“I was not checking you out,” I protest, though my face burns.“I was making sure you were...decent.”
One corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk.“And?Verdict?”
“You’ll do,” I say, trying to reclaim some dignity.“Why’re you in my bed?”
“You’d make your boss sleep on the floor?”Alexander’s voice is still laced with sleep, and he’s still not bothered opening his eyes.“I’ll be sure to remember that when I sign your bonus check next month.”
“Alexander!”
In response, he pulls me impossibly closer.“Go to sleep.”
“I can’t,” I complain, flustered.“Not with you plastered to me like that.”
His eyes flicker open.“I’m not sleeping on the floor, Olivia.And you’re the one who started clinging to me.Besides, now that we’re in it, the bed is a little smaller than I expected.We’re going to have to sleep more closely.”
I try to push him away from me.“Fine.Then I’ll sleep?—”
His grip on me tightens.“No.Stop squirming and go back to sleep.”
I glare up at him.Why is he so comfortable in this position?Doesn’t it bother him in the slightest?I groan, and he murmurs, “If you want to keep me up, I’m sure there are more creative ways in which we can spend our time.”
“Alex—” My face is burning at the sly edge to his voice.
“I’m kidding,” he chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest against my palm.“If your sister or mother come in, do you want them finding out we don’t share a bed?”
“N-no.”
“Then go back to sleep.”His voice is tired, and I sigh.Everytime he does something out of character, he has the most perfect explanation for it.
Alexander’s breathing soon returns to the deep, steady rhythm of sleep, and I find myself watching him in the moonlight filtering through the curtains.I guess he was also tired.
Calming my heart down, I look at his sleeping face, and my mouth feels dry.I carefully trace his features in the air, my fingers lingering, careful not to touch him.He’s very handsome, I muse.The sharp jawline, those long eyelashes, the way all that controlled intensity has melted away in his sleep.I wonder what it’s like to be actually loved by this man.To have all that intensity, all that focus, directed at making someone happy instead of closing another deal or acquiring another company.I’m getting a taste of it, and I like it.
I’ve always thought Alexander was attractive.When I first saw him, my heart skipped a beat.But then working alongside him, I realized that his entire life was his work.I thought the reason he went through the women I’d assumed were his girlfriends was to shut his parents up.They’ve been pushing him to settle down.Why am I not surprised that he never once considered any of those women to be his partner?They would be around for a month or so, then never come again.Just pretty accessories on his arm, never allowed into his real life.Alexander just wants to focus on his business.Building his empire matters more than building relationships.
“What a waste,” I murmur, and my heart pangs.“You’re so good at acting that one would think you studied theatre.You almost have me believing this is real.”
Just one day together, and I’ve had to constantly remind myself this is not real.His touches, his thoughtfulness—none of it is mine.He’s playing a role, and I just need to cooperate with him.
I watch him sleep.My parents will be really upset when at some point I tell them things are over between us.They already adore him after just one day.I feel a tightness in my chest at the thought, but I ignore it.
He’s helping me, and that should be enough.Getting me through this nightmare with Chase and Amber.In return, I’ll try to be an amazing girlfriend in front of his parents.His mother already knows me, though not in the way she’ll soon think she does.
I sigh and murmur, “I could get used to this new Alexander.”
As I surrender to sleep, nestled against Alexander Castellano like I belong there, I feel him pull me closer.
Just twenty-seven days left.
Iwake up to a warm weight on my chest.I take a minute to get my bearings, still half asleep, before looking down at the sight of the dark hair spilling across my chest and arm.Olivia’s head is on my chest, my arm wrapped around her.
She looks soft in sleep, vulnerable in a way she tries not to show.She stirs against my chest, and I smile quietly.
I’ve imagined this scenario more times than I care to admit.
Her weight anchors me, light but undeniably present.One of her hands rests over my heart, and I wonder if she can feel it accelerating as I gently thread my fingers through her hair.The strands are silky, impossibly soft against my calloused fingers.I allow myself this small indulgence, this moment of tenderness that I’ve never once permitted in all our years together.
When awake, she keeps her distance.Sets boundaries.Reminds me I’m her boss.As if I need reminding.
