Page 49 of His Little Secret in Discretion
“About you being on time? Not a chance.”
I shot him a glare, and he rolled his eyes. “The deal is locked in. All you need to do is charm, nod, and shut the fuck up when the grown-ups talk. And for the love of God, leave the girl at the hotel.”
I froze, my brain short-circuiting. “What girl?”
He didn’t look up. “Don’t be coy. I have eyes and ears everywhere. The press already spotted you in the hotel lobby with a London bombshell, making you Mr. Worldwide.”
“They’re calling me Pitbull?” I asked, flabbergasted, and he nearly growled.
“The point is this deal needs your full attention. No scandals. No more tabloid photos. And definitely no women making headlines.”
I nodded slowly, like I understood. But inside, my pulse spiked. His tone made it clear—he still didn’t know aboutmygirl. My Sunshine. My secret.
I stood, raking a hand through my hair to cover the fact that I was seconds from spiraling.
“Got it,” I said coolly. “Charm. Nod. Absolutely no engagement with the opposite sex.”
Killian sighed like I was the bane of his existence. “Next time, try to act like you mean what you say.”
I grinned with no regrets.“No promises.”
Chapter nineteen
Maia
Smoothing out the dark burgundy mini dress, I adjusted the straps as my curled pony bounced with every move. I stared at myself in the mirror, pressing my palms against the cool marble of the vanity as my dark red lips complemented the blinding earrings and necklace that was quite literally as bright as the North Star. Blaine had picked it out, of course.
His taste was flamboyant. He told me if he was going to have the best-looking woman in the room on his arm, I’d better give the guys a reason to stare. A man secure in his masculinity, good-looking, idiotically funny—and somehow, I was still trying to figure out how he was real; still trying to come to terms with the fact that I was across the world, living it up, when only a short time ago I’d been on the brink of collapse.
“You know,” came his voice from behind me, lazy and low, “I was trying to behave tonight.”
My eyes flicked to the mirror. He was leaning against the bathroom doorframe, arms crossed, suit half done, tie hanging loose, shirt open just enough to tease skin I shouldn’t have been thinking about.
“You don’t look like you’re trying very hard,” I said, adjusting one of the earrings and turning my head just enough to catch the sparkle. His silence lingered, his gaze steady, and finally I turned to face him, hand on my hip. “Shouldn’t you be panicking about your billion-dollar meeting instead of drooling over me?”
“Darling, I’m a man of many talents. Surely I can manage to do both,” he murmured, approaching me with all the charm and sex appeal in Europe.
He reached for me, brushing a finger down my arm until he caught my hand. Lifting it, he pressed a kiss to my knuckles, then my wrist.
“Still time to cancel,” he murmured sensually against my skin, and I could only roll my eyes at his antics.
“And give Killian a stroke?” I murmured.
He raised an eyebrow. “Tempting.”
He lingered for a moment, and my smile faltered for just a second, something unsteady pulsing in my chest. But as quick as it came… it was gone.
Blaine must’ve felt the shift because he tilted his head. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said too quickly. “Just… weird feeling.”
“Cold feet?”
“I didn’t get the memo we were getting married, Mr. Porter.”
He hummed, lowering my hand as he pushed my curly bang away from my face.
“You want to stay? You know I won’t force my pillow princess to do anything she doesn’t want to do…”
