Page 59 of Paper Roses

I hold my hand up to stop him. I’m astonished that I’d admitted that fact to him. A lifetime of being close-mouthed is being completely derailed by Arthur Campbell.

“It’s nothing to do with Mick. That hadn’t even occurred to me. It’s just that we’re faking marriage, and I don’t want to put you in a position where?—”

I stop because he just rolled his eyes. My sweet and shy assistant just rolled his eyes at me, and incredibly, it makes me want to laugh. Laugh and hug him.

“It’s just a mattress and some sheets,” he says. “This will only be for the next few days until your room is ready. We can dothis.” An evangelical gleam appears in his eyes. “I willnotlet my stepmonster win.”

“Who?”

“That’s Daisy’s name for her.”

“Why did they hate each other?”

“Because Daisy was madly in love with her girlfriend, Paige, and Laura couldn’t deal with it. Laura broke them up. She told Paige that Daisy needed her mother, and she’d cut her off if Paige didn’t dump her. Daisy never forgave Laura and moved out the next day.”

“Laura’s sounding worse the more I hear about her.”

“You’ll have a better opinion of black mould than her by the end of the week.”

I snort and watch him disappear into the bathroom. Water comes on and I listen to the sound of him brushing his teeth. “Can we really do this?” I call.

He appears in the doorway, his toothbrush in his mouth as he brushes. Removing it, he gives me a foamy smile. “Of course we can.” He crashes back into the bathroom. “Get into bed,” he calls. “It’s cold. It feels like autumn is already here.” When he returns, he notices that I’m still standing in the same place and asks, “What are you doing?”

I gesture at the bathroom. “Waiting to brush my teeth.”

“Oh. Be my guest,” he says brightly and edges past me. “Sorry to be so awkward. I’ve never shared a room with anyone before.”

I stop dead. “Why not?”

“Well, I’ve only had the one boyfriend. The one who went to America.”

I nod, gritting my teeth at the mention of the man. Something winds me up whenever Artie speaks about him.

“I lived with his family when I got kicked out,” Artie continues. “But they wouldn’t let us share, so I had to sleep in the spare room.”

“I see,” I say quickly. I head into the bathroom as Artie starts to undress.

When I return, all my blood leaves my brain and vanishes in a downward direction as I discover Artie’s still not in bed. He’s completely naked, his clothes scattered on the floor, and he’s bending over the bed to draw back the duvet.

I itemise his long, lean torso, skin I know is silky to the touch, sharp hipbones, and a full, round, little arse. My hands clench, and I stifle a groan.

He slides under the covers and gives a moan of happiness. “God, that’s nice.”

“Don’t you—” I clear my throat. “Don’t you want to put something on?” I say hoarsely.

“Why?” He blinks at me like a drunken owl and then waves a languid hand. “I don’t know where my pyjamas are, and honestly, the room is spinning a little. I’ll just lie here quietly. You don’t mind, do you?” His eyes widen. “Do you?”

“No,” I say faintly. “You go right ahead.”

I retreat to the bathroom again, trying to banish the sight of his loveliness from my brain. My breathing is rough and my cock is rebelling, refusing to go down. After several minutes, I decide it’s safe enough to go back into the bedroom.

I find him lying in the bed, his eyes closed and long, dark eyelashes shadowing his flushed cheeks. I startle when they blink open. “There you are,” he says, in sleepy delight. “Come to bed.”

He scans me as I come close, and his gaze freezes on my boxers. I furtively adjust the legs, but only manage to expose more of my torso, putting my groin on display.

“You have a V,” he whispers, his eyes still stoking a fire on my skin.

“Pardon?” I squeak.

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