With massive effort, Axel stepped back, my mouth cool in the absence of his thumb. I tried to focus on his words rather than wondering what other parts of his body would feel like in my mouth …
“Now …” He pulled something out of his pocket. A small velvet box. Grabbing my other hand—which made me gasp, thanks to the shock and electric current that charged through my skin at his contact—he slammed it into my palm. “Wear this.”
Swallowing my desire, I opened the box. A five-carat diamond ring stared back at me, all elegant perfection and serious money.
“Congratulations, Sunshine. We’re officially engaged.”
Anger flared, hot and immediate. I snapped the box shut.
“This isn’t how we’re supposed to get engaged. We had this all planned out?—”
“That was before you sent me through downtown Chicago in a rolling cat.”
“What does that have to do with this?” My voice pitched higher. “We have a very specific PR script?—”
“The purpose of which was to save my deal. Your little stunt? Those executives saw me driving that thing.”
Oh shit.I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but he tracked my movement. His face hardened to stone.
“I told them my fiancée likes to prank me. Which was probably for the best. I doubt they’d buy that someone I’m supposedlydatingwould be stupid enough to pull a stunt like that on someone she’s desperately trying to win over.”
My jaw fell open. “Win? Like you’re some kind of prize?” I gestured between us, my voice dripping with disdain. “I havenews for you, Axel Pierce. The only thing bigger than your ego is your … your …”
Come on, brain. Work with me here.
“Cat got your tongue, Sunshine?” His smirk was absolutely infuriating. He stepped closer again, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. Close enough that when I breathed deeply, my chest almost brushed his.
“You don’t get to change our story,” I said through gritted teeth. “We have a plan?—”
“God, you really hate when anything happens that you haven’t color-coded and scheduled in advance, don’t you?”
I balled my free hand into a fist, but before I could do something stupid, like punch him in his esophagus, his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
“Easy, Sunshine,” he murmured, his thumb finding my pulse point and pressing gently.
I knew he could feel how fast my heart was racing, knew he was aware of exactly what his touch was doing to me.
“If we’re moving up the engagement timeline, fine, but we can’t just?—”
“The executive team thinks we’re already engaged. It’s done, Sunshine. Deal with it.” He stepped back, coldness lingering on my skin as he worked his cuffs with infuriating calm. “And wear the damn ring.”
God. Damn. It.
My head was spinning, trying to find a way to buy time, to go back to our plan. “It probably won’t fit.”
“Oh, it will. I made sure of it.”
“How do you know my ring size?”
“I pay attention to details when it comes to you, Sunshine.”
Something in his tone made me go very still. There was an intensity there, a hint of something deeper that made my chest warm.
“Now”—he rolled up his sleeves, all business again—“get comfortable because, tonight, we’re learning everything about each other. Next Friday, those executives are coming here. They’re suspicious of our relationship, and we’re going to convince them that what’s between us is real.”
He paused, drawing out the silence like torture.
“Oh, and, Sunshine? Guess who just joined their team.”
