Read Online B00Z637D2Y (R) by Marissa Clarke - Free Book Online Page B

Don’t enter at all . But having the self-control of a toddler, she couldn’t stop herself.
    Sound asleep, Michael Anderson looked different. His power took a back seat to his sheer beauty, and her fingers itched to touch a paintbrush—or his smooth skin, exposed completely to the waist…a little lower, actually.
    Holy smokes. His daily routine obviously paid off. She’d felt those muscles on their chance encounter in the hallway, but this was the first time she’d seen them. It would take such discipline and control to balance his mind and body like that. And for the first time in her adult life, Mia wished she could change. To be a little more disciplined so that she could succeed at more than just surviving day to day by the seat of her pants.
    It was too late for that, though. Her path was made. Forgetful, flighty, scatterbrained, she would rely on her intuition and artistic abilities as she always had. Still, if only…
    “Mmm,” he murmured as he rolled over, tangling his legs in the sheets. “Yeah, like that…mmm…”
    She froze. No. Freaking. Way. The almighty Michael Anderson was having an erotic dream. She couldn’t fight back her silly grin.
    And then Clancy barked.
    Michael sat bolt upright and sucked in a deep breath. Even startled from sleep, he kept an air of calm, waiting until he got his bearings and checking his clock before he spoke. “Is something wrong?”
    Silly grin still in place, she shook her head.
    “Do you need something?”
    “No.”
    With a sigh, he flopped back on his pillow. “Why are you in my bedroom, Mia?”
    “We need to talk.”
    He groaned and draped an arm over his eyes. “Now?”
    “Yeah, now. Is there a problem? Did I interrupt something?” Again, the grin threatened to take over her face.
    He lowered his arm and studied her a moment. “No.” The finality in his tone was unmistakable. Game over. All business Michael had returned, sending her grin running for the hills.
    She sat on the edge of the bed and his eyes widened fractionally. “So, if we’re going to pull off this charade of being engaged at the wedding, we need to practice a little.”
    He didn’t move a muscle. “Practice what, exactly?”
    “Practice acting like we know each other. Heck, practice acting like we even like each other would be a good start.”
    “I know you well enough to pull this off. And I like you just fine, Mia.”
    Just fine . He didn’t like her at all, and she knew it. All week, he’d been leaving little Post-it notes around the house with instructions as to where her things should go. “Dirty clothes in the hamper, please.” “Dishes in the dishwasher, please.” “This bowl is for my personal items, not paintbrushes, please.” Please, please, please.
    And he was a complete and total know-it-all, which was maddening. “Okay, then, Michael. In order to make people believe we are really engaged, there are things we would know about each other. For example, what do I sleep in?”
    “Warm-up pants and a T-shirt,” he answered with a satisfied smirk.
    “When I’m on your sofa, that’s what I wear. What would I wear to bed if we were really dating and we were sleeping together in this bed?” His smirk disappeared completely and she gave herself a mental fist bump. She’d surprised him. Score: 1-0, Mia.
    He cleared his throat and sat up. “If we were dating and you were in this bed, it wouldn’t matter what you wore, Mia. You wouldn’t wear it long. You would be naked. Just like I am now.”
    Damn. Score one for Michael. Tied at 1-1, and the crowd goes wild. So does Mia . After her heart slowed to a non-fatal pace, she took the conversation to a safer topic. “What do you do for fun, Michael? Surely you do more than work all the time.”
    “Are you seriously going to sit on the edge of my bed after discussing being naked and ask me what I do for fun? Either you are playing an incredibly clever game, or are so completely unaware of what’s happening here, it’s