She guns me down with her eyeballs. “Yourfakefuture wife,” she tries to correct me.
I loop my arm around her waist, pulling her up against me right there in the middle of the crowd. “The marriage license looks legit to me.”
She tries to pull out of my arms but I discreetly gesture to the people milling around us. I lean in and whisper by her ear. “Clause number three, darling. Public displays of affection are necessary.”
As long as this marriage of convenience plan is in effect, I get to touch her. That’s part of our deal. I plan to make full use of this privilege.
I lean in, lowering my mouth to her ear, trusting that she won’t kick me in the balls, at the very least, because we’re surrounded by bystanders. “And you don’t get to flirt with other men as long as we’re together.”
She scoffs out loud. “Your fragile little ego will be happy to know that I have zero interest in flirting with any man. I’m focused on what’s important in my life. Namely, doing what it takes to get this deal done.”
Jules wants me for one reason and one reason alone. Getting access to her trust fund. If not for that, she wouldn’t want to spend even one second around me.
I nod. “So, we’re on the same page.”
“Are we?” she questions. A glimmer of insecurity flickers across her eyes like a flash of lightning.
Somehow, I know exactly what she’s getting at. She wants to know if I’ll reciprocate the loyalty I’m demanding of her. I feel this desire to put her mind at ease.
“Of course we’re on the same page.” Cupping her cheeks in my palms, my lips drop closer. “Jules, I haven’t even looked at another woman ever since I slid that first fake diamond onto your finger. I have no interest in other women. No other woman can hold my attention like you do, darling.”
She peeks up at me from under her dark lashes in a way that almost makes me fall to my knees. Gosh—vulnerability looks good on her.
“Kick rocks with all that bullshit, Lincoln. If all of that is true, how come you never answered my dating app request?” The second she asks the question, her bulging eyes make it clear she wishes she could take it back.
Too late now, baby.
I shrug a shoulder, all nonchalance. “I thought you were trolling me. I thought you were trying to get under my skin. As much as I wanted to accept the match, I couldn’t.”
“Why?” she asks, spitting the word out.
“A man has his pride, Julissa,” I say roughly.
A part of me just couldn’t believe that Jules was seriously interested in me. She and I are polar opposites, for crying out loud. But now the world thinks she’s mine. And I plan to reap every benefit of that fallacy.
Half a second before my lips cover hers, I add, “But if it makes you feel any better, you should know that I’ve been jerking it to the thought of you ever since that night.”
Her mouth drops open in shock. Before she can speak, I kiss her silly.
I kiss her hard.
I kiss her so every man here will know that she’s mine.
I kiss her till her knees are weak and her body is sagging against my own. That’s when I gently pull away.
She looks at me with dazed, hooded eyes, whispering so only I can hear. “I hate you…”
I smirk and I lie. “You know what? I don’t fucking care.”
I straighten the lopsided plastic crown on her head then I playfully flick the tip of her nose.
“See you at the altar tomorrow, Troublemaker.”
27
JULES
I’m gonna bolt.
