Some Like It Charming - By Megan Bryce Page 0,21
“No, no, no.”
He kept pulling her closer. “We’re engaged. I think it’s tradition for a man to steal a kiss from his intended after a lengthy battle.”
She kept her eyes wide open as his lips touched hers, as his breath mingled with hers, as his heat touched her skin.
He looked at her through lidded eyes and whispered against her lips. “Thank you, Mackenzie.”
When he pulled back, she nodded and tried to pull her wrists out of his grip.
He held on. “Really, Mackenzie. Thank you.”
She looked into his eyes and saw no twinkle, no charm, no persuasion. She stopped fighting and simply said, “You’re welcome.”
He smiled, releasing her wrists. “Before we leave L.A. we need to give them some pictures. That’s our best chance of having it clear in New York. It’s harder for the paparazzi in New York but they’ll do it if they have to.” He looked her up and down. “I’ll have mother and grandma take you shopping, get your hair done. Tomorrow night we’ll go to dinner and let the paparazzi get all they want.”
Mackenzie grabbed her beer bottle. “Oh, God. I need hazard pay.”
He pulled a blue box out of the desk and set it beside her. She looked between it and him, and said, “What’s this?”
“Your temporary engagement ring. We’ll get a better one in New York, but as my grandmother noted, an engagement’s not real until there’s a ring on your finger.”
She didn’t touch it. She took another pull of her beer. He stared at her for a minute, waiting for her to open it, then said, “This is the first time I’ve given jewelry to a woman who didn’t jump in my arms at the sight.”
She snorted.
He flipped the box open, showing off a diamond as big as a sugar cube.
“Holy crap!” She looked up at him. “That’s the temporary one? Just how big do you think a diamond has to be?”
“For my fiancé? Big.”
“And when this is all over?”
“Keep it.” He smiled. “We’ll call it hazard pay.”
She shook her head and he said, “You never complained about those bonus checks I signed. Just think of it like that.”
“Yeah, I earned those.”
He took the ring out, reaching for her hand. “You’ll earn this, too.”
He slid it on to her finger. “We’ll get it sized tomorrow.”
She tried to laugh. “Good thing I’m taking some time off. There’s so much to do now that I’m your fiancé.” She looked up into his face, so close, and took a step back. “I’d better get to bed early tonight if I’m to spend the day with your family.”
She might need to stock up on booze if she was going to be spending a lot of time with his mother. Chocolate just wasn’t going to cut it.
He took a sip of beer, watching her. “Sounds like a plan. Whose bed?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re trying already? I’m not staying here with you.”
“I’ll get you another suite. The paparazzi will still be waiting for you at home.”
“I’m staying at a friend’s house.”
He grabbed pen and paper from the desk and held it out to her. “The number you can be reached at.”
She thought about giving a fake one but decided that ship had sailed. She was going out shopping with his mother– and wouldn’t everyone involved just love that– and to dinner with him tomorrow night. She accepted that he would probably need to get ahold of her. She scrawled Cassandra’s number on the paper, then headed for the door.
He followed her. “Tell me again why you are the only person in the world who doesn’t have a cell?”
“Because I don’t like being instantly available to anyone and everyone.”
“That’s what the off button is for.” He shook his head. “You’re even stranger than I thought you were.”
She smiled slightly, shutting the door behind her before he could follow her out. She walked to the elevator, her hand clenched to keep his ring from sliding off her finger, her lips still tingling from the lightest kiss she’d ever received.
This she knew: she was stupider than she thought she was.
Ethan watched through the peephole until the elevator doors closed behind Mackenzie. Then he took out his hard-earned contract.
He flopped onto the couch, propping his feet up, and read over the contract quickly. He shook his head. A million dollars for a fiancé. Bad deal, Ethan. But he couldn’t stop grinning.
He really couldn’t tell who’d won that negotiation. And that was always the way with Mackenzie. He’d go in thinking he