Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer.
*Jane*
Who would send me flowers? Not Xander, that much was
certain. He hasn’t sent me flowers since we got married, and he
definitely won’t now that our marriage is on the rocks.
I leaned in and spotted a small white envelope nestled between
two stems. My fingers hesitated before tugging it free.
Glad we’re on the same page again, ‘Girlfriend.‘ You’re stuck
with me now, forever or until Xander wakes up. – Aaron.
I shook my head in laughter, catching me off guard. I snatched
my phone out of my bag and dialed his number.
He picked up on the first ring. “I take it you received the
flowers.”
“Seriously? Aaron?”
“You said game on, so I’m thinking what a fake boyfriend could
get as a welcome back gift to his fake girlfriend, soemthing can make her happy, so red roses. They let you think of me right?”
His tone was playful, as if I should be appreciate it.
Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer
“They’re beautiful, Aaron. But this isn’t real, we just want
Xander to believe it is. There’s no need for flowers.”
He gasped dramatically. “You wound me, Jane.” He let out a breathy laugh before continuing. “I’m just trying to speed up the process. On how convincing you want this to be. We can go all in, or we can half–ass it. Your call.”
I paused for a moment and glanced at my eyes again. The way Aaron spoke, that casual attitude, annoyed me a lot – but at the same time it made things easier. Not so heavy, not so real.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I asked, surprising myself.
“Lunch, iron out the details. You tell me what comes next in this plan.”
I sucked in a breath. Even though we were talking about a fake relationship to get back at my husband… it felt like something was building up between us. My wolf was all the more aware of it. This was uncharted territory. I had to be careful.
“Me? Don’t forget you suggest the idea” I cleared my throat and tried again. “I don’t know anything about this kind of stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was my idea, so I’ll hold your hand through it.”
Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer.
I had to resist the urge to give a flirtatious retort, so I settled for
a quick, “Thanks.”
“It’s no sweat.” I could clearly picture his full lips spreading into
that grin I feared he’d began to reserve just for me. “I’ll get
everything ready and send you the address.”
I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “That’s fine.” I tried
to sound as nonchalant as possible even though my heart was
beating a mile per minute.
“See you soon, girlfriend,” he teased, before the line went dead.
I kept the phone pressed to my ear for a beat longer. My gaze
drifted back to the bouquet sitting on my desk. Was I playing
Xander? Or was I just fooling myself?
I spent the next hour pretending to work, eagerly awaiting
lunch with Aaron. I’d even retrieved my glasses hoping it’d help
convince me to take this seriously. But I couldn’t stop glancing
at the flowers.
I’d read the note about five times by that point, particularly the
‘I’ll always be by your side,’ line, making my stomach in knots.
My phone chimed at that moment. I looked down to see a text.
Chapter 17. A Not so Secret Admirer
Aaron: Do you really want me to pick where we eat? This is
your last chance to decline.
I chuckled. My fingers flew over my phone as I typed in a
response.
Me: Never. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. You’re the
one pet
paid to play my fake boyfriend, remember?
Aaron: Well, that’s not pressure at all.
Me: Come on, I’m sure you can handle it. Just pick a place and I’ll
- go.
Aaron: Tomato, Tomahto. Anyway, I have a surprise for you.
Me: What is it?
Aaron: You’ll see.
I set my phone down, pulse racing. My wolf practically purred at the thought of Aaron. I knew I was slipping. He was making me feel… things. I had to pull it together.
A few hours later, I was buried in emails when suddenly I heard someone clear their throat. My attention shifted away from the screen all of a sudden.
My head snapped up… and there he was. Aaron, casually
Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer
leaning against my office door frame, that insufferable,
irresistible smirk tugging at his lips. My wolf practically leapt to
attention.
I blinked at him, heart jumping. Get it together, Jane.
I tugged off my glasses, trying to mask the sudden flutter in my
chest. “What are you doing here? How did you even get in?” I
rounded my desk and instinctively stopped just a few inches
away from him. I didn’t want to get too close.
“Your secretary let me in,” he said with a shrug, his eyes never
leaving mine.
I frowned. “Hailey should have let me know I had a visitor. That‘
s not exactly appropriate.”
“What?” he asked, tilting his head. “You’re not happy to see me?”
Goddess help me, I was. Too happy. “Of course, I am. I just… I
would have appreciated a heads up.”
It sounded lame, even to me, and the amusement in his eyes told
me he heard it too.
He stepped into the office like he owned the place, eyes drifting over the space before landing on me again with a glint of mischief. “I told you I had a surprise for you.”
Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer
I blinked “Wait… what? I thought you were talking about
Lunch! I didn’t think you were going to burst into my office.”
“Hmmm,” he hummed as he reached behind him and quietly
shut the door. “That’s what a fake boyfriend would do though.”
My heart skipped. The room suddenly felt smaller. I crossed my
arms and forced a scoff. “Did you bribe my secretary?”
He flashed me a grin. “No…” he took a slow step toward me. The
way he was looking at me was dangerous, as if he had the same
thoughts I’d been fighting all day. “Why would you think that?”
Another step.
I held a panicked hand up. “Don’t come closer Aaron”
Aaron only smirked wider, his gaze never leaving mine as he
took two more steps, effectively closing the distance. I stumbled
back on instinct.
He paused, grin still playing at his lips, eyes sparkling with
challenge. “And if I do? Would you kick me out?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do” I shoot back, trying to sound
firm.
“I’m here to take you to lunch, Jane,” His eyes, his voice was
Chapter 17: A Not so Secret Admirer
laced with wicked intent. I feared I wouldn’t come out of this
alive. “And if you don’t come willingly… I might just have to
invade your personal space even further.”
He took another step and I stepped back too, bumping into the
edge of the table. He approached me slowly and calmly, and my
heart was beating even harder.
“I’m serious, Luke,” I said, my voice almost as low as a whisper.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Aaron stepped just a fraction closer, his voice dropping. “Well
then, Jane,” he murmured, eyes locked on mine. Do you want to
go out with me? Or do you want me to come closer?”
