thank you, Miss March. My balls are going to sleep better tonight.”
Aria rolled her eyes, but her lips curved at the edges. “God, this feels weird doesn’t it?” she asked. “Acting like we were in love sounded easier when I was drunk.”
Nash reached out, taking her free hand in his. “Just pretend I’m someone else.”
“ Like who?” Aria’s eyes widened as he pulled her closer.
“ Don’t you have a fantasy guy?” he asked, putting his arms around her waist, finding it nearly as hard as it had been last night not to respond to the feel of her in his arms. She was the wrong woman, but he couldn’t deny that she felt very, very right pressed against him.
“ A fantasy guy?” she asked with a raised brow.
“ Yeah. Someone you pretend you’re with when the man of the night isn’t all you’d hoped he would be.”
Aria shrugged, but her cheeks flushed pink. “I’m not very good at fantasy. I’m more of a reality kind of girl.”
“ I think you’re lying,” Nash said in a teasing voice, making her eyes snap back to his in surprise.
“ I am not lying,” she said, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth no matter how she tried to fight it.
“ It’s okay, darlin’,” Nash drawled.
“ Don’t call me darlin’,” Aria said in a husky voice that made Nash’s boxer-briefs feel a little tighter than they did before.
“ How about doll face?” he asked
Aria wrinkled her nose.
“ Sugar britches?” he asked, smiling when she laughed.
“ That’s terrible. You suck at pet names,” she said even as she relaxed into him, tilting her face up to his. “I’m going to call you Meaty, in honor of all the muscle.”
“ And I’ll call you Red,” Nash said, dropping his lips closer to hers, aching for another taste of her in a way that probably wasn’t healthy, and certainly wasn’t pretend.
She shook her head. “That won’t work. Then we’d be Red and Meaty. It sounds like the floor of a slaughter house.”
He smiled. “Then I guess I’ll have to stick with baby, baby,” he said, silencing her reply with a long, slow kiss that made his blood rush and the ache building low inside of him grow to the point that he finally had to pull away before he embarrassed himself.
Aria blinked up at him in surprise when he released her. Her breath came faster, her eyes glittered, and for a moment he was sure she had felt the same chemistry between them that he did, but then she said—
“ You’re right. I think that fantasy guy thing is going to work just fine.”
— and Nash felt like a fool, but only for a moment.
It was better if the attraction were one sided. The last thing he needed was to end up sleeping with Aria March. No matter how beautiful she was, no matter how much he wanted her, starting an affair would only lead to misery and heartache for them both. They were from two different worlds and about as compatible as French Fries and Champagne. It was better if this remained a business arrangement, a contract between two civil adults. That way, when it was over, it would be over, with no emotions or attachment to complicate their separation.
“ Well, good,” he said with a smile as he held out his hand. “You feeling ready to pretend to be in love?”
“ As ready as I’ll ever be.” Aria slipped her slender palm into his and let him lead her toward the licensing department, while Nash did his best to ignore how right it felt to have his former enemy by his side.
Chapter Five
Aria refused to think about her and Nash’s first kiss of the day, or the wedding ceremony, or the kiss that came after, or the way Nash picked her up and spun her around until she giggled, right in front of the Justice of the Peace and the other three couples waiting to get married.
She wasn’t going to think about how he made her feel like she was waking up from a long, numb sleep, coming alive with wants and needs and hungers she had forgotten for too long. She wasn’t going to
Aria rolled her eyes, but her lips curved at the edges. “God, this feels weird doesn’t it?” she asked. “Acting like we were in love sounded easier when I was drunk.”
Nash reached out, taking her free hand in his. “Just pretend I’m someone else.”
“ Like who?” Aria’s eyes widened as he pulled her closer.
“ Don’t you have a fantasy guy?” he asked, putting his arms around her waist, finding it nearly as hard as it had been last night not to respond to the feel of her in his arms. She was the wrong woman, but he couldn’t deny that she felt very, very right pressed against him.
“ A fantasy guy?” she asked with a raised brow.
“ Yeah. Someone you pretend you’re with when the man of the night isn’t all you’d hoped he would be.”
Aria shrugged, but her cheeks flushed pink. “I’m not very good at fantasy. I’m more of a reality kind of girl.”
“ I think you’re lying,” Nash said in a teasing voice, making her eyes snap back to his in surprise.
“ I am not lying,” she said, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth no matter how she tried to fight it.
“ It’s okay, darlin’,” Nash drawled.
“ Don’t call me darlin’,” Aria said in a husky voice that made Nash’s boxer-briefs feel a little tighter than they did before.
“ How about doll face?” he asked
Aria wrinkled her nose.
“ Sugar britches?” he asked, smiling when she laughed.
“ That’s terrible. You suck at pet names,” she said even as she relaxed into him, tilting her face up to his. “I’m going to call you Meaty, in honor of all the muscle.”
“ And I’ll call you Red,” Nash said, dropping his lips closer to hers, aching for another taste of her in a way that probably wasn’t healthy, and certainly wasn’t pretend.
She shook her head. “That won’t work. Then we’d be Red and Meaty. It sounds like the floor of a slaughter house.”
He smiled. “Then I guess I’ll have to stick with baby, baby,” he said, silencing her reply with a long, slow kiss that made his blood rush and the ache building low inside of him grow to the point that he finally had to pull away before he embarrassed himself.
Aria blinked up at him in surprise when he released her. Her breath came faster, her eyes glittered, and for a moment he was sure she had felt the same chemistry between them that he did, but then she said—
“ You’re right. I think that fantasy guy thing is going to work just fine.”
— and Nash felt like a fool, but only for a moment.
It was better if the attraction were one sided. The last thing he needed was to end up sleeping with Aria March. No matter how beautiful she was, no matter how much he wanted her, starting an affair would only lead to misery and heartache for them both. They were from two different worlds and about as compatible as French Fries and Champagne. It was better if this remained a business arrangement, a contract between two civil adults. That way, when it was over, it would be over, with no emotions or attachment to complicate their separation.
“ Well, good,” he said with a smile as he held out his hand. “You feeling ready to pretend to be in love?”
“ As ready as I’ll ever be.” Aria slipped her slender palm into his and let him lead her toward the licensing department, while Nash did his best to ignore how right it felt to have his former enemy by his side.
Chapter Five
Aria refused to think about her and Nash’s first kiss of the day, or the wedding ceremony, or the kiss that came after, or the way Nash picked her up and spun her around until she giggled, right in front of the Justice of the Peace and the other three couples waiting to get married.
She wasn’t going to think about how he made her feel like she was waking up from a long, numb sleep, coming alive with wants and needs and hungers she had forgotten for too long. She wasn’t going to
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