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“But of course! Can't have you lovebirds wasting away when a four-course meal awaits. We were just telling Maddie here about your boyhood obsession with astronaut ice cream.”
I roll my eyes in good humor as Burton guffaws. Pressing a swift kiss to Maddie’s soft lips, I whisk her away toward the dining hall.
As we settle at our assigned table, I lift a glass to hers. “To new partnerships.”
Maddie's eyes glimmer conspiratorially above her champagne flute rim. “I'll drink to that, partner.”
Soon an impressive spread appears courtesy of the resort's Michelin-starred restaurant.
Between bites of expertly prepared beef tenderloin and indulgent truffle risotto, we fall into easy conversation. For all our rocky beginnings, Maddie has a way of putting me instantly at ease.
With a third glass of champagne nearing empty, Maddie's cheeks are now a rosy hue. I’m enthralled by her spirited accounts of online video antics.
A sharply dressed man in his mid-twenties zeros in, oozing privilege. “Well, hello gorgeous. You look an awful lot like the MadeYaLookMaddie I've been obsessing about. I have the biggest crush on you.” His bold eyes trace down Maddie's body.
I bristle as she flushes deeper at the uncouth attention while he blathers awestruck compliments.
“Allow me to introduce myself. Preston Walsh the Fourth, though you mustn't add the fourth digitally, it cheapens the brand” He reaches for her hand, stroking rather than shaking. “You are infinitely more radiant and full in person. Truly sublime.”
As Maddie shifts uncomfortably, he leers at her.
“Would you wanna dance?”
I clear my throat as I stand up and level a steady warning gaze, ready to drag him away by his ears if I need to. “Her dance card is full, Walsh.”
He glances up irritably, his eyes widening under my uncompromising stare. “Jack Whitmore. Of course, she’d attract your singular company. How long have you been hiding this precious gem?”
His eyes rake down Maddie again as he wets his lips. “No diamond in the vault compares to dazzling MadeYaLookMaddie here. Would be criminal depriving the world of seeing every perfect inch.”
Revulsion and protectiveness surge in me hotly. “That’s my future wife you’re talking about. Back away, Walsh.”
Something in my deadly tone must finally reach him. But his lingering last look and smirk as he bows and walks away promise trouble.
Exhaling, Maddie arches her brow. “My hero, rescuing damsels from black bears and overeager fans alike.” Her teasing lilt both needles and thrills me.
Just then, the opening chords of Elton John’s “Blessed” wash soothingly through the grand space.
“Dance with me?”
She smiles softly, placing her delicate hand in mine. I draw her close, breathing in her lavender perfume as we sway gently to the lovestruck lyrics. With her cheek resting lightly against my chest, I couldn't invent a more convincing image of a besotted fiancé if I tried.
My hand trails her bare back, my body remembering how she felt lying naked and sated in my arms. For a few hours during that night, I let everything fade except for her.
Holding her wrapped in my arms, her lithe frame glued to mine, feels like the final missing piece of a puzzle I've been fumbling with for a long time.
Get a grip, man.
This is a damned business arrangement.
9
JEALOUS MUCH?
That champagne must have short-circuited my brain cells somehow.
Sure, I expected some level of pretense playing the part of a blushing bride-to-be. Batting my lashes adoringly on Jack's arm for the sake of his company legacy and all that jazz.
But those smoldering looks he shoots my way when he sees a guy ogling me makes a girl wonder. And the way he holds me pressed to him on the dance floor should be X-rated. There is some scorching tension alright. His broad palm is settled possessively on my back, making my skin buzz from the inside.
