Page 43 of Late Harvest

“Agreed,” he replied seriously, though inside he was dancing a fucking jig. Where had Arabella Remington been all his life? It was clear he’d been wasting his time on shallow, one-dimensional partners for years.

“That said,” she continued, “we don’t have to share anything we don’t want to, as long as keeping it close doesn’t hurt the other person. I would like to maintain my privacy on certain matters, and I fully endorse if you do the same.”

“As long as that privacy doesn’t extend to covering up cheating,” he practically snarled, shocked by the intensity of his reaction to the thought of Arabella with another man.

“As we discussed earlier in rule one,” she replied imperiously, sitting up even straighter, “neither of us will be doing that.”

“So noted. Thank you for reinforcing that point, my queen.” He tried for a teasing tone, slightly stunned by the wash of relief he was experiencing. “May I add a couple?”

“Of course,” she replied, pressing her pen to the paper. “Ready.”

A-fucking-dorable. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Eighteen

Don’t half-ass anything. If you’re going to mess up, make it epic.

—From Remy’s Affirmations for a Badass

Remy

Remy’s head was spinning. She’d been counting on a quick, productive planning session. Instead, she felt like she was participating in the strangest form of foreplay.

And what was deeply concerning—she didn’t mind it.

“Shall I begin, my queen?”

She focused on the notebook for a moment, collecting herself, and noticed the slight shake of her hands. Good god, this man was getting to her in crazy and unexpected ways. Every time she regained her equanimity, he managed to knock her off balance again. As a person who not only required but placed the highest value on order, routine, and the expected, she found Sebastian Wheatley highly…irregular. Clearing her throat, she waved at him to proceed.

“There will be appearances.”

Her pen stalled on the paper. “Begging your pardon?”

“Ah-ah, my queen. No begging in public. That’s best left for our times of privacy.”

“Sebastian…” she sighed, trying not to be ruffled by his teasing. “Tell me about these appearances.”

“Well, we definitely will need to be seen in public. Give the paps a chance to capture us as a couple.”

Her heart thudded and she momentarily forgot how to spell ‘appearance.’ “Sounds good.” Sounds fucking awful. But, twenty million, Remy. Think about the shelter. “Go on.”

“And, of course, there’s my upcoming premiere for a film called Atlas Unhinged,” he continued smoothly. “As my significant other, you’ll need to join me on the red carpet. It can be overwhelming, so I’ll have my publicist contact you to go over the ins and outs. A stylist will set you up with wardrobe, hair, and makeup—on my dime, of course—and you’ll need to take some time off, as the premiere is on a Wednesday.”

“I thought those were on the weekends.” Her voice sounded small to her ears.

“No, they’re usually held earlier in the week, to align with Friday film releases.”

“Oh,” she managed. Then, remembering she was a strong, accomplished woman, she gathered herself. She could do this. She’d survived a lot worse. “Please let me know the date as soon as possible. I have to reschedule clinic, which I don’t like to do to my patients.”

“Of course, Arabella. I don’t want any of this to negatively impact you, your career, or your patients,” he replied quietly, and she heard the sincerity in his response.

“Thank you, Sebastian. I truly appreciate it. My patients are everything to me.”

Their waiter came by with their food, Enzo following behind as he profusely apologized for the delay. They’d had a problem with the stoves. Remy looked at her watch. It was quarter to one—thirty minutes had flown by and she hadn’t even noticed, so absorbed had she been with their negotiations. Both she and Sebastian assured Enzo it was fine and they hadn’t even noticed. He stepped away with a small bow and a big smile.

“Happy anniversary.”

Remy had just picked up her fork, a bite of chicken parm balanced perfectly on the tines, and she stopped the motion so quickly she was surprised the morsel stayed put. “Excuse me?”