He laughed. “Guess so. I had a great time today with my fake girlfriend. It gave me a taste of what life would be like if I ever had a real one. And I really liked it.”
I grinned. “Then instead of pretending to turn your life around just to win a client, maybe you should really do it. Food for thought.”
“You’re right. Goodnight, Rebecca.”
“Goodnight.”
He smiled, then walked off to the other room to make his bed on the couch.
MARCUS WAS GONE WHEN I woke up the next morning, no doubt off on another business meeting or charming some other future investor. My itinerary for the day was basically non-existent. It had been recommended that I made an effort to get at least a partial tan, but even on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, I found myself climbing up onto a rocking chair on the veranda and calling my mom.
“Bex? Is that you? Why are you calling so early?”
I’d forgotten about the time difference. I’d also conveniently forgotten to tell my mother where I was and what I was doing here. That last part might have been intentional.
I wanted to tell her now, but how do I say it? How do I tell my mom that I took off to the Caribbean with an internationally famous billionaire to pretend to be his girlfriend for cash? How in the world did that sound like a good decision?
It didn’t. Because it wasn’t.
I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t really tell her much of anything. In the end, I ended up just listening as she rambled on about her own life, nodding occasionally even though she couldn’t see.
When she finally started winding down to a close, she asked, “So what are you up to? Just heading out to the café?”
A tear slipped down my face before I even realized I was crying. I wiped it quickly away. “Yep. Just...heading out to the café.”
A minute later, I hung up. The phone dropped to the ground as my head dropped into my hands. Silent sobs shook my body, and I hugged a pillow to my chest, rocking back and forth as the tears fell. If asked, I couldn’t even tell you why exactly I was crying. I was on a dream vacation, for fuck’s sake. I should be out there enjoying it. Especially because after tomorrow, it would all be over. And I think that was why I was crying. The thought
of never seeing Marcus again kind of hurt. Maybe I was falling for him. It was those damn kisses. I felt something. He didn’t.
A soft knocking on the open door let me know Marcus was back. I dropped the pillow and hastily wiped my face, but he was already on the porch, kneeling on the ground beside the rocking chair and rubbing calming circles into my back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked anxiously, eying the phone on the ground beside me. “Did something happen? Did you get a call?”
He wasn’t the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation for nothing. The man didn’t miss much. But about this specific grievance, he was mistaken.
I shook my head, but couldn’t catch my breath to speak. I just sat there, biting my lip and trying to get hold of myself.
The longer I was quiet, the more Marcus seemed to come undone.
“Becca, please. Please tell me what’s wrong.” He stroked back my hair, those ocean eyes searching mine. “I’ll fix it,” he blurted before he could stop himself.
I gave him a watery smile. “That’s the first time you’ve ever called me Becca.”
A faint blush tinted the tops of his cheeks, and he dropped his gaze to the chair. “I didn’t think I had the right to,” he confessed softly. “I thought it was a name reserved for your friends.”
“And we’re not friends?”
Two more tears slipped down my cheeks but he wiped them with gentle fingers, placing his hands on both sides of my face.
“I’d think we are.” He leaned down hopefully and caught my eye. “You’re my friend. I’m not sure how you feel about me—you kick and Mace me a lot...” A broken laugh escaped my lips, and he leaned back on his heels, looking pleased. “There’s that smile.”
He waited patiently for another moment or two while I caught my breath and got myself together. Once I finally felt like I was in control, I put on my best “normal” face. “So how did the meeting go last night? Did Takahari say anything else about the merger?”
“That’s not—”
A very strange expression flitted across his face. His eyes tightened around the edges, and it was as if he was seeing me for the first time. His lips parted, but instead of answering my question, he dropped his head, letting his hair spill across his forehead. When he did finally speak, his voice was soft and low.
“Please tell me what’s the matter.”