An electric shock shot through me as his lips crashed into mine. He kissed me long and hard, devouring every inch of my mouth. I traced my fingers over the curves of his muscular chest.
“I thought sex wasn’t involved with this deal,” I said.
“It’s not. But you never said making out was off the table.”
“Your lawyer found a loophole?”
He kissed me softly on the lips. “Kissing wasn’t part of the deal. But when I’m around you, I just can’t help myself.”
“I can’t either.”
He shot me a beautiful smile, and headed to the hotel desk while I perched on top of a huge boulder in the sand and gazed out at the tranquil water. The ocean was almost too bright to be plausible, I thought as my eyes grew hypnotized by the waves. It was hard to believe such a vibrant color existed naturally anywhere.
My trance was broken by the sudden sound of laughter, and I looked up to see a couple walking hand in hand along the shore. They moved slowly, swaying this way and that, content in their own little bubble. The man was a good deal taller than the woman, constantly bending down to whisper into her ear. But her outrageous laughter made up for her size, echoing coarse and loud across the sand, completely unrestrained. Her laugh would make him laugh, he’d bend down to tell another joke, and on and on again. It was kind of hard not to watch them. They were clearly in the blissed-out stages of love. I wondered if they’d just gotten married.
“Rebecca?”
I looked down to see Marcus biting his lip with a nervous frown. The sight threw me for a second, but I hopped off the rock and skipped up beside him in the sand. “What’s wrong?”
“There was a little mix-up with the room.”
Five minutes later, the two of us were standing in front of a king-sized bed. A huge heart of red rose petals smack dab in the center.
“Wow!” I said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous!”
“It seems they thought we were…honeymooning.” Marcus seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. “Needless to say, they’re booked up for the event—no other cottages are available.”
I looked from him to the rose-petal heart and said nothing.
“I know, I know,” he held up his hands quickly, “it’s completely unacceptable. I’ll tell them that someone will just have to be moved, or combined, or…I can figure out where my flight crew is staying and have some of them bunk—”
I held up my hand. “As long as you don’t snore, we’ll be fine.” My arms crossed over my chest, and I stared at the bed in a resigned sort of way. “It’s not like I didn’t think you were going to do this.”
He looked appalled. “Rebecca, I swear I didn’t—”
A stray giggle broke through my solemn mask, and he threw up his hands in exasperation.
“Why do you do that to me?” he demanded.
“It’s one of the only perks I’m getting out of this relationship.” I grinned mischievously.
He shot me a seductive look. “We’ve got this crazy chemistry. How the hell are we going to share a single bed?”
“The cottage has one bed, not one room. I’ll sleep on the couch in there.”
There was a meaningful pause after which Marcus rolled his eyes obediently.
“As I’m the man, why don’t I sleep on the couch?”
“How chivalrous,” I said cheerfully, tossing my purse in the center of the heart. “But I’ve put you through hell. I’ve kicked you, Maced you, and even asked you to join the Mile-High Club. If anyone deserves the couch, it’s me.”
“I’m making you be my girlfriend. Please let me take the couch.”
“I kind of like being your fake girlfriend.”
“Miss White, are you still drunk?”
“I love the limos, the private plane, (throwing up in front of everyone would’ve been way more embarrassing) the fancy room, the clothes, kissing you.”