Page 37 of Wreck Me

‘He has his own house at the rear of the property. You’ll see it tomorrow.’ James stops outside a door and his hand falls from my back. ‘Rosa, my housekeeper lives there, too.’

‘How many people do you have working here?’ I ask.

‘Five more, in addition to Tim and Rosa. Ask them for anything you like. Rosa will be ecstatic to meet you.’

‘Really? Why do you say that?’

‘Because this is the first time I’ve ever brought a woman home.’ His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. Our eyes lock and something unspoken passes between us.

‘I’d better leave you here, Scarlett.’ His gaze falls to my lips and something undecipherable flashes over his features.

I’m drowning in his expensive cologne and heady stare. My hand reaches for the brass door knob but I don’t turn it. ‘What about tomorrow?’

He glances at the chunky silver watch on his wrist. ‘It’s already tomorrow.’

‘I have class in the afternoon.’

‘Tim will take you. I’ll drive myself to the office. If you need anything, I’m only a text or a phone call away.’

I swallow the emotions forming in my throat. ‘Thank you.’

‘Thankyou.’ He flashes me a devastating smile, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. ‘For agreeing to be my fake girlfriend.’

‘I think I might be getting more out of this agreement than you are,’ I say, gesturing to the grandeur of the house.

He inches closer to my ear until his hot breath is searing my sensitive lobe. ‘I think you’ll find we could both get a lot more out of it, if you’re prepared to renegotiate the conditions.’

His fingertips graze over my waist for a fleeting moment before he disappears down the corridor.

Chapter Nineteen

SCARLETT

I blink hard, my bleary eyes struggling to adjust to the weak winter sunlight sneaking through the cracks between the heavy velvet drapes and the huge sash windows.

My bedroom is every bit as opulent as all the other rooms in James’ mansion. The walls are painted a deep dusky pink. Thick ivory cornicing lines the room. A chandelier hangs from the double-height ceiling. The pristine Egyptian cotton sheets are like silk against my skin.

What I really notice though, is the warmth and the silence.

There’s no nip in the air. My nose doesn’t feel as if it’s about to drop off. And I can’t hear any traffic. No neighbours. No passing students strolling raucously by.

For the first time in a long time I feel… safe.

I reach for the bedside locker to find my phone.

The screen shows six texts I missed from Avery asking where I went last night, each one more panicked than the last.

There’s also one from Shane asking if I want to studytogether tonight. I regret the day I ever gave him my phone number.

And there’s a text from a contact I didn't add into my phone.Boyfriend. I snort. James must have put it himself at dinner last night. I open it with a grin.

I got called away on an unexpected business trip. Help yourself to anything. Rosa will make you breakfast. There’s a present in the dining room for you.

I try to tamp down my disappointment as I fire off a quick text to Avery assuring her that I’m fine, and that I’ll meet her in the campus canteen at lunchtime.

I don’t reply to either James or Shane.

Flinging back the covers, I dart out of bed. Nerves and excitement mingle in my stomach as I pad across the plush carpet to the ensuite. Twin ivory sinks are set into a marble counter top. A mood shower like something out of a luxury spa occupies the far corner of the room while a claw-foot bathtub dominates the centre of the room. Complete with the entire miniature Molten Brown range, this place is more luxurious than a five-star hotel.

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