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Brian lets out a small laugh, then shares a look with Logan—one that seems to be Logan’s cue to leave. “I need a little air.” He stands. “Care to join me?” he asks Taylor.
Taylor practically lights up, her excitement barelycontained. “Absolutely! I’ll just grab a sweater.” She darts off, returning in record time, beaming as she links her arm with Logan’s.
They head out, leaving the room quieter, more charged. Brian’s gaze locks on to mine, studying me like he’s searching for something.
Before the blush heating my neck can hit my cheeks, I jump in. “You said something about an offer?”
He leans back slightly, his tone casual, but his eyes are razor-sharp. “I heard you were fired.”
I can already see where this is headed. The guilty rich boy wants to ease his conscience. So I do it for him.
“At the risk of denting your overinflated ego, the world doesn’t revolve around you.” His head tilts slightly, those sharp eyes of his softening. “Roxana Voss got me fired, not you. And honestly, I never liked the job to begin with.”
He pauses, as if considering his next move, then nods and reaches out, smoothing a hand over mine. The touch is electric, a current that feels too natural, too right.
It scares the hell out of me, so I pull away, shaking off the lingering sensation. “How’s your little girl?”
He sighs, the weight of whatever he’s carrying pulling down his shoulders. “She’s fine. But she’s...not mine.”
“Huh?”
“The kids. They were, uh, sort of on loan,” he admits, the words falling out awkwardly.
By this point, I’m pouring the last of the wine into his glass. A Roxana Voss story? Now, this, I have to hear.
He takes a generous gulp, and flashes a shy grin. “Ineeded an excuse to cut my meeting with the vampiress short, and their father had this idea and, well, sort of volunteered them.”
I shake my head, a smirk pulling at my lips. “Using kids as a shield? And you call yourself a soldier.”
He chuckles, the sound low and rough, cutting through the tension, but it doesn’t ease the knot in my stomach. I can’t dodge the elephant in the room any more than I can ignore the intensity in his gaze or the way his damn aftershave lingers in the air between us. “Why did you really come here, Brian?”
He lets out a slow breath, as if he’s figuring out what to say. And for a second, I think he’s about to stand up and walk out. But then, he shifts, kneeling down in front of me, his hand gently wrapping around mine.
His eyes find mine, and when he speaks, his words hit with the force of a Mack truck, head-on. “Because I need a wife.”
CHAPTER 21
Jules
Stunned, I wriggle my hand free from his grasp, my heart pounding like a drum solo at a halftime show. Calmly, I set down my glass, trying to convince myself I’m hearing things again. “You need a what?”
“Wife,” he says, his voice clear as a church bell. “As in matrimony.”
“Matrimony,” I repeat, my head slowly nodding as I slide his glass of wine just out of reach. He’s obviously had more than enough.
He smirks, completely unfazed. “I’m serious.”
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure you’re drunk. And insane.”
“I’ve had one glass of wine. Drunk? Not even close. Insane? Debatable.” He shrugs with that casual confidence that drives me crazy. “I need a wife, Jules,” he repeats, layering on that maddening charm as he tacks on the word, “temporarily.”
“A temporary wife? Like a prostitute?”
“More like a business arrangement. Though I’m not exactly opposed to...more.”
What the actual fuck?
I narrow my eyes, studying him.
