Page 25 of The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4)

SIMON MILLER

Holy shit!

That was not how I’d expected to start my day.

Not that I was complaining. My toes tingled while everything else felt so damn relaxed.

This was one of the many reasons people had boyfriends.

However, now that I was so relaxed and happy, I had no desire to get out of bed.

Maybe this wasn’t the best way to begin a day you hoped would be productive, but it was a fine way to kick off what could be a lazy Sunday.

The key thing was to find a way to parlay this into a lazy, cozy day with Pierce where we lounged about, ate comfort food, and had more sexy times.

My brain was still turning this newly formed idea around when Pierce leaped off the bed, tucked himself into his pants, and bolted to the adjoining bathroom. Yeah, I should probably do something like that as well.

I stuffed my softening cock into my underwear and borrowed sleep pants.

I wrinkled my nose at the cold cum drying on my hand.

It would have been sexy to lick it off in the heat of the moment since it was Pierce’s, but he wasn’t on the bed with me any longer.

Felt kind of superfluous now. Besides, I’d rather suck it straight from the source.

“Hey! Do you have plans for the day?” I called out as Pierce disappeared into the bathroom.

The only answer was the running of the water from the faucet.

He must not have heard me. I sighed and stretched, enjoying the chance to laze about a while longer.

Last night had not gone how I’d planned.

Pierce was right in that I’d put too much pressure on myself regarding his parents.

For him, this might all be an act, but it wasn’t to me.

I might be his fake boyfriend right now, but I planned to turn this temporary gig into the real thing.

If I were to accomplish that, I would need his parents to like me.

While the orchestra’s conductor had arranged the music for this weekend’s performance, I had begged months ago to include the piece by Tchaikovsky because it was one of my favorites.

It was the only way I was going to get through playing Mozart without wanting to blow my brains out.

However, I’d needed to brush up on the Tchaikovsky because I hadn’t played it in years.

Add in the stress of meeting Pierce’s parents, trying to win my stubborn bastard, and writing my own concerto, and I just might have cracked a teeny tiny bit.

It didn’t happen all that often anymore, but it was often enough that I knew I needed to sleep for about sixteen hours and survive on any food that could be left on my doorstep and didn’t require me to say two words to anyone.

By the time I reemerged from my cocoon of blankets and carbs, I’d be mostly human and able to hold an intelligent conversation.

After a couple of minutes in the bathroom, Pierce returned to the bedroom carrying a washcloth in one hand and a towel draped over one arm.

“I brought you this. Unless you’d rather take a shower,” he said, sounding so very awkward and unsure. It wasn’t his tone that bothered me, it was the stern lines cutting across his face and the way he no longer met my gaze.

Yeah, this was more like what I’d been expecting from him. I wanted to groan and sigh at him, but there was no point. We had to go through the motions of his panicking.

“This is fine,” I replied with forced cheerfulness. At least he’d gone to the trouble of warming the water. I wiped off and handed him the damp cloth before snatching up the towel. “I asked you earlier what your plans were for the day.”

“Oh. Um…I’m not sure. I have some meetings on Monday that I need to prepare for.” His words were mumbled as he accepted the towel from me only to hurry to deposit both items in the bathroom.

I almost snorted. I was one of those meetings he had on Monday, but I doubted he remembered.

“Do you want to do something? Grab lunch? Or dinner?” I glanced around the room for a clock. I had no idea whether it was early morning or late afternoon. The second sleep had claimed me, I’d been dead.

“Simon.”

Here it comes…

“We shouldn’t have done this.”

I adored Pierce, but there were moments when he was painfully predictable. Every time the man broke one of his rules or colored the tiniest bit outside the lines, he freaked out.

Drawing in a deep breath, I forced on an overly bright smile and blinked wide eyes at him as he returned from the bathroom. “Why?”

“What?”

“Why?” I repeated. “Why shouldn’t we have done this? We’re both adults capable of making grown-up decisions about our bodies and our love lives. Why shouldn’t we have done this and a hell of a lot more?”

“Simon! The age gap between us is ridiculous.” He held out his hands to me as if what he was saying was the most obvious thing in the world. “You weren’t even a teenager while I was in college.”

“That’s the most ludicrous excuse, and you know it. There are eight fucking years between us. Not ten, twenty, or even thirty years. Eight . Not even double digits. That’s not a gap. It’s an age crevice. A crack. An age cranny .”

“Simon—”

“Don’t come at me with this weak-ass bullshit.

You’re a lawyer, for God’s sake. If your opening argument in any case was this pathetic, the judge would have kicked the lawsuit out,” I snapped.

I hadn’t meant to lose my temper so fast, but we’d just had this wonderful moment, and he was already backpedaling.

Why couldn’t he let me enjoy it for a few more minutes?

