Page 114 of Imperfect Arrangement
“Ray—” I start, turning, but he’s already here, his body pressing close against mine.
“Why did you run like that?” He wraps his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.
I don’t have a response. Okay, that’s not exactly true, but the response I have is tangled in knots of wants and fears, impossible to say out loud.
Raymond sighs, then turns me in his arms, cradling my face. “Last night, you said if the idea of soulmates is real, you’d want me to be yours.” His thumb brushes over my cheek as he replays my words that were said in the spur of the moment. “Are you telling me now that you’re sold on Vincent fucking Belmont’s pitch to try his app and forget your words?”
I blink. “I think everyone at that table was hypnotized by the promise, but no one is crazy enough to get their hopes up like that and try that app, Ray.”
“You’d be surprised.” His lips twitch, his grip tightening slightly on my waist. “We’re going to have one very serious participant from the family, and when this bullshit app crushes my cousin’s heart, I’d love to team up with Alex and destroy Vincent.”
I’m momentarily shocked by his casual tone as it relays such spiteful words. “You don’t like Vincent, do you?”
Raymond shrugs. “He’s here to stir up shit. Chloe’s crazy, but he should know better. Belmonts and Teagers have been in business together for years. Do you know my mom’s business, Cakes for All, was just a bakery owned by Vincent’s dad? Cole Belmont was also in the hotel business before they moved back to France. But now the next generation of Belmonts has decided to relocate. Vincent is an idiot if he thinks making a rival like Alex is a good idea.”
I bite my lip. “Maybe he’s just being a good friend to Chloe.”
Ray’s forehead furrows. “I don’t like you taking his side.”
I can’t help the curl of my lips. “I’m taking Chloe’s side.” My tongue flicks over my dry lips. “So…Alex and Chloe?”
He exhales a heavy sigh. “Either they will end up together, living the best life, or killing each other if Chloe keeps doing shit like this to test Alex’s patience.” Ray tips his head to the side, looking at me carefully. “But I didn’t come here to talk about my cousins.”
His thumb glides over my bottom lip, and my eyes flutter closed. His lips touch mine, just barely. Over time, I’ve realized Raymond loves to start slow. He enjoys making me crazy in whatever the hell we’re doing. Business. Kissing. Loving.
Did I just use the L-word?
Thankfully, he presses his lips against mine hard, invading my thoughts. My hands tighten around his waist while he tugs on my French braid that he did this morning after Quill’s. He ravishes my lips before sliding his tongue into my mouth, and I’m lost in this man once again.
A loud crash breaks the moment, which is charged with enough electricity to power the whole house, and we jump apart. My head snaps toward the kitchen entrance to find Daisy, her very pregnant belly looking like she could pop at any second.
Crap!
She’s holding a plate of cake, though the cutlery has clearly taken a tumble to the floor. But she isn’t looking at the mess. No, she’s staring straight at us with a grin so wide it might actually split her face in two.
“Oh my God, I knew it!” she squeals, her voice practically bouncing off the walls as she waddles toward us penguin-style.
Yes, I know she’ll probably murder me for comparing her to a penguin, but the visual is too accurate to ignore.
“Daze, don’t,” I plead, holding my hands up like a crossing guard. But my best friend is on a roll.
“I knew that if you two would pull your heads out of your asses and look past your ridiculous feud, you’d see how perfect you are for each other! And honestly, the whole fake relationship thing never works with these Elixir men.” Daisy jabs a finger in Ray’s direction as if delivering some cosmic truth.
I glance at the man who has suddenly decided to be of no help, just standing beside me with his arms crossed over his chest.
Daisy, on the other hand, is a whirlwind of excitement. “I need to tell Charles. He’s going to flip when he hears—” She stops mid-sentence as her eyes widen, darting down toward the floor before snapping back up to meet mine. “Holy crap! Wills, call Charles!” she yells, her hands flying everywhere.
“Raymond and I being together is not that big of a deal, Daze. You need?—”
“It’s huge, Wills!” she interrupts me, grabbing my hands tightly, her grip bordering on desperate. “But it’s not that, dammit!” she yells. “My water broke!”
It takes a heartbeat—one single brain-short-circuiting heartbeat—for her words to register. My gaze drops to the floor, where, sure enough, there’s a small puddle forming at her feet.
Holy. Freaking. Crap.
“Your baby might share their birthday with Quill, Daze!” I squeal, as that’s the first thought that runs through my mind.
“Damn,” Ray mutters.
