It didn't take long before Reinheart's steak sandwich arrived along with a plate of fries, delivered by one of the uniformed staff. He set it down on the coffee table. Another man came in with four bottles of Perrier and two water glasses on a tray.

Reinheart sat on the couch. "You sure you don't want anything?" he said before popping a couple of fries in his mouth.

"I'm good, thanks," Hayley said.

"So," he said, between bites of his sandwich, "what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"The reason Gabriel's at the party and you're here in your pajamas. Did you have a fight?"

"No." She got off the bed and sat on one of the chairs beside the couch. "I'm just a little tired."

"Water?" He picked up a Perrier.

She hesitated at first. She'd never had Perrier before. "Sure, thanks."

He popped it open and poured the sparkling water into a glass. She took it from him and sipped hesitantly. It tasted... weird. With a grimace, she set it back on the tray.

He was engrossed in his food and didn't seem to notice her dislike of the water. "So what's the real reason?" he said before taking another bite of his sandwich.

"That is the real reason." Okay, it was a white lie. She didn't want to have to describe the scene in the ladies' room. It was humiliating enough just having been there.

"I won't tell Gabriel." He gave her a look of exasperation. "I'm trying to be a friend here."

She frowned. "Why?"

He shrugged and chewed on a fry. "I'm a friendly guy?"

Before she could think twice about it, she blurted out, "Some girls said some mean things about me okay?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What kind of things?"

She sighed. "That my hair was bad. That I looked... out of place."

"They said that? To your face?"

"No they were talking among one another, but only because they knew I was there and I could hear them." She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. "There, I told you. Can we drop it now?"

"Hmmm."

She looked back at him. "Hey, that's not fair."

"What?"

"I told you about my thing. Now it's your turn to tell me about yours."

"I don't have a thing."

She rolled her eyes. "The girl. The reason you got drunk and jumped fully-clothed into a pool."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

He took a long drink of the gross water, drinking directly from the green bottle, swallowed, and then said, "Because she's marrying my brother."

Hayley stared at him, needing a few moments for what he said to sink in. "Oh."

He gave her a wry smile. "So you understand why I can't tell you about it."

She nodded. In a burst of inspiration, she said, "You know I could drive you back to your hotel if you like. Later, I mean. When you're ready to go."

"Why are you being nice to me?" he said, eyes narrowing.

She shrugged. "I'm a nice girl?"

He grinned. After wiping his hands on some paper napkins, he picked up the tv remote from one of the side tables. "You ever seen the Great British Bake-off?"

"What?"

It was about one a.m. when one of the household staff came back with his clothes on a tray, washed and neatly pressed. They were on the third episode of the show's first season and Hayley couldn't remember ever seeing anything that gave her so much joy since Queer Eye. She felt a tinge of regret when Reinheart got up to get dressed.

"All right. I'll be out of your hair soon," he said, heading to the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm driving you to your hotel, remember?"

The bathroom door opened slightly and he poked his head out. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

He nodded and closed the door. It opened again and he poked his head out once more.

"Look, don't tell Gabriel I drove here drunk, all right?" he said.

She shrugged. "Okay?"

"Promise me."

Reinheart had a serious look to him. It was odd. He didn't seem like the type to care whether his friends knew he'd done something dangerous. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Yeah of course."

After he closed the door again, she looked at the pajamas she had on. She would have to change if she was going out. Or maybe throw on a pullover or something. She reached for her phone. Just as she was composing a text to Gabriel to tell him where she was going, a knock sounded on the door before it opened.

"Hi," Gabriel said, shutting the door behind him. He glanced at the television. "You weren't bored, were you?"

"No, no," she assured him. She picked up the remote and shut off the television. "I was just going to text you. Reinheart's here—" She gestured at the bathroom. At Gabriel's raised eyebrow, she continued, "He needed to get cleaned up after... you know."

Gabriel nodded.

"Anyway, I said I'd drive him back to his hotel."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

She lowered her voice and said, "He's still kinda drunk."

Just then Reinheart stepped out of the bathroom. He gave Gabriel an unapologetic grin.

"You okay?" Gabriel said.

"Yeah," Reinheart said. "I'm calling it a night. Heading back to the hotel now."

Gabriel nodded and went to get the car keys from the shelf by the door. "I'll drive you."

"Oh." Reinheart smiled at Hayley. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight," she said, smiling back.

***

The arms around Hayley was very warm. And strong. So was the chest she felt against her right shoulder. She had the oddest sensation — like she were flying.

Flying?

She opened her eyes and found herself looking up at the finest jawlines she'd ever seen on a man in her life. Panicked, she started to squirm.

"Shhh... relax," Gabriel murmured. His voice was low and velvety, and the sound of it sent heat pouring down her insides. She had the strongest urge to raise her lips to his face. Her legs ached to wrap themselves around him.

He was carrying her, his legs eating up the ground in smooth, powerful strides. His gaze fell on her. When their eyes melt, a jolt shot through her body. "Gabriel?" she whispered.

He laid her down on the bed very gently.

