Page 22 of The Marriage Deal
"See? You'll do."
"I don't know. If you want a full appraisal, I'm going to need a good reference database, which I no longer have access to."
"All I want is for you to look at it. That's it. You might find them useful for your thesis. There's a rumor that one of Johnson's secretaries was an African man."
That last part made my ears perk up. If what he was saying was true, it would bring a lot of weight to my thesis if I could find a firsthand account of a medieval Black man. "You know, you could have led with that."
He closed his journal, shoved it into his bag, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes, getting ready to sleep. "And what fun would that be? I like teasing you."
Why did I have a suspicion he was doing this because he wanted someone to bully and not because he wanted an appraiser he could trust? When he asked me to come, I was tempted to say no. He had spent the week following our wedding working me hard. Giving me tasks that would drive any sane person crazy. By the end of the week, I was tired and looking forward to binge-watching a thriller series when he called me. The only reason I accepted was the shock in Effie's voice when she called me asking where I got the money.
Lucky for me, last week's lottery had a mystery winner. I told her that it was me and she had bought it. The Photoshop job Jess did on a lottery ticket was also good enough to convince my sister. After that, Effie went from shocked to surprise to joy.She refused the money at first, insisting I use it for my academic career until I told her the antique shop was mine as well. Our parents left it to both of us. Marrying the Phantom was worth it, I told myself.
That kiss floated into my mind again, and this time I could not push it away, especially when he was sitting right now, looking as handsome as he did on that day. He wore his usual outfit: a shirt, blue chinos, and brown suede shoes. An attire straight from the College Professor 101 store. He shopped at the most expensive version, that was for sure. I wasn't into fashion, but I could recognize high fashion and tailored clothes. Levi always wore the priciest outfit he could find, whether it was just a t-shirt or a suit.
He opened his eyes fully and caught me staring at him. His piercing gaze made my stomach wobble. Glancing away would only make me look guilty, and continuing to stare at him only proved I was thinking about him.
"What?"
I feigned nonchalance. "Nothing."
"Not when you were ogling me like an animal at a zoo."
"I was not!"
"Right."
I might as well ask. "Why did you kiss me?"
His brow furrowed as though he were trying to remember what I was referring to. Of course, he had forgotten. I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep for a week, and he had thrown it to the back of his mind.
"At the courthouse." My tone was hurried, betraying my embarrassment.
A small smile played on his lips, which disappeared as soon as it appeared. "Isn't that what a bride and groom do after they exchange vows?"
"You know the kiss I am talking about!"
He raised his eyebrows as though to say, 'What kiss?'. The asshole. Then, his face brightened with realization. "Oh, that? That was just a distraction."
Just?"A distraction? Couldn't you think of better ways to distract the dean that didn't include your lips on mine?"
"Sorry, I'm not so quick on my feet. That's what I thought would be fitting in the moment. No one glances twice at a bride and groom kissing when there are so many. But I thought you were fine with it. Were you not?"
"No. I mean, yes." I inhaled. "I mean, I don't mind you kissing me." That came out wrong. His pupils dilated, taking in the deeper meaning my words suggested. "What I want to say is, Ididnot mind you kissing methen."
"What about at some point in the future? Would you have any issues with me kissing you then, or was our wedding day the last time I tasted your lips?"
My pulse raced at the thought of being kissed by him again. Why did he have to put it like that?A recurring image started playing in my mind. Me getting up from my seat, getting into his lap and claiming his lips again. It would be the most natural thing for a married couple to do, but we weren't just any married couple.
I shifted in my seat. "I think it's better if we stick to the terms of our agreement."
"So no more kisses? What if a similar situation happens again?"
"You will have to think of other ways of distracting people. My lips are off limits." His gaze trailed to my mouth, and his eyes darkened. Feeling self-conscious under his scrutinizing gaze, I darted my tongue to wet my lips. His eyes darkened. Suddenly, he jerked up from his seat. I was sure his next step was towards me, but instead, he slid into the aisle and marched to the bathroom. When he came back, he took a different seat, one several feet away from me. A few moments later, the flight attendant came to take his things and gave them to him.
I took out my tablet and tried to read a book. I swiped through the romance books that filled my Kindle app and chose something that had nothing to do with a sexy professor and a teaching assistant who secretly wanted him to bone her.No Country for Old Men. Good.
A few hours later, we landed in London. I thought Levi had booked hotel rooms, but a driver and car, identical to Bradley Jones's, whisked us to a Chelsea apartment upon our arrival. Did the Hawthorne family have clones of the same people everywhere?
