Page 47 of The Fake Husband Deal

Noah’s eyes opened wide. “Good thing nothing’s really happening between us. Those kids have elephant ears, and only you and I need to know how much I love it when you?—”

I covered his mouth with my hand. “Don’t finish that sentence for the love of all that is holy. Go get changed for dinner.”

“Yes, sir…” he purred.

Fucked. I was fucked.

If I managed to get through this weekend unscathed, how would I survive the next few months, possibly longer, with Noah by my side?

Noah

Itossed and turned all night, and in the end, I just sat in bed, staring at the beautiful view outside the hotel.

The fountains stayed on all night. Who’d have guessed?

Not that I could hear anything. The windows must be soundproofed and everyone else was asleep, leaving me wide awake with only my thoughts for company, which was never a good thing.

When I wasn’t looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, I focused on the carpet pattern. The longer I looked at it, the more it looked like it was moving.

I watched the sun rise from behind the buildings in front of our hotel. It was its own show of light and color.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Lior came in. He was already dressed. A three-piece suit, no tie, with the top two buttons undone. His hair was perfectly styled. He was a walking dream.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He dropped down on the bed facing me.

“You couldn’t sleep either?”

I shook my head. “I never thought I’d get married. It was a decision I made a long time ago. Last night, I was thinking this is the only time I’ll ever get married. I should be angry with myself for breaking my promise to twenty-two-year-old Noah.”

“Are you?”

“No. I’m fucking scared of messing up my lines, of making you look like a fool, of not looking like I’m a good husband. I’m scared of not being good enough, even as a fake husband.”

Lior leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. “Oh, Noah. You really don’t know how special you are, do you?”

I shrugged, but in his embrace, it wasn’t much.

He pulled back until our faces were just inches apart.

“I want to make a deal with you. We can call it the fake husband deal. We have each other’s backs no matter what. Our relationship will be based on loyalty and honesty. If there is something we need to talk about, we will. No matter what. I already respect and care for you far more than I do men I’ve considered marrying in the past. If this all gets too big, we’ll talk to each other and figure a way out. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Good.”

He placed a chaste kiss on my lips and held one of my hands open. He dropped two cufflinks on my palm and closed my fingers around them.

“These belonged to my grandfather. He made them as a gift for my father when they opened their first office. My father gave them to me when I graduated from college, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to pass them on to.”

“Lior.” I shook my head. I couldn’t accept the gift.