Chapter 16
His eyes narrowed. “You think you know me based on what? One rescue and a dinner?”
“I know that someone who truly believed love was meaningless wouldn’t care so much about protecting himself from
it.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought I’d pushed too far.
“You’re an interesting woman, Olivia Morgan,” he said finally.
“Is that a compliment?”
“An observation.” His lips curved in an infuriating half-smile.
I gripped the railing tighter, feeling the cool metal ground me. The city lights twinkled below us like a mirror image of the night sky, but all I could focus on was the heat radiating from Alexander’s body.
“I want to ask you two things,” I said, turning to face him fully.
His eyebrows rose slightly. “I’m all ears.”
“First, back at the presentation, you said ‘it’s been a long time.’ Why? We’d literally met less than a week before.” Alexander leaned against the railing, his shoulder brushing mine. “Preparation. I couldn’t exactly acknowledge that we’d met while you were crying over your cheating boyfriend. I was creating our cover story early.”
“You were that confident I’d say yes to your insane proposal?”
“I’m always prepared for multiple scenarios.”
“Right,” I rolled my eyes. “And my second question. In your message, you said, ‘Be my girlfriend for the night.’ But this…” I gestured between us, “has been just dinner. Nothing else.”
voice dropped lower, sending shivers across my skin. “Do you want more than
way he said my name made my nipples tighten against the thin fabric of my dress. I stepped back, needing distance from his intoxicating
glancing at my watch.
home,” he
can
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16:43
“How can I possibly let my wife leave
I snapped. “And I
as if that was the only word
him back through the penthouse, my heels clicking against the marble floors.
table: empty wine glasses, half-eaten
said as we stepped into the
“Which one?”
locked with mine in the mirrored walls of
flushed. “What exactly
was like velvet. “I’m
sealing us in the confined space together. My heart hammered
wall, putting as much distance between
closer,
around me like an invisible hand, pulling me toward him. My back pressed against the elevator wall, and I felt the cool metal
my ribs, “I’ve got pepper spray in my
remember. You mentioned it in
sure we’re
feel the heat radiating from his body. “Though I wonder why you feel the need
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