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“Your fake wife.”
“Real or fake, their loss is my gain.”
“Please. Under normal circumstances, you would’ve never married me.” Her eyes nearly bug out of her head like she’s surprised that she said those words aloud.
I furrow my brow. “Do you know how many miserable dates I went on trying to find someone I could even tolerate? Then I saw you at Thanksgiving and it just... clicked. You made me feel at ease. Whatever happened in D.C., you’re definitely not boring.”
She averts her eyes shyly and twirls a lock of her hair. “Thank you for saying that.”
I grab her hand and grin. “Come on, wife. Time to wow the cameras.”
Chapter 19
Odette
Pierce, the Washington Journal photographer, a journalist named Lee, and Paul Newhouse meet us outside The Wichita Museum of Art. There’s a beautiful walking path to the side of the building, scattered with asymmetrical sculptures and shaded by large weeping willow trees, with the winding Wichita River serving as a picturesque backdrop. It’s no wonder that the photographer wanted to shoot here.
There’s a lot of photography equipment, making me feel a little uneasy. This is a much bigger production than I realized. Madden’s kind words back at the apartment give me a boost of confidence, though. Whenever he compliments me, I feel warm all over. My brain knows better than to develop feelings for him, but my body doesn’t seem to mind the idea.
“Ah, there they are! Odette, you look lovely.” Paul walks toward us from the museum steps where he was talking with the two Washington Journal visitors. He wrinkles his nose at Madden. “And I guess you look alright.”
“Hey! I thought I was the beauty and she was the brains?” Madden says as he winks at me.
The photographer approaches and interrupts our banter to give us a quick rundown. We’ll start with outdoor photos before the sun goes down and then finish up inside the museum. He shoos us to the right of the building where all the photography lighting has been set up in front of a small grove of willow trees. He has a list of specific shots he needs, so he sets out to arrange Madden and I accordingly.
We start out pretty stoic, with me leaning against a tree and Madden putting his arm around my waist as we try to look severe and professional. Then Pierce takes some photos of us walking hand in hand. The photoshoot goes on like this for an hour before we move indoors. The journalist walks beside Madden, asking questions about his childhood and his campaign in between shots.
Then everything takes a turn when the photographer looks through some of the photos on his camera and announces, “We need something sexier.”
Madden speaks up quickly. “What exactly do you mean by sexier? I’m running for Congress, not America’s Next Top Model.”
“Well, you two just seem a little stiff. Relax, kiss each other, get cozy. You guys are newlyweds. People eat that stuff up.” He hunkers down behind his camera.
Paul smirks. “Alright, Madden! Kiss your bride.” I can tell that he’s biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing.
Madden steps closer to me but hesitates. I wonder if he can hear my heart beating frantically in my chest. He slips both hands around my waist. His eyes lock with mine as he slowly brings our foreheads together.
My surroundings seem to fade as Madden pulls me in tighter. I completely forget about our audience. All I can think about is Madden’s gorgeous blue eyes, the warmth of his hands on me, and the sound of my own heart drumming in my ears.
It’s all in the contract. This isn’t real.
And then he leans the rest of the way in. Our lips meet.
But this isn’t a sweet kiss like the one on our wedding day. No, this kiss is urgent and hungry. He pulls back and his eyes look dark, darker than I’ve ever seen them. Then he kisses me again.
Without thinking, my hands grab onto the lapels of his suit jacket to bring him closer. His fingers find their way into my hair, making goosebumps break out all over my body. He’s probably making my hair a mess, but I don’t care.
I don’t know how long we stand there kissing, but eventually, the photographer clears his throat. “Okay, thanks, guys. I, um, got several good shots. We’re good.”
Madden and I disentangle ourselves a little awkwardly. I step back to put some distance between us. Paul just stares at us with an extremely amused expression on his face.
Madden’s face reddens, which is refreshing because usually, it’s only my face that does that. I feel conflicted. I mean, sure, that kiss was incredible. It may even have been the best kiss of my life. Okay, it was definitely the best kiss of my life.
How am I supposed to keep my feelings out of this when he kisses me like that?
Madden
After the photoshoot, I head straight back to the apartment to take a very cold shower. I cannot believe I let myself get so carried away with that kiss. It just felt so good in the moment. It’s like her lips pulled me into another dimension and I lost all sense of reality.
