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“I’m kind of tired. Do you mind if I just call it a night?”
He looked down at the floor for a moment before replying, “I don’t mind.”
“Good night then.”
“Night, Mer.”
She walked down the hallway to her room, feeling his eyes on her. She wanted to look back at him, but she kept moving. She just needed some alone time to clear her head, to work, to get her mind on anything other than his lips against hers.
In the morning, Merritt rushed out to work before Gus awoke. The sun was barely up, but better to get some work out of the way than lie there awake, dwelling on what had happened at the restaurant.
The office was empty except for her on this early Saturday morning. A few weekend employees would soon arrive to man the counter at her little boutique off the lobby, but for now, it was quiet. There were last minute things to take care of before she was whisked off to wintery Montana for the week of wedding festivities. Mostly preparations for a work trip to London the day after they were scheduled to return.
That wasn’t really why she had come there early, though. The kiss had made her nervous. So much that she had considered bowing out of part of the trip and meeting up with Gus later. But their agreement stated that she accompany him to family events to make the marriage appear legitimate, so she knew that wasn’t an option.
She wondered if Gus had thought much about their kiss. He had seemed so cool about the whole thing. But then, he had kissed a lot of girls in the past, so it probably meant nothing to him. It was pretend, after all.
If she was going to get through this year, she would have to learn to detach from the situation. Because she was certain that once they reached Montana, their lips were going to have to touch again several times. And the more it happened, the more she would want it to happen and that would only confuse things.
Her experience with guys was limited. She’d dated a couple of guys in high school and had one boyfriend in college, but none had ever been serious. And she hadn’t gotten very physical with any of them. Her focus had been on classes rather than a social life. It’s how she got where she was today—focus, determination, and drive.
But there was a part of her that regretted closing herself off and not taking a little time out of her college years for fun. Sometimes, she was lonely and longed for someone in her life. It wasn’t something she felt often, but it was there. That desire to be with someone, to do life with them.
Lately, that desire seemed to be met by her friendship with Gus. It was an unexpected side effect of spending time together in their fake marriage. She actually felt closer to him than she had any of her ex-boyfriends. Any of her friends, really. It was a little unnerving. Especially when other feelings were starting to creep their way in.
She straightened up and turned her attention to her computer. There could be no real relationship with Gus. That’s not what all this was about. He was going to get back into his family’s business, and she was going to take Merritt Cosmetics worldwide.
She’d already taken the first steps toward getting her products approved for sale in other countries. There was a lot of testing and red tape that had to be sifted through when it came to international business, but she’d hired savvy people to help her through it all. And this trip to meet with her new London team had her giddy.
Around lunchtime, her phone signaled a text from Gus.
Are you working all day?
She texted back that she’d be a couple more hours, and he replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on her office door, and she glanced up to see Gus’s smiling face.
“Hey, who let you in here?” she teased.
“I flashed my wedding ring.”
She laughed.
He pulled a bag out from behind his back then, revealing the lunch he had brought for her.
Her heart warmed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” He went about pulling the food from within and arranging it on the corner of her desk. “I didn’t know what you were in the mood for, so I got you a veggie wrap …” He held it out, and she wrinkled her nose. “And a burger and fries.”
Her face lit up. “Yes, please.”
She hadn’t realized how hungry she was, and her mouth watered at the sight. She’d left the apartment so quickly, she hadn’t taken time to eat a proper breakfast, and the coffee she’d picked up on her way in was definitely not cutting it anymore.
Gus stood beside her desk, and she glanced up at him as she unwrapped the burger.
“Did you get yourself something or are you just going to watch me eat?”
“I ate at home.”