He ran his hand over his jaw. “Poppy girl, you keep wearing dresses like that, and I will never let you leave my room.”
I ripped the earbud out and shoved it down into my pocket. Her cheeks were pink again, and I felt rage well up inside me like never before.
Poppy girl.The name curdled in my ears.
None of this was real though; that much was certain based on everything I’d overheard. He wanted her to live in a separate home, have a separate room… This wasn’t being in love, and my chest swelled with it. It meant there was still time. There was still time to either get rid of him or convince her to fall in love with me.
Maybe all wasn’t lost after all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Poppy
The walkback to my building felt lighter. The conversations we had, and the compromising were enough to convince me that this wouldn’t be all bad. We could be partners. It was silly to think there would ever be love, but with attraction and enough communication, I was sure we could get through many things. It was a better start than most relationships. At least everything was on the table. I knew he had secrets, but that didn’t bother me much. I just needed this to be comfortable and I needed to be able to trust him for the most part. He liked his privacy, and it would take a lot for him to be comfortable in a new arrangement, but at least there was a small bit of hope blossoming in my chest again.
It didn’t feel like a lost cause anymore. When Donovan’s fingers brushed the underside of my wrist, the attraction was back all over again. My brain seemed to short-circuit at the feeling of his rough fingertip rolling over my skin. Hestopped right outside my building and leaned into me. When his thumb and pointer finger grasped my chin gently, I found myself hoping for more.
“Can I kiss you?” His voice was soft enough that I almost didn’t catch it.
My brain short-circuited at the words. He was close, so close that his breath mingled with mine, his hand cradling my chin as if I might break. Somewhere behind him, I heard the faint pop of a camera shutter.
His lips were warm and polite — not demanding, not rough, not wild. Justthere.
For a moment, I let myself melt into it, chasing a feeling that never quite arrived. When he pulled back, I waited for my pulse to stumble, for the familiar flood of adrenaline and want.
But all I felt was… quiet.
No lightning.
No spark clawing up my spine.
No unsteady, furious heartbeat like I’d felt when Ivan’s fingers brushed over my hairline as he’d pulled stitches through my skin.
Just warmth.
Only comfort.
He smiled, thumb still tracing the edge of my jaw, and I smiled back because that’s what you do when someone kisses you, and you’re engaged. Plus, there were cameras going off in the distance and I couldn’t frown in those. I needed to look besotted, even if I didn’t feel it.
But dammit if I wasn’t disappointed, comfort andwarmth didn’t make me weak in the knees. Nice didn’t make me feel reckless and ready to tear clothes off. Yes, his looks were enough for most women to feel that way… But there was someone else in the back of my mind that had already stolen all of those feelings and kept them for himself.
“I’ll see you in a few days,” his fingers wrapped around my much smaller hand before he lifted them to his lips and pressed a chaste kiss there. I nodded and continued to try to look dazzled, even though I didn’t feel it, as he walked away. I pressed my fingers to my lips… waiting for the butterflies that would never come.
It should have been enough.
But it wasn’t.
I didn’t know where Ivan had disappeared to between my date with Donovan and getting back to the penthouse, but when I got up to my floor, he was not there. I almost breathed a sigh of relief to have some time to myself, where if I wanted to cry, I didn’t have an audience. I thought the tears would come, but when they didn’t… I was left even more confused. My phone pinged with an upcoming schedule for hot yoga, pilates, and…
Wait, that couldn't be right.
A mixed martial arts class.
I wasn’t opposed to any of these things; if anything, they sounded fun, and I needed a hobby, but I didn’t want to be forced into liking someone else’s interests. I clicked accept and confirmed the times, which made me feel guiltythat I hadn’t checked Ivan’s schedule. But I guess if it conflicted with something, Don would accompany me or maybe even one of Donovan’s men.
My phone rang a few seconds later, and I answered without checking who it was.
“Sister!” Jones barked into the phone. “I’ve seen the tabloids. You look radiant kissing that big brute!”
