“You’re not going to a hotel, Paige,” he said, closing the distance between us, and suddenly the room felt very small. He smelled like sweat and… male. “We talked about this last night. You and Lily are staying here.”
“Derek, I can’t. This is too much?—”
“You have a one-year-old baby and nowhere else to go,” he said, his voice firm as his eyes pinned me on the spot. “You’re staying. End of discussion.”
“I don’t want to be your charity case.”
Hurt and frustration flashed in his eyes. “You’re not. You’re my friend, Paige. And you’re Lily’s mother. That little girl deserves stability, and so do you. Right now, this is the safest place for both of you. I’m not letting you leave, and if I have to tie you up, I will.”
The promising threat made my stomach twist with nerves, and the fight drained out of me as quickly as it had come. He was right. God, I hated that he was right, but he was. I had nowhere else to go with no plan and no safety net except the one Derek was offering.
“Okay,” I whispered, looking down at my bare feet. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said softly and when I looked up, there was warmth in his eyes. “You would’ve done the same for me.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and followed him toward the kitchen. The awkwardness between us felt heavier in the daylight as if we were both hyperaware of the line we crossed last night.
Derek moved around his kitchen with easy efficiency, pulling out a coffee maker that looked like it cost more than my car. “Coffee?”
“God, yes. Please.”
I watched as he prepared it. My heartbeat increased when he added two sugars and cream without asking. He remembered. In the years I worked for him, I had never once asked him to make my coffee since that was my job as his assistant. But he had noticed.
He had paid attention.
He slid the mug across the counter to me, and our fingers brushed. The contact sent electricity up my arm, and I pulled back too quickly, nearly sloshing coffee onto the granite.
“Careful,” Derek murmured, his eyes tracking my face like he was trying to read something.
I took a sip to avoid responding, and the coffee was perfect. Of course, it is.
“So,” Derek said, leaning against the counter across from me. He had thrown on a t-shirt at some point, which was both a relief and a disappointment. “I drafted a rough contract last night. Just some basic ground rules for this whole fake engagement thing.”
He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I scanned the list, and a laugh bubbled up in my throat.
“You made a contract? For a fake relationship?”
“I’m a lawyer,” he said with a small smile. “It’s what I do. Read it.”
I looked down at the screen and scrolled through it, stopping at the rules of our fake-engagement:
1. Lily is the priority.
2. No kissing unless Jack is around.
3. Wearing rings is a must (after the engagement.)
4. Stay friends. Don’t catch feelings.
Okay. Woah.
8
KISSING MY HOT BOSS
PAIGE
My eyes snagged on rule number two, and heat crept up my neck. Kissing. We would have to kiss. In front of Jack. The thought made my stomach flutter with confusing feelings.