"Why were you sleeping on the couch?" he said.

"I... well, we hadn't discussed our sleeping arrangements. So I just took the couch." She glanced over to where she'd re-made the makeshift bed with the pillows and sheets she retrieved from the closet after he and Reinheart had left. "You're too big to fit on the couch anyway."

"You're too big to fit on the couch, too." He sighed. "You'll wake up with either a pain in your legs or your back. What were you thinking?"

"It's fine, really."

He shook his head. "Stay here. I'll see if they have another room for me."

"No, no." What the hell was she so worried about anyway? The bed was enormous, she probably wouldn't even notice he was sleeping beside her. And the last thing she wanted was anyone getting suspicious, which is what would happen if Gabriel tried to find somewhere else to sleep. "It's okay, we can share."

He frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I don't want people to think I kicked you out of bed or something."

"So maybe we had a fight. Couples do that sometimes."

"Please." As if to assure him, she patted the space on the bed beside her. "I'm don't mind, I promise."

As Gabriel took a shower, Hayley tried to go back to sleep. But her nervousness kept her awake, and soon she could hear him walk up to the bed. A click and the lights went out. Her eyes were closed but there was the faintest dip in the mattress that told her he was lying down.

She lay still, trying not to think of his tall, strong body lying just a few inches away.

***

Gabriel took a long, cold shower. He desperately needed it to quell the fire in his loins that sparked the moment he took Hayley in his arms. If she noticed how she was affecting him, she didn't show it.

He should try and find another room. But doing that would mean admitting he had no control over his basest urges. They still had almost three months more to go pretending to be a couple. If he couldn't keep his hands off her here, there was no way he could survive the rest of their period of the contract. He muttered curses under his breath as the icy water cascaded down his shoulders, washing away the soap. Hayley was supposed to have been the perfect girl for this job. Pleasant enough to make a believable girlfriend, but not so attractive so as to tempt him into making the relationship more than it was supposed to be.

He didn't expect to like her this much.

When he met her at that party, she was the boring friend who policed her friends' drinks. That's what he thought he was getting when he proposed the arrangement. Instead, he found her funny. Even interesting. And the way she looked soaking wet in her flimsy dress...

Stop. Thinking. About. Her.

He stayed under the spray of cold water for as long as he could.

After drying off, he put on a pair of pajamas but didn't bother with a shirt. He never did. If he was cold tonight, then it was all the better to keep his libido in check.

He walked across the room, where the only light emanated from the lamp on his side of the bed. He found Hayley tucked tight under the comforter. She was lying on her side with her eyes closed.

He slipped under the blanket while trying to make the mattress move as little as possible. Then he turned off the lamp.

"Are you asleep?" he whispered.

"Yes."

Shit. He wasn't sure why he needed to check if she was asleep, but since she was awake, he would now have to explain why he asked the question. "I'm sorry."

There was a movement. "Sorry for what?" she said.

"I took a bit longer to get back, didn't I?" He hadn't meant to. But he and Edward had many of the same acquaintances and friends, so if he wasn't saying hi to a friend, he was being introduced to a stranger.

"It's okay. You didn't have to leave the party just because I did." She paused. "I mean, your friends were there."

"Well, some. What did you and Reinheart do all that time?" The words rolled out before he could stop himself. Christ, what was he doing? Why couldn't he just let her sleep?

"He showed me the joys of the Great British Bake-Off. He still calls it that even if we call it something else here."

"That's his favorite show." It surprised him that Reinheart had shared that part of himself to Hayley. Very few people knew his fondness for that cooking show. "He likes you."

"Yeah?" He could almost hear her smiling. "He's not bad when you get to know him."

This time he smiled. "Don't let anyone know, okay? You'll ruin his reputation."

A soft laugh. "I promise."

"Are you still up for this, Hayley?"

He had to ask. Finding her sleeping on the ridiculously small couch made him wonder if she found him repulsive.

"Are you firing me?" she said, a slight quiver in her voice.

"No," he said quickly, then sighed. "No," he repeated. "I'm just wondering if you changed your mind about this arrangement."

There was a long silence before she answered, "I'm fine. I can do this."

"Good."

Now if only he could do this. Whatever the hell this was they were doing.

"Goodnight, Gabriel."

"Goodnight."

***

Gabriel woke up to the scent of orange flowers. Something soft and warm was draped over his chest. His mouth curved into a smile. Was this a new scent Tallah was wearing? It didn't seem like her style but he liked it.

His cock felt rigid under the silk of his pajamas. Desire roared up inside him, a beast that would not be tamed. He rolled over her, his mouth finding hers in the darkness.

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I hope you enjoyed this episode, loves! Please don't forget to hit that star icon to vote ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Episode 18 "No Turning Back" will be available on Friday, December 14. If you'd like to read ahead, episodes 18 to 20 are available through the site below (please type the URL on your browser):

https://anselacorsino.com/rs

Episode 18 "No Turning Back"
Episode 19 "Negotiations"
Episode 20 "Clarity"