Page 49 of Make-Believe Match

I sighed loudly, pitting my pride against the orgasms he’d given me the night we met.

It was not a fair fight.

“I’m asking you to sleep in the bed with me,” I said quietly.

“What’s that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

I clenched my teeth and spoke louder. “I’maskingyou to sleep in the bed with me.”

“That’s better.” He got off the couch and walked around to the far side. “So how do you feel about my pants?”

“Your pants?”

“Yes. I seem to recall a rule about not undressing in front of each other. But I’d rather not sleep in my pants. Could you maybe close your eyes?”

“Just take them off,” I said irritably. “I don’t care.”

He slipped them off while I pretended I wasn’t watching, pretended my heart wasn’t pounding, pretended my lady bits weren’t tingling with anticipation. Then he climbed into the bed, pulling the covers to his waist.

I turned onto my side, facing him. I scooted a little closer to the center of the bed.

He stayed right where he was, lying on his back.

At this point, I was seething. “You’re going to stay all the way over there?”

“Seems prudent. Unless you’d like to break another rule.”

My pulse quickened. “Which one did you have in mind?”

“Well, if I move any closer to you, I’ll definitely be tempted to kiss you, and since that falls under the no-sex rule umbrella, I suppose that’s the one I was thinking about.”

I stretched out one leg. My toes found his calf. “What if I said we could break that rule?”

“Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. I mean, it does seem a bit silly,” I said, my arm snaking across the few inches of remaining space between us. When I felt his torso, I moved my hand over his abdomen. The muscles tensed beneath my palm. “We’ve already done it.”

“That’s true,” he said. “And we weren’t even married then.”

“Exactly.” I tucked myself along his side, slid my hand lower on his hip—and stopped. “Wait, you’re naked already?”

“You watched me take off my pants.”

“I know, but it was dark. I thought you had underwear on.”

“I like to sleep naked.” Suddenly he flipped me onto my back, pinning my wrists above my shoulders. His cock pressed into my hip, thick and hard. “Just so I’m clear—all rules are out the window?”

“All except one.”

“And which one is that?”

“The one about the end date for the marriage. That rule stays in place.” I didn’t want there to be any confusion about that.

“So you mean, we can essentially enjoy no-strings-attached sex for a few months while we save your family’s resort and fuck over my former company?”

“Yes.”

“Well. You drive a hard bargain, Alexandra McIntyre, but I think I can agree to those terms.” He grinned. “Congratulations on closing the deal.”