Page 78 of Strictly Business

When he finally turns to leave, Amara pulls back, her brows knitting together. “What was that?”

I smirk, leaning down to whisper, “Just proving a point.”

Her brow arches. “By groping me in public?”

“By making sure everyone here knows you’re mine,” I correct, my voice low. “Especially James.”

Her gorgeous eyes blink, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

My jaw ticks. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you. I had to let him know you were taken.”

Her gaze flickers with recognition, and a small frown creases her lips. “You’re delusional. He wasn’t checking me out.”

I laugh darkly, gripping her waist. “Baby, if you think I’m the only one who notices how fucking stunning you are, you’re out of your mind.”

I swear her eyes are shining like emeralds as they look at me. “You didn’t have to do that. I know you have to play nice with the board to get this deal.”

I glance down at her, my brow arching. “The hell I didn’t. He disrespected me by thinking he had a chance with myfiancée.”

She lets out a cute little laugh, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re mine,” I say, my voice firm.

Her cheeks flush deeper, and I can’t resist brushing my thumb over her jaw, tucking a strand of her fiery hair behind her ear. “Let’s get out of here,” she murmurs, her voice a little breathless.

My brows lift. “You’re serious? Say the word, and we’re gone.”

She nods, her teeth catching her bottom lip in a way that shouldn’t make my thoughts derail like this, but it does. “We’ve done what we came here to do, right? We proved to them that we’re madly in love, and your little… performance definitely sealed the deal.”

Her hands press flat against my chest as her fingers slide upward, sending a trail of heat through the fabric of my shirt. They loop around my neck, her gaze locking onto mine.

“Take me to bed.”

It’s not a request. It’s a challenge.

And the way she says it, her voice low and teasing, makes my restraint snap in half.

Christ. I remember the first time we slept together. How shy she was, how she struggled to say what she wanted, how I had to coax the words out of her.

It turns me on that she’s not afraid to speak her mind anymore. She’s becoming exactly what I never knew I needed, and it’s only making it impossible to hold back.

God help me. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone as much as I want her.

As I take her hand in mine and rush toward the elevator I can’t help but think that I’m not sure where this thing between us is headed, but one thing is certain.

Amara Blackwood is more than just my fiancée—fake or not.

She’s my undoing.

Chapter twenty-seven

Nicholas

The second I swipe the key card and push the door open, I tug Amara inside, not wasting a second. My lips crash onto hers, and everything else fades away. My head spins, completely drunk off her taste. She’s sosweet, like champagne and sinful damnation. She’s the kind of temptation I can’t escape, and every kiss only pulls me deeper.

Her moans—soft, sweet—hit me like a punch to the gut. God, I can’t get enough. It’sneverenough. No matter how many times I kiss her, I always want more, my body demanding more of her, wanting her in a way that scares me. This woman is undoing me, piece by piece.

The thought of the inevitable end between us churns in my gut. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do when I have the deal in my hands, and we go our separate ways. I haven’t even let her go yet, and I’m already dreading it.

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