Page 35 of Counterfeit Connection

“Well,” she sighs and leans back in her chair, pulling her beautiful blond hair over one shoulder. “If we’re doing this, we should give it our all.”

“I hope that was a sigh of pleasure and not one laced with thoughts of, if I must.”

Kaitlyn rolls her eyes. “I’m not saying it will be torture. It’s just we're still getting to know each other.” She lightens the mood with a hint of laughter. “I guess you could say we’ve already slept together, because, well, we did.”

I chuckle. “We most certainly did. You slept more than I did, however. I had the pleasure of studying you in your most peaceful form.”

“You watched me sleep?”

“I did. It was entertaining. You would smile on and off. Was that the product of a dream or that I was an adequate and comfortable pillow?”

Her cheeks flush and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. “Let’s stay on track, shall we?”

“Absolutely. We were about to discuss the fact I’ll have the pleasure of kissing you in public whenever I’d like.”

“Whoa.” She holds her hands up, but there is a grin on those lips. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. I’ll allow…” She taps her chin. “One or two kisses a day, only when absolutely necessary to sell our relationship.”

“Are you wanting this to look unnatural? Counting may make it feel as such.” I lean in. “Kaitlyn, I know you’re putting a lot on hold and on the line, both personally and professionally, for me.I want you to know I appreciate it more than you know. What I also need you to hear is, I will not be taking advantage of you or the situation in any circumstance. I would never force you into something you’re uncomfortable with. I believe I’ve said that at least once already.

“What I’d like to do…” I reach my hand toward her, turning my palm up, hoping she can hear my silent ask. After a couple of long awkward seconds, she reaches forward and places her hand in mine. “…is hold your hand, watch you enjoy the times we’re together, whether it’s for show or not. If the moment is right, and the feeling calls for it, I’d like to be able to kiss you or slide my hand into the small of your back. Even when I do, I want you to know your virtue will always be safe.”

She giggles softly. “My virtue. I’ve never had it called that before. You sounded like you’re a Brontë novel come to life.”

“My mother would be delighted to hear you say that.” I curl my fingers up to hold her hand even tighter.

“I do have a question about semantics though.”

“That’s what this conversation is for.”

“I don’t know if I want our first kiss to be in front of other people. I don’t think it would appear very natural to others. I have a feeling we’d exude big, first-kiss energy. Does that make sense?”

I laugh. “It makes sense to me, yes, and just to be clear, are you proposing we practice snogging? Because that’s not something you’ll ever hear me say no to.” I can feel the edge of her nail drawing a line back and forth inside my palm. “Something else on your mind?”

“My father. I hate lying to him. I’ve never really done it before when it mattered. This matters, but I kept my promise to you. I chose my person and it’s my sister. She flipped out at first, but then calmed down. She didn’t say so, but I know she’llinsist on meeting you and putting you through the third degree. Remember when I told you that you reminded me of someone?”

“I think you were more colorful about it, but yes, I do.”

“My brother-in-law is former military and is connected globally. He’s going to sniff this out a mile away if we’re not careful. I don’t want that for you or me, for that matter.”

“Well, then. I guess we’d better sort ourselves out to impress him because if he buys it, then my father will too.”

She squeezes my hand just as I did hers. She feels comfortable under my touch, at least, I think she does. “So… how do we start this?”

“In simple terms, I’m going to wine you, dine you, and show you off to anyone who decides to snap photos of us. I’d like you to accompany me to a few functions I need to attend while I’m Stateside.”

“And after that?” She tips her head to the side slightly and regards me close.

“Ideally, I’d like for us to take a trip back to England together to meet my father face-to-face, and before you say anything else about taking the time off from work, I have a plan for that.” I flip our interlocked hands over so mine is on top. “I will, in a perfect world, be making deals and finalizing contracts on the fly over the next few weeks and especially once I’m back overseas. Having a professional with me to prepare those seems logical, does it not? Duncan Wilder is nothing if not a businessman. He’ll jump at the opportunity to charge your retainer and all other fees to me.”

“I can trust you, right? You have all of this under control? I’m really handing the reins to you in some ways, and that’s out of character for me.”

“Kaitlyn, trust me when I say, it may seem like I’m at the wheel here, but your hand is on the gearshift. We are a team. I haveyour best interest at heart, just like I hope you have mine. This, if we allow it, will be funandbeneficial to us.”

Chapter 12

Griffin

“How did you possibly get a reservation here?” Kaitlyn asks when the driver we hire for the evening rolls to a stop outside of Via Carota in the West Village.

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