“The age gap isn’t the only thing between us. You’re Sawyer’s little brother. It’s like you’ve been my own?—”

I shoved to my feet and stomped to him, one threatening finger extended at his face.

“Finish that sentence, and I swear to fuck I will punch you. We’re not family.

I’ve never seen you as family, and you’ve never seen me like that.

The single bullshit reason I’m even slightly willing to entertain is that you feel an obligation to look out for me because you were such good friends with my brother.

However ”—I paused, letting that word hang in the air as I glared at him—“seeing as I am now a full-grown adult with my own job, car, and credit cards, I don’t need a protective older brother deciding who I can and can’t fuck. ”

“It’s more than an obligation. I promised Sawyer years ago that I would protect you.”

“And I’d say you’ve fulfilled that promise. You, Sebastian, and the others helped me through my horrible teen years and college. Made sure I didn’t get into too much trouble or get myself killed. Good job. You can hang up your protective older brother hat and switch to being my sexy boyfriend.”

“I can’t.” Those two words were rough, like tree limbs snapped in a brutal thunderstorm.

“Why? You’re attracted to me. I’ve felt it in every kiss. In how you look at me.”

Pierce turned away from me so I couldn’t clearly see his face, but what I could make out was pain. “I…believe you can do better than me.”

“Better?” I laughed. It couldn’t be stopped. “How could I do better? You’re handsome, brilliant, compassionate, snarky as hell, and disturbingly honest for a lawyer. I?—”

My words stopped when I saw him flinch at the last item on my list. What was he hiding? I mean, I’d always known he was hiding something, but it had physically hurt him to have me describe him as honest.

Sawyer.

This had to do with Sawyer.

My brother was the only person I could think of who had the power to turn Pierce inside out.

“Is this Sawyer’s fault?” I demanded.

Pierce snapped around to face me, and I swore I saw panic in his wide eyes before he could hide it away. “What? What are you talking about? How could this be his fault?”

“I don’t know, but you’ve wanted nothing to do with me since his death. Were you and he secretly dating? Sawyer always claimed to be straight, and he was fucking loud about it, but was he hiding a relationship with you?”

“No! Absolutely not. My relationship with Sawyer was always platonic. He was my best friend. Practically an older brother to me.”

With my teeth clenched hard enough to make my jaw ache, I glared at him.

He sounded as though he was telling the truth, but I still struggled to believe it.

If Pierce and Sawyer had had feelings for each other, it would have made things weird if Sawyer’s brother was hitting on him.

But even if that was the case, all that had happened more than ten years ago. Was it still an issue?

It didn’t make any sense to me.

“I’m sorry.” Pierce’s voice was soft and thin, more fragile than frost in the morning light.

He paced to the sitting area and placed his hand on the back of the chair as if he needed the support to remain standing.

“I think maybe we’ve gotten caught up in the act that we’re putting on for my parents.

This was just meant to be a fake relationship.

Nothing more. All I wanted—all we can ever be—is friends. I hope you can accept that.”

“No.”

He flinched again as if I had struck him, and I hated it, but I would not retreat. Not when it meant a life of happiness and love for both of us. Pierce was worth fighting for.

We were worth fighting for.

I didn’t buy his excuse. There was more to what had happened with Sawyer and him all those years ago. Maybe they hadn’t been secret lovers, but there was definitely something else. I could feel it in my damn bones. And Pierce was determined to let it stand between him and happiness.

“You have to be reasonable.”

“No, I fucking don’t. I’ve tried to be reasonable and patient.

I’ve tried to give you space to work through things or even reach the point where you were comfortable talking to someone.

Preferably me, but hell, Sebastian and Rome would do anything for you.

They’d be happy to listen to whatever is eating away at your soul.

Before we started this fake dating, I could believe that the attraction and the compatibility were all wishful thinking on my part, but the past week has proved to me that we are great together.

You haven’t been faking it with me. I can feel it when you kiss me.

I can feel it in the way you smile and how you hold me. This is fucking real.”

I stomped across the room to the bathroom and snatched up my winter coat. Pierce had taken the time to fold up my suit and place it beside my coat on the counter. After grabbing my phone and keys, I stormed out of the bathroom again.

“We need some space so you can get your head screwed on straight. I’m leaving. Your driver can take me home,” I snapped as I brushed past him to grab my violin case from where it still rested on the coffee table.

“Wait! Your clothes!” Pierce called after me.

“Have the suit dry-cleaned for me.”

“But your shoes?—”

“Get them polished!” I slammed the door shut behind me and hurried down the hall of his massive home to find a member of his staff.

I knew I looked insane. My hair was a mess, standing up in every direction, and I was wearing his pajamas, which were two sizes too big.

Plus, I was only wearing socks on my feet.

My coat was under one arm and my violin under the other.

But I couldn’t stay. If I did, I would cry, and then I wouldn’t be able to forgive either of us.