"We stick with the first twelve days of December."
"Okay..."
"All the other conditions we previously agreed on would also apply except for one thing."
"And..." Fleur could no longer see where this was going. "That's what exactly?"
"After those twelve days, you can either choose to stay as my lover or I'll let you go, and you're free to find your love match."
Fleur's mouth opened and closed several times. "Um..."
She could be reading this wrong, but...
"Is that your roundabout way of saying...you want me enough to be your long-term lover, but you don't want me enough to fall in love with me?"
What he actually meant was that he no longer had it in him to trust any woman to the point of falling in love, but since an explanation would only muddle things up...
"Yes."
"Ouch."
"I'm sorry."
And so she was, too, Fleur thought, since the moment Julian said he could never fall in love with her was also the moment she knew.
It was the reason why she could be such a slut with him and a prude with everyone else, and oh my God, she was so, so fucked.
"Fleur?"
Pippa was right, and she didn't even want to think how many times she'd have to hear her friend crow 'I told you so'.
Julian could feel his nerves starting to feel the strain of Fleur's continued silence. It almost made him want to take his words back, but if he did...would he then have to lie about loving her?
Fleur was now thinking about how she had so eagerly boasted to Freddie about not having a relationship with Julian, and shit, shit, shit, there was another woman who would love to watch Fleur eat her words.
She looked up at Julian, knowing that it would be easier and safer to simply try to forget her feelings for him, but...
"Don't overthink this." Julian had never needed to coax a woman before, but he was now starting to understand the lengths one would be willing to take, when a person was fucked beyond saving.
Fleur could feel herself starting to weaken under the spell Julian's golden eyes were weaving.
"You know it could be so good between us..."
Oh yes, she did...
"So don't overthink this."
She wasn't, and that was because he still had the power to fry her brains the moment he was near, and ever since realizing the truth about her feelings, she hadn't really been able to think of anything else beyond when. When were they going to kiss again? When, when, when?
"Say yes, little flower."
Oh, she so wanted to, and...
Why not?
Because Fleur had yet another epiphany, and that was for Operation Yuletide...to have a different target.
From now on, Operation Yuletide 2.0 would be to use her twelve contracted days to the fullest...in order to make Julian Alexeyev love her back. It was a crazy goal to have, but then...wasn't it just as crazy that she had fallen in love with her devilishly hot Russian in a matter of days?
Julian didn't know what to think when Fleur suddenly fished her phone out of the pocket of her sweatpants. "You're making a call now?"
"You should, too," Fleur told him. "We both need our lawyers to amend the contract, don't we?"
Chapter Seven
Julian was back to mentally kicking himself in the head as he boarded his private jet for the thirteenth time in just five fucking days. Since exclusively devoting the first twelve days of December to Fleur was essentially the same as shooting himself in the foot, Julian had to stuff a month's worth of business trips in the last five days of November.
Lucky Fucking 13 was thankfully the last of those trips, and then he was back in California, with twelve exquisite nights to enjoy Fleur's body.
And speaking of his little flower...
Julian waited until the jet had safely taken off and he was in the privacy of his on-board suite before clicking to read Fleur's text message.
Fleur: hey lover boy *blows kiss*
Julian's lips twitched. He used to hold contempt for women who didn't spare a single thought to capitalization and punctuation, and he had an even worse opinion for thirty-something adults who still insisted on using emojis.
But Fleur, as always, had completely changed his mind on both.
Fleur: are u finally on your way back?
Julian: You owe me several blowjobs for this.
Fleur: such a dirty mouth u have, sir.
Julian: Which is why I'm your twelve-day boy toy.
Fleur: THAT'S ANOTHER DIG ON MY AGE, ISN'T IT?
Julian decided to try using emojis for a change and clicked on the smiley dude with a halo.
Fleur: omg, i'm totally rubbing off on u!
His smile immediately disappeared, and he deleted his previous message with a hard jab on the trash icon.
Fleur: too late!
Julian cursed under his breath at the screenshot she forwarded.
Fleur: anyhoo
Julian: DELETE IT.
Fleur: just wanted u 2 know paperwork's all done, but u should also get an email from dear stephen about it. oh, and ur doctor's issued clean bill of health for moi & same with my doctor 4 u