Page 109 of Merry Fake Bride

I’ve never seen the moon so big in the city before.

Once the snow stopped, the skies cleared and the most pristine, dark sky opened up to the glittering moon and the thousands of stars dotted all around.

It’s so beautiful that even the cold is kept at bay while I stand on the balcony of Kairo’s penthouse.

It was easier to come here after spending three more hours at that gala.

A trip all the way home was simply too exhausting to think about and I felt slightly guilty that Martin would be the poor soul driving me around. He deserves a break as much as I do.

“Devon?”

Kairo’s voice drifts from inside the penthouse, so I turn my body, causing the skirt of my dress to spiral around my legs. “I’m here.”

He walks around the corner and my heart skips a beat.

The well-dressed, expertly tailored man is disheveled now, with his tie hanging loose around his neck, his shirt open halfway down his chest giving me a tantalizing glimpse at the top of his abs, and his belt gone from his waist.

“Careful,” he says softly as he approaches. “I don’t want you to catch a chill.”

“It’s actually nice,” I assure him. “I don’t feel cold at all.”

He joins me on the balcony, his smile relaxed and easy. “That’ll be the heated stone.”

“Is everything you own heated?”

“What can I say?” His dark eyes sparkle, reflecting the little white lights dotted around the balcony’s railing. “I like my comforts.”

His eyes remind me of the sky up above, pitch black except for the twinkling stars, and my heart beats a little faster. “Was the gala a success?”

Kairo’s mouth twists to the side. “Depends on what you would call a success. Most would say yes because my mother went home happy.”

“And what about you? Would you say it’s a success?”

“I came home with a beautiful woman.” His gaze locks onto mine. “So yes, I would say so.”

Warmth flushes my cheeks and I’m forced to look away before I say something silly.

This entire night has felt magical, but none of it even compares to how that kiss felt on the veranda after Kairo told me how he felt.

Knowing he’s truly interested in me, a man like him? I must have died on the way to the party.

“Come on.” His soft voice gently draws me from my thoughts. “I set up a room for you.”

“What a gentleman.” A room of my own.

There’s no expectation for me to do or give him anything.

He invited me here and set up my own room without my asking.

He’s respected my boundaries since the day we met and hasn’t questioned them once.

Moreover, he’s never made a big deal out of any of it.

I follow Kairo through his penthouse to a large room with a gigantic bed situated in the middle hugging the far wall.

Directly across from the door are two glass doors draped in sheer white curtains that drift lazily in the warmth radiating from the heater near the floor.

Beyond the doors, an untouched balcony twinkles and glitters with snow.