Page 88 of The Exception

“Fuck yeah. He wants to steal your company.”

I didn’t know why, but her words filled me with a sense of pride and satisfaction. It was nice to have someone in my corner, ready to leap to my defense.

“So, this is our song, huh?” I asked, finally calming down enough to listen to the lyrics. A man sang about loving all your imperfections and giving your all to a partner, and it was really quite soulful.

“I guess so.” Lily grinned, and I spun her again. “Where’d you learn to dance like this?”

“Many years ago, when I was a kid, a princess and her family stayed at one of our hotels for the summer.”

“Really?” she gasped. “Which one?”

“The Huxley Grand Luxembourg.”

She leveled me with a look. “No. Which princess?”

I shook my head, my lips sealed. “Doesn’t matter. The point is, she needed someone to practice dancing with, and my grandparents volunteered me.”

She gaped at me. “You’ve danced with a princess? How am I supposed to compete with that?”

“There’s no competition,ma reine.” I took a step back, holding her hand and bowing slightly at the waist.

Her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink, like the peonies that blossomed in my garden in the spring and early summer. Oh, she liked that. She liked being called my queen, and I liked her reaction.

“Everyone’s watching,” she whispered, quivering in my arms.

I straightened and turned her so her back was to me. I wrapped her arms around my neck and cascaded my hands down her curves. I wouldn’t allow myself to touch her when we were alone—she didn’t want that. So, if this was my only chance, I was going to take full advantage of it.

I dipped my head, keeping my words low just for her. “Do you like that? Do you want them to watch?”

She sucked in a sharp breath, and I had a sudden vision of fucking her in front of a mirror. Her eyes locked on our reflection as I took my time to explore every inch of her. I bit back my groan.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? You want them to watch us. To see us together. Tobelieve.” She kept her voice low, and it wove around me. Seductive. Alluring. “You’re really good at pretending when you put your mind to it. Very convincing.”

Convincing, right.I supposed I should be grateful Lily was pleased that I was playing the role of besotted husband. But that was the trouble, wasn’t it? She didn’t realize it wasn’tallfor show. She didn’t realize how I felt about her. I wasn’t sure I’d call it love, but it wasn’t lust either. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and not just that night.

My mood soured, but I tried not to let it show. When the song changed to something more upbeat, I took the opportunity to excuse myself to get a drink.

As I sipped my whiskey and looked out over the room, I wondered what the hell was wrong with me. This was exactly what I’d wanted, wasn’t it?

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Graham stared up at the château, while Queen V and Prince Albert lumbered across the expansive lawn. I’d just finished giving him a tour of the grounds, the dry moat, and the château itself. After having been away for nearly two weeks, I felt as if I were viewing the project with fresh eyes.

Luc and the team had accomplished a lot while I’d been gone, but even so, I could only imagine how it appeared to Graham. Was he regretting his investment? Thinking the restoration was ill-fated?

So far, I’d done everything I could to live up to my end of the deal. Before leaving LA, we’d attended a charity function, and I was still thinking about it. Graham had done such a good job that night, even I’d been hard-pressed to remember it was all pretend. With his front brushing my back, his hands skimming my body… I shivered at the memory. At the way his deep voice had sounded when he’d called me his queen and asked if I liked being watched.

Holy hell.

I’d been ready to throw myself at him. To let him do whatever he wanted with me, right there, right then, regardless of who might be watching. Maybe evenbecausethey were watching.

What is wrong with me?

This was a fake marriage. My husband had hacked my blog. Though, some of my anger had since faded.

Graham was trying to make amends. He’d insisted on helping me beef up the cybersecurity on my blog and YouStream channel. He’d also had a team from Hudson Security install security cameras at the château, both for insurance purposes and to enable me to see what was going on.

And, okay, so I was attracted to him. I told myself that wasn’t a bad thing. That spark made it easier to convince everyone else we were a happily married couple.

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