The look she gave him told him that he wasn’t fooling her.
“Yes, but are you attractedtome?”she repeated with emphasis.“There’s a big difference between finding someone attractive and actually being attracted to them.Maybe I should preface this by saying, I find you a very attractive man, but I think I’m lacking in feelings of actual attraction.”
Mason let out a long, slow breath.He didn’t want to hurt her feelings.Even though she acknowledged that she felt a lack of chemistry, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be hurt if he acknowledged the same.
But he also couldn’t lie to her.
“I’m not sure I’m attracted to you,” he admitted.“As I said, I find you very attractive.I feel as though being attracted to you is the next natural step since we’re engaged.We might just have to work at it a little more than a couple who began their relationship with attraction.”
She looked at him for a long moment.
“I suppose that makes sense.”But she didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Taking her hand in his, Mason wrapped his fingers around hers and covered both of them with his other hand.
“I’m sure every arranged marriage starts off a little awkwardly.We know we want the same things out of life, though.We’ve had a lot of good discussions about what we want our lives to be, and we’re compatible in every way when it comes to that.The attraction might be coming slower, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.We’re just… doing things a little differently than everyone else.What their relationships look like will be different from what we look like.”
Slowly, Yasmine nodded her head.
“That’s true.I just… I don’t know.I thought things would fall into place once we were engaged.But when we kissed, it just didn’t…” She waved her free hand, trying to explain in a gesture what she couldn’t find the words for.
Mason understood what she meant because he’d felt the same.That hadn’t changed things for him, though.Neither had his attraction to Audrey.He’d already made his choices before he’d met Audrey.Getting engaged to Yasmine hadn’t been a spur-of-the-moment, impulsive jump; it had been a well-thought-out decision he’d considered from all sides before making.
He wasn’t going to let that all go for a flash of attraction, of chemistry, that could very well disappear as easily as it had come on.What he and Yasmine had together was important—respect, affection, the same goals.
“Once again, we’re on the same page,” he joked, getting a very brief smile from her.“But I don’t think that was a fair test either.We hadn’t kissed like that before.I surprised you.Neither of us knew what to expect.”
If he was being completely honest, part of the reason he’d kissed her like that was in reaction tohisreaction to Audrey.Which wasn’t good motivation.He’d wanted to know the difference, though.
He couldn’t help but compare the lack of attraction he felt for Yasmine to the instant attraction he felt every time he saw Audrey.But he’d come in tonight planning to work on their chemistry, ready to make it work.So, maybe it was different from when he’d kissed her before.
His eyes dropped down to her lips.
Full.Pouting.Red from her lipstick.
They should be tempting, but he could easily resist because there wasn’t anything to resist.
If she was Audrey…
Stop it.
Obviously, this was a case of wanting what he couldn’t have.For all he knew, if he ended things with Yasmine, his attraction to Audrey would end just as abruptly.Once he could have her, he wouldn’t want her so much.
And then he’d have let Yasmine down for no reason, he’d have to tell his parents and her parents and all their friends… the feeling of admitting such a big failure to everyone because he’d leapt before he looked roiled in his gut.No thanks.
“Should we try kissing again?”Yasmine sounded uncertain.
“It can’t hurt, right?”He smiled and leaned forward, forcing himself to focus on the woman in front of him.The woman he had agreed to marry.
Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her gently at first, then began to lean in… but she pulled away and jumped to her feet.Mason stared at her as she began pacing back and forth.
“Yasmine?”
“Just… just give me a minute.”She came to a halt, staring up at the ceiling with her hands fisted at her side, taking a deep breath before meeting his gaze again.“This just.It’s not what I thought it would be like.”
“What did you think it would be like?”he asked, and she narrowed her eyes at his reasonable tone.
“Well, I didn’t think it would be like talking to a therapist, for one,” she snapped at him.
