Page 4 of Her Possessive Dominant Fake Husband

He let out a short, humorless laugh, and for the first time, I saw a crack in the armor. It made my heart freeze with an unexpected mix of triumph and dread. "You’re correct. But your eyes betray you."

The dance ended, and applause swept over us like a wave threatening to drown me. Alexander didn't release me this time. Instead, he pulled me from the floor with renewed determination, the elegant perfection of his plan tainted by emotion.

My curiosity twisted with fear as we wove through the guests. What had I gotten myself into? What kind of man was Alexander Reed when his guard slipped, and how much more would it cost me to find out? Fear blended with excitement as I thought about how unpredictable my future had become.

We left the reception behind as he led me into a private room, closing the door on the world and our audience.

"The contract clearly stated you weren't to ask questions," he said, his voice cutting through the silence as I held my breath, trying to make myself small. "But I can see you have many. Choose your next words carefully, Mrs. Reed."

Chapter Two

Alexander

Her eyes scanned me like a scalpel, ready to cut away the layers I wasn't prepared to lose.

I watched her as I loosened my tie, noting how her delicate throat flexed as she swallowed hard. She was uncomfortable with me doing this, I couldn’t imagine how she’d feel later on when there was more intimacy than just me tugging my tie.

She was silent but resolute, and it dug at me more than her questions ever could. I advanced toward her, expecting with each step for her to back up, to bend to me. Instead, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin like she was ready for battle, and just stood there, unyielding.

"You signed away your right to know," I said, needing her to know I demand absolute dominance in this and all other moments. She didn’t seem to notice, and backed away until she pressed against the wall, and I followed, unable to ignore the way our closeness turned anger into something perilously close to desire.

Then, like a slap, my phone rang. After seeing his name, I ignored the call.

Claire stood before me, unwavering, her presence as infuriating as it was alluring. How had she slipped so seamlessly into this role, the perfect puzzle piece in my plan? She hadn't asked directly, but her every move seemed calculated to uncover the truth about my life in general. Didn't she understand that curiosity was a dangerous thing? That the reasons for our arrangement were important to keep? I watched her, jaw clenched, refusing to give her anything.

"You can stop pretending, Alexander," she said finally, the softness of her voice contrasting the sharpness of her words. "I didn't ask anything. I don’t know and I don’t care. This is just a contract for-" She cut short, took a deep breath, and continued. “I’m just here for the money.”

I felt the impact of her honesty like a blow. Claire Dawn, sweet and selfless, refusing to be the liar, the pushover, the weakling I had counted on her to be. The more she showed her spirit, the more she threw me off balance.

"Good," I said, the single word a bullet I hoped would break her resolve.

She looked at me, a flicker of surprise on her face that I chose to read as defeat. I took a step toward her, and instead of retreating, she stood her ground, forcing me to confront my own unwillingness to yield. I couldn’t let her warmth heat up the coldness I clung to.

She finally moved, a slide to the side as if to walk around me. Tension grew, and so did anger, anticipation, something else. Something I wasn't ready to name.

Before I could decide what to do, my phone rang once more. The shrill sound made Claire flinch, her composure breaking. My brother's name glared at me from the screen.Damn him. I could ignore him again, but it might be more satisfying to answer.

I hesitated, watching Claire as she caught her breath, uncertainty visible in her pretty features. Annoyance and relief mixed in me as I answered. "Yes?"

"We're looking for you two," came his voice, overconfident with the self-importance of someone who felt entitled to whatever he wanted.Whateverhe wanted. "Where are you?"

I looked at Claire, her eyes wide with something that felt like an accusation. "We're on our way," I said, ending the call before he could press further.

Claire broke the silence, her tone almost light but revealing a tension she couldn't hide. "Your brother has quite the knack for timing."

I offered a shrug, not caring one way or another. "Let's get back to the reception. People are going to talk, which is fine, but I imagine you’ll be embarrassed to be the topic of that conversation."

Her face went red, proving me right. She nodded in resignation. As we left the room, I found my thoughts tangled between irritation and an attraction I couldn't suppress, no matter how fiercely I tried.

The reception buzzed like a faulty wire, the noise and lights both too much and not enough. We returned as a unified front, a two-person battalion against the onlookers and their curiosity. Claire kept pace with me, her steps like war drumbeats.

The moment we rejoined the crowd, I felt familial obligations tugging at us. I wondered what Claire made of this chaos, her eyes wide like someone had handed her a scriptwithout a single stage direction. Then, like a curtain parting, my mother appeared—too soon, too friendly—and I felt the familiar weight of her expectations settle on my shoulders.

Claire tensed beside me, no doubt overwhelmed by the spectacle of the Reed family wedding. She probably thought this was some kind of elaborate circus, a show put on to keep up appearances. She wouldn't be far off. But if she believed she'd get off easy tonight, she was wrong.

"Alexander, darling!" My mother caught sight of us, and I braced myself for the inevitable fuss. She closed the distance with an energy that seemed at odds with her elegant composure, her eyes bright and appraising as they assessed Claire.

"And this must be Claire," she said, pulling her into an unexpected hug. "Welcome to the family."

---