Page 35 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

I watch him, my heart aching.

No matter what happens, I have to protect him.

9

VALENTINO

Iamdonewaiting.

Layla has this maddening habit of pulling me in and pushing me away, like I’m some kind of toy she can pick up when it suits her and discard when it doesn’t.

At first, I figured she was just busy.

Then, twenty-four hours passed. No text.

Another day. Silence.

And then another.

By the fourth day, I wasn’t giving her the benefit of the doubt anymore. She was avoiding me.

Layla can pretend all she wants that this was just business, but our deal requires her to be seen with me, on standby, ready to play her part. If she thinks she can disappear like this, she’s dead wrong.

So, I’m making the decision to surprise her at her apartment.

Whether she likes it or not.

As I pull up to her apartment, she’s standing just outside her building. Her hair cascades down her back in loose waves.

She shifts her weight slightly, the golden sundress clinging to the curve of her hips before flaring out just enough to tease at the shape of her thighs. The thin straps barely contain the slope of her shoulders, drawing my attention to the neckline, a subtle dip, just deep enough to hint at the full, the tempting shape of her breasts without giving away too much. The fabric stretches over her curves, hugging her just right, emphasizing the soft swell that rises with each slow breath she takes.

My dick begins to throb beneath my jeans, and my mind drifts off to the things we did the other night. The taste of her lips, her grip fisting my cock, and the sensation of being buried in her warm center.

And that’s the problem.

Because my imagination is a dangerous place.

I rake a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly through my nose. I shouldn’t be looking at her like this. Shouldn’t be noticing the way the hem of her dress dances around her toned legs, teasing glimpses of olive skin that I have no right wanting to touch.

But hell, how can I not?

She’s all golden light and warm curves, like a damn invitation to sin. The kind of woman men lose themselves in without even realizing they’ve fallen for.

And I can’t afford to fall. Especially since she left me after all.

We both know the other night shouldn’t have happened, and we can’t cross that line again.

Not when this is temporary. Not when the entire world thinks we’re together and when we have to sell the lie.

Yet, my skin is already burning.

This was supposed to be easy.

But standing here, watching the way the evening breeze lifts the fabric just enough to make my fists clench, I realize something.

There’s nothing easy about wanting something you can’t have.

She hasn’t noticed me yet. Her attention is on something else. Someoneelse.

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