Page 29 of The Husband Contract
“Really?” She looks at me and shakes her head. “A work thing, huh?”
“Yes, it was.” I tuck my phone into my back pocket and walk over to her, a playful grin on my face. “Now, where were we?”
“I don’t know.” She frowns, and the light banter we’d had before the call is now gone.
“I think I was about to pick you up and carry you to the field,” I say, reaching for her arms.
“What are you doing?” She starts laughing. “Put me down!”
“I thought a dainty young thing like you would want to be carried.”
“Oh,” she says, looking up at me, her eyes laughing as she stares into my face.
“Yeah. Don’t you just feel like there’s magic in the air tonight?”
She stops wriggling against me, then nods slowly, her lips parted as she looks up into my eyes. I press my lips against hers again. I want to deepen the kiss—to slip my tongue into her mouth and place my hand beneath her shirt. I want to have her naked on the ground, to take her hard and fast. But of course, I can’t. I won’t do any of those things. Not yet. Step four is to ensure that she doesn’t think that this is just a sex thing. I let her down slowly and kiss the tip of her nose.
“There’s something about you,” I murmur. “Something in the way you move—something you do that drives me crazy, Willow.”
“Oh, yeah?” she says softly, her eyes wide, and I watch as she licks her lips. She nods slowly, tilts her head to the side, and then murmurs. “I think there’s something about you that drives me crazy, too.”
“I hope so,” I whisper under my breath and grab her hand to pull her close. “Tonight, let’s look at the stars and enjoy each other's company,” I say. “Let’s thank the universefor our meeting again. Let’s just enjoy each other's company....” My voice trails off as she leans into me, gazing at me incredulously. She looks delighted and happy. She looks like she’s in bliss, and I want to clap. I want to present her with an Academy Award because her acting skills are superb. She could be the next Viola Davis or Meryl Streep. The sad part for her is that I’m smarter than most of the men she works over. I’m smart enough to know this is all a game to her. Only this time, she’s the one who is going to get burned.
Chapter Seven
Willow
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Sebastian says as he steps out of my car. He peers through the window and offers me a warm, seductive smile, his brown eyes glittering in the night. “Would you like to come up to my room for a nightcap?” he asks, licking his lips. I know exactly what he’s asking, and while I loved the evening stargazing, I am not ready to sleep with him. Emphasis on thenot really sleepingpart.
“Thanks, but I should get home,” I say softly, offering him a warm smile, my heart racing. Of course, I want to go back to the room with him. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life. I want to touch him, to feel him, to be touched and felt by him. But I barely know him, and I’m still unsure how to feel about how sweet and romantic he has been thus far. He’s absolutely perfect. He’s handsome,he’s hot, he’s warm, he’s caring, and he seems to genuinely want to get to know me. He acts like he’s attracted to me and like he wants to take care of me. But I just don’t understandwhyhe wants me. I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world, and we haven’t gotten to know each other that well yet.
“I should get home,” I say again. “I know that Katherine and Brielle are waiting for me.” I want to dissect every inch of the evening with them and get their feedback. Maybe this is just love at first sight. Maybe when you know, you just know. Maybe my luck has really changed, and this wonderful, gorgeous man is here to save me from my pitiful life. “I’m glad you had a great evening, though. Whispering Haven is such a beautiful town. I’ve never really gone stargazing before, and I appreciate you for showing me the stars.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, stepping back and closing the door. “I had a really great time with you tonight.”
“And me with you,” I say, grinning. “Oh, did you know what you wanted for breakfast tomorrow?”
“I was hoping that we’d have breakfast together,” he says, laughing and running his fingers through his hair. I laugh back, because that’s definitely not going to happen, but I like that he put the truth out there. I love how honest he is.
“What about Dutch pancakes?” he says. “With apples.”
“Sounds yummy.” I have no idea what Dutch pancakes are.
“And maybe some roasted pecans on top?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Dutch pancakes with apples and roasted pecans, of course.”
“And maybe some fresh-brewed coffee. With African coffee beans, if you have them?”
“Yeah, I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’lldouble-check.” I smile at him, my heart racing. This is getting very specific. “Anything else?” I’m praying to God that he says no, because I know we don’t have African coffee beans. We have Nespresso and instant. We also have flour and eggs, but we certainly don’t have any pecans. I’ll have to go to the grocery store after I look up a recipe because I have no idea what Dutch pancakes even are.
“That’s all, thank you. By the way, who’s working the front desk tonight? If Katherine and Brielle are at home waiting on you…” He raises a single eyebrow, and I can tell by the look on his face that he’s confused. “I thought it was just the three of you that worked here.”
“Oh, yeah, I mean, we are the main workers. There’s one girl, Mandy, who picks up overnight shifts.” I smile at him. “She works in the village and helps out at the front desk, but she won’t do anything other than stand behind the desk. I’m pretty sure she plays games on her phone and watches Netflix on her laptop while she works.” I groan slightly. “But it is what it is.”
“You haven’t thought about hiring more people?”
“Well…” I shrug. “It’s a money thing. Maybe when we pick up.” I don’t want to tell him that I have no power over who’s hired or not. I’m the manager, soI shouldhave power, but Charlotte doesn’t give me any say. I’m not going to tell him that Mandy was Charlotte’s best friend in high school, but they grew apart. I also am not going to tell him that Charlotte feels like she did a good deed by hiring Mandy, even though Mandy is pretty useless and often messes up reservations when she uses the system. However, I don’t want to give Sebastian my pitiful story. I am fed up with telling my pitiful story to people. I want my life to be different,
