Page 49 of Merry Fake Bride

I get the distinct impression he chose that word carefully.

“But if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, then please don’t be afraid to tell me.” He speaks earnestly, and despite the pull I feel toward him, the alarms rise in my mind.

I’ve been tricked by sweet words before.

Is it cruel to paint Kairo with the same brush as Axel?

They’re as different as night and day, and yet the fear implanted in me just won’t leave me alone.

I look at Kairo and every lick of desire that curls around my heart is chased by the rampant possibilities of danger.

“You haven’t. If anything, you’ve been overly attentive.”

“For your enemy,” he teases.

“Exactly. This is warfare I can get behind, though. All that’s missing is snow outside and a Christmas tree in the corner and we have the perfect battlefield.”

Kairo’s gaze flicks to the far corner of the room and the corners of his mouth turn down faintly. “Indeed.”

As I drink, a deep tiredness starts to rise inside me, but I find myself wanting to stay awake and keep talking.

Kairo’s voice resonates through me like a gentle vibration as he explains why he was out in New York for so long.

I never thought I would be so interested in boring meetings until Kairo started talking.

I drink and I listen until a shiver steals across me and I groan.

I blink and Kairo’s on his feet, walking toward me with a blanket in hand.

“Here,” he says gently as he stands over me and unfurls the fabric. “This will help.”

He’s so tall.

Insanely tall.

He’s like a god that’s fallen from the stars and I can’t stop staring at how the fluffy softness of his hair makes him look utterly adorable.

“I’m going to drape this over your lap. Is that okay?”

I’m dragged from my admiration by his question. Is he asking permission to come in contact with me?

I gaze up at him in wonder.

The fire behind him darkens his entire form as he waits for my answer, but instead of intimidation, there’s nothing but comfort in his eyes.

“Yeah,” I say hoarsely, unable to think of anything else.

Kairo leans forward and down, draping the blanket over my lap and around my waist.

As he tucks it in, he leans so close that I can see a few freckles across his face, so I track them like a dot-to-dot with my eyes.

His touch to my legs as he tucks the blanket in is very light and brief, but then he hovers before me and locks eyes with me.

“Do you need any painkillers or anything for your arm?”

My pulse begins to race and my mouth runs dry.

He’s so close I can smell him, and it makes my mouth water.