Page 20 of Island Guardian (Brookwell Island #7)

“Rhett?” she prompted. “Is the truth so difficult?”

“No. There’s so much, I don’t know where to start,” he replied. “The truth is I am attracted to you. Have been from the start.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What nonsense. I must’ve been eight when we met.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe not from the start .” He tried to laugh it off. Tried to hide how deeply she affected him. “I meant in school.”

“No, no.” She folded her arms over her chest. “You hated me when we were in France.”

“Well, you weren’t too fond of me either,” he reminded her.

“I-I had reasons. But this, here and now,” she tapped her foot, “is about you . Please tell me what’s in it for you. I feel this situation is terribly one-sided.

“Why can’t you accept that it’s good teamwork? We’re supporting each other.”

“How?” she insisted. “How would our wedding equate to me supporting you?”

If she couldn’t accept his sincere attraction as a starting point, he had to find an alternative.

He latched onto the only excuse that fit.

“My mom has been pushing me to find a nice girl and settle down. As your husband, I’ll buffer you from your parents and you’ll be doing the same thing for me. ”

On a much smaller scale, of course, but he wouldn’t mess up a good answer.

This unexpected opportunity was a chance to be close to someone.

All his life, he’d made friends easily. Deep relationships were more of a struggle.

Romance? Well, dating seemed to get all twisted up in a hurry and instead of improving, only grew more complicated in recent years.

Most women liked to go out and be seen with him, hoping to juice up their influencer status.

Sometimes, it was worse and they were clearly after the fortune they believed he controlled.

He didn’t like going out with one eye watching for a woman’s true motive to reveal itself.

He was becoming cynical and he wasn’t sure how to reset the way he viewed the world and romance.

A man couldn’t go through life expecting the worst from the person closest to him.

Trina was different. Just as he called her out, he had a feeling she would quickly cure him of his jaded attitude.

She wasn’t a random date, she was a known quantity.

This was his chance to develop something sincere and true.

The circumstances were unexpected, but it didn’t matter.

He was heart and soul invested in her and he was sure they could find happiness together.

Whatever she had endured, he wanted to make it better.

“Hm.” She tapped a finger to her lips, then smiled at him. “That I understand. Harper and I were sure you weren’t getting the pressure our parents were putting on us.”

“Well.” His gaze dipped to her mouth and he jerked it back up to her eyes. “I do my best to keep the focus and pressure on her,” he admitted. Her quick laugh was a wonderful reward. “But I’ve been getting an earful lately about my duty to the family line.”

Trina shook her head. “Sometimes I think my parents are locked in a time capsule. It’s absurd. There is more to life than procreation. ”

The stubborn set of her mouth made him smile. “True enough. Are you satisfied?”

She sucked in a quick breath, her eyes going wide and this time, her gaze fell to his mouth.

“By my answer,” he said deliberately. He shouldn’t provoke her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

“Yes.” She straightened her shoulders. “What you’ve said makes me feel better.”

Spoken by the woman who clearly was not interested in him in all the ways he was interested in her. It would worry him more if he was convinced it was a lost cause.

But occasionally, he saw glimmers of attraction. He could build on that. Slowly. Over time. He wished she’d tell him the whole story about Gallo. “I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Will you tell me what happened with Gallo?” At her gasp, he rushed on, “Not tonight. Once I’ve earned your trust. We have plenty of time. It’s not like we’re going to tell anyone the truth of our arrangement within weeks of the wedding.”

“Please, no. That would backfire,” she agreed. “Luca has embarrassed me enough for one lifetime. I won’t let him take credit for my first short marriage too.”

Rhett had to work to keep his reactions under control.

It was more confirmation of his worst fears.

He had to warn her of his suspicions. “We won’t let that happen.

Though you should know that his behavior today has surely drawn attention.

Being a jerk at Ellington properties is a fast way to get on the Guardian Agency watch list. They take Ellington security seriously. ”

“But I’m not an Ellington,” she said.

“You will be in less than twenty-four hours,” he reminded her.

Her lips formed a perfect “O” that he found way too tempting. He cleared his throat and moved toward the kitchen. Standing so close to her tested his restraint. He didn’t want to give her any reason to ever be wary of him.

“I’ll turn in.” He slipped her business phone into his pocket. She could stay connected with her staff through email on her laptop. “Do you need anything?”

“There won’t be a rehearsal of any kind, right?” she asked, still standing in front of the couch.

“Do you think we need one? The captain will walk us through while we sail. And Ilsa will be right there if something comes up. It’s just going to be the four of us and the crew.”

She chewed on her lip. “And a photographer, yes?”

“Yes.” What was worrying her? “And we’ll have candid shots from Ilsa and Max too.”

She exhaled sharply. “I just need to say it.” She stared him down. “The captain will tell us to kiss, right? The ‘you may kiss the bride’ line at the end.”

His entire body went on alert. “Yes. Unless we ask him not to.” He was primed, every cell in his body, already eager for that kiss. Until she sagged with relief. “We’ll tell him to skip it,” he said in a rush. “Couples who elope don’t usually have the event as well documented as we will anyway.”

She rubbed her palms on her hips. “No, Rhett. He can’t skip it.” Once more, she was walking toward him. “Just kiss me. I need to get comfortable with it.”

He was frozen, rooted to the spot. “Not for me,” he said, ignoring the voice in his head that was clamoring for her attention and affection.

“Yes. For both of us. Please. Ilsa and Max might have suspicions about our story, but we can’t allow anyone else to have doubts.” Her tongue slid over her rosy lips. “I trust you, Rhett, or I wouldn’t be here.” She smiled, the expression fraught. “You may kiss the bride.”

She was adorable. Her face tipped up and her lips puckered. Her eyes were not closed. No, she was watching him carefully. Her claims of trust were weak at best. He didn’t fault her for it, but he sure wouldn’t let her down.

“We’ll probably be holding hands at that point,” he said. He’d been at a buddy’s wedding a few months back and after the exchange of rings they continued to hold hands when the minister said those very words.

You may kiss the bride.

She offered her hands to him. “Okay, go.”

He supported her hands, felt the hint of a tremor. “You’re sure? Because we really don’t?—”

“Do it already,” she demanded.

“Yes ma’am.” With her watching his every move, he slowly bent his head, giving her plenty of time to pull away or call a halt before his lips touched hers.

He took stock of every detail, the incredible depths of her brown eyes, her shallow breaths, the sweet softness of her lips.

The bolt of awareness shot through him, shocking and soothing at the same time. That was brand new. And far more inspiring than a brief, innocent kiss should be.

He eased back, his gaze still locked with hers. “Will that work?”

Her tongue slipped over her lips again. “Yes. Thanks.”

“Okay.” He tucked his hands in his pockets. It was the only way to keep from touching her. “Good night, Trina.”

“Good night,” her response floated softly behind him.

Although his suite was roomy, he heard every sound as she got ready for bed, including the squeak of his mattress springs.

Every sound amped up his desire, left him aching for more.

In an unlikely decision that startled him even as it settled on his heart, he vowed to win her over. And make this marriage real.