” she said. “Two, we can never have sex. Three, if you require me to be somewhere, I will need 48 hours’ notice because I can’t drop everything on a whim. Four, I am not going to move in with you and leave my sister here. Five, I retain the right to add, change, edit these rules as I see fit.”
I ran a hand through my hair, watching her closely. Those all seemed reasonable requests to make, except…
“No sex, at all?”
Naina sighed, looking extremely put upon. “Kassius, be serious.”
“I am being serious. You can’t deny this.” I waved a hand between us to indicate the charge that seemed to spark whenever we were around each other. It was like electricity buzzing along my skin. The warmth infusing her face told me she felt it too.
“I can and I intend to continue.”
Fine, I wasn’t going to hound her. No sex was probably for the best. It would just complicate things and as much I would love to taste every inch of her, I didn’t need any more complications.
“I accept your conditions,” I said. “My lawyer will email you an NDA. Sign it as soon as possible. Consider this your 48 hours invitation to our wedding.”
She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Her eyes dropped down to the counter. I waited for her to say what was on her mind. Marriage was a big step, one I certainly never planned on taking.
Did she have dreams about her perfect wedding? Fuck, of course she did. Most people did. Unless you were a Sutherland, in which case marriage was a transaction and the wedding a business event to celebrate that transaction.
“Why me?” Naina asked. “You can have anyone, especially if you offer them that kind of money.”
“I don’t want just anyone, Naina. I want you.”
It was probably the first truthful thing I had said to her.
Her lashes fluttered as her eyes moved up towards me, surprise flickering in them. Her mouth parted, but she didn’t say anything.
“What I mean is, you’re practical, sensible. You’ll understand that this a business deal.”
And now I was back to lying.
The surprise went away and in its place was a strange resignation. For the blink of an eye, I thought I saw something akin to sadness in her eyes. It was gone as soon as the thought occurred to me. It was probably a projection of my own thoughts.
Naina’s shoulders rose as she inhaled deeply and nodded.
“Why do you even need to get married? Other than your father not taking no for an answer, which sounds ridiculous.”
“There are some things you are better of not knowing, Goldie. It’ll keep you safe.”
Her startled eyes met mine.
“What did you just call me?” She breathed.
“Goldie,” I said again, playing it off. “It suits your sunshine personality, Naina Marigold Hollister.”
A small wrinkle appeared between her brows. I was going to blow the whole thing before I even had a chance.
“If we’re going full government name,” she said, “then it’s Naina Marigold Hollister Rajput.”
Thank fuck. I placed a hand on my chest.
“Kassius Baron James Sutherland.”
Naina grimaced. “Oh, uh, as far as names go it’s…functional.”
“I’ve been functioning with it for thirty years.”
Suddenly, her mouth spread in a smile so bright, it stunned me.
When we were young, my best friend’s grandparents would take us out on their boat every summer. I hated the boat, was terrified of the ocean, but I went because I didn’t want to tell anyone that I was afraid. The only part of that trip I looked forward to each year was standing on the deck at dawn and watching the sun break through the clouds. The comfort of knowing that after every dark night there was the brightness of day.
That’s what Naina’s smile reminded me of, like the first light of sun chasing away the darkness. She chuckled lightly, grabbing both our cups and taking them to the sink.
“I think this is the first normal conversation we’ve ever had,” I said.
She looked at me over her shoulder, eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Don’t get used to it.”
Oh, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? I was far too used to Naina.