Sure enough, Becky looked like she’d sucked on a lemon. “Of course,” she forced out and gave me a false smile. “Congratulations, Maia. How fortuitous for you that you upgraded your fiancé just in time for the campaign.”
Baird stiffened at my side.
Hilary’s expression sharpened and Becky seemed to realize her passive-aggressive comment was spoken in company and not whispered in my ear. She beamed. “It’s such great news for the campaign. I can’t wait to get started.”
I thought I’d feel a sense of relief as I walked out of my boss’s boss’s office with Baird still holding tight to my hand.
Instead, I was shaking with dread at the massive lie we’d just told.
This was surely bad for my karma.
Baird led me back to the lift. “I need to get over to Blantyre. I’ve got a meeting with Braden. Otherwise, I’d stay for lunch.”
“No, you go do what you need to do,” I replied a little numbly.
Baird stopped and turned to clasp my face in his large palms. His thumbs stroked my cheeks as his warm dark eyes held mine. I shivered at the intensity of his expression. “It’s all going to be okay,” he promised on a whisper. “I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll get through this, and it’ll all be good. You’re my best friend, My. I’m going to take care of you.”
Perhaps it was the tumultuous chaos of so many emotions in such a short period, but my eyes stung with unshed tears.
Before they could spill over, Baird bent his head and gently, so very gently, brushed his mouth over mine. My lips tingled like I’d touched electricity. I felt that soft caress in all my erogenous zones.
A tiny brush of his lips.
And I felt it everywhere.
I gaped up at him in shock.
“Becky’s watching,” he murmured. Then his lips pressed a little harder to mine before he released me. Baird stroked my cheek one last time. “Call me if you need me.”
I nodded, speechless.
As Baird disappeared onto the lift and out of sight, I felt uneasy for a whole different reason.
It never occurred to me that when our fake relationship imploded, it would be a danger to more than just my career.
CHAPTER NINE
MAIA
As usual, I was in the pool before Baird had arrived at the gym. I was in the middle of a length when I heard a splash and someone cutting quickly through the water toward me. I sped up to get to the shallow end and turned just as Baird reached me. He stood, pushing his wet hair off his face, his biceps bulging. In my periphery, I saw water droplets trickling down his tan, sculpted, inked chest.
Like always, I kept my focus fixed firmly on his face and off his magnificent body. Before I’d done it out of consideration for Will because I knew I’d be upset if Will was ogling another woman (if only I’d known he was ogling another woman in every way a man could). Now I restrained myself for my own peace of mind.
Baird gave me his killer smile. “That’s it done.”
A wee bit mesmerized by his mouth (his lips had proved distracting ever since he’d kissed me two weeks ago), it took me a minute to process his words.
“What’s done?”
“The contract.”
Surprise shot through me. “How do you know?”
“Did you not check your emails this morning? That’s everything tied up between the club and Pennington’s. I tell you, I don’t know what Iain Erstwhile promised, but I’ve never seen a contract move that fast.”
“Wow, it’s done.”Oh my goodness, we are really doing this?“That means the campaign will start at the end of the month.” Just two weeks from now.
“Aye.” Baird seemed so unbothered. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now?”
