He clapped his hands together and chuckled. “Wish I did remember. I would’ve loved to have seen you in action.”
“How could that be? You didn’t look or act drunk. You don’t remember anything about last night?” No wonder he’d been open with me and allowed me to take control last night. The Canaan I’d known in college and from the media had been arrogant, privileged, and dominant. A man who wouldn’t admit any weakness. A true alpha male.
“Little-known fact. I hold my liquor so well that no one knows I’m out of my head, and everything is a blur the next morning. I can’t tell you how many times back in college I had no idea how I ended up in some of these women’s beds.” He grinned while stretching his arms over his head.
Trying to stay focused on his face and not his body, I scoffed, “Don’t remind me. You broke Emme’s heart.”
Canaan dropped his gaze. “I was twenty-two and had just made my dad’s company generationally wealthy. What did I know about being faithful?”
I accused, “You’re thirty, even richer, and you still don’t know.”
“Point.” He placed his hand across his chest and the palm of his other hand up. “I promise to be faithful to my fake woman.” Canaan winked. “Or at least try.” This time, he ducked when I threw the pillow, and he lost his balance and fell on the bed, almost on top of me, laughing at his own clumsiness.
Pushing him away playfully, I admitted, “I didn’t think you laughed at yourself. Thought you were too cool ever to be normal.”
He shifted to his side and looked at me. “Crazy how I thought the same of you. You were so serious. Head always in the books. No time for fun. I was glad you wrote a book that wasn’t about science.” Lines appeared above the bridge of his nose. “I never noticed that when you smile, your eyes slant shut. Maybe it was those awful glasses you used to wear, or maybe I never saw you smile back then. I damn sure never thought I would want you so much. Happy Valentine’s Day.” Canaan reached up and twirled one of my braids around his finger. The room temperature rose yet again as his eyes drifted to my lips.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” I whispered, and before I could get drawn into his lair, I grabbed my cell from the bed. “Speaking of Valentine’s . . . We need to take a pic to make it official and share it on our profiles. The more we take photos when we’re having a real moment like this, the more it’ll show in the pictures, and people will believe us.”
He let go of my hair and grumbled, “So, we mess up a real moment by taking a photo?”
“Yes.” I scooted beside him and snapped the pic when he glanced at me. “See?”
The phone captured him staring at me while I smiled at the lens. Wewerea couple in love in bed together.
“Should I post it?”
Canaan nodded before he suddenly pushed off the bed to stand. “I need to take a shower and get ready for more interviews. After we eat, I’ll give you some money to shop while I work, or you can get one of my staff to shop for you. Buy whatever you want or need for the next few days. Once we get settled, you can buy more things in Miami. There may be parties and functions that will require formal attire. You can stay in your suite alone tonight since it’s only one more night. I’ll send for someone to pick you up in the morning. I chartered a plane, and our flight leaves early tomorrow.” His words were instructive and pleasant, but his warm, playful mood had shifted. He was pushing me away, and long after he left the room, I stared at the picture of us . . . already missing him.
Chapter 10
Kensie
I’ll have toremind him to keep the PDA to a minimum, I mused while sitting in Canaan’s lap. He had pulled me into his arms while he finished eating brunch. His personal chef, Ms. Murielle, beamed contentedly as she refilled the glass pitcher of orange juice. When she returned to the kitchen, I admonished him with a tap on his nose. “Isn’t this a bit much?”
He smirked. “You must not have ever been in love.”
“Because I don’t like PDA, you assumed that I’ve never been in love?” I scoffed. “Maybe I’m just private.”
“Says the woman who was all over me for the cameras yesterday. When you’re passionately in love, you can’t keep your hands off each other, no matter where you are. If you’ve never been that way with a man, clearly you weren’t in love.” He bit off a piece of vegan sausage and held it to my mouth. “Eat.”
I chomped a piece and quickly swallowed to protest. “Yesterday, you kissed me first and told me to pretend. I get we’re playing this couple madly in love, but I don’t want the lines to get blurred. You might get the wrong idea that I see you as potential.”
He chortled. “Baby, I’m every woman’s potential . . . every gay or bisexual man’s too.”
Biting back my giggle, I insisted, “Well, you’re not mine. I know heartbreak when I see it. What sane woman would set herself up that way?”
Canaan forked another bite of egg white and vegan cheese omelet. “Most of my twenty million followers.”
I groaned while attempting to move from his lap, and he held tighter. “So, I’m just supposed to sit here until you finish eating?”
“Yep. I like my women right up under me. Get used to it.”
My forehead wrinkled as I studied the contentment on his face. “You really don’t mind me being here? When you left the bedroom this morning, it felt like you were distancing yourself.”
He explained, “It’s what I do anytime I prepare for a race. I zone out, and no one else exists. It happens even when I think about the steps I need to take. Enjoy this moment because you will often be alone, even when we’re in the same room.”
“I don’t need you to entertain me. I have my own career and plan to use this time away wisely to make a serious dent in my dissertation.”
