Thank you so much @konde221

“Youʼre a creep” I fold my arms as I watch him sign my release papers.

He slaps the pen down on the form and gives the nurse a little smile. She smiles back and coyly tucks her hair behind her ear before leaving the two of us.

“Itʼs called making sure youʼre okay,” Reid says and it snaps me out of glaring at the back of the nurseʼs head.

“Watching me sleep is being creepy, Reid.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales loudly.

“Armani. And if youʼre not going to call me that, donʼt talk. Now cʼmon” he moves forward and reaches to take my hand.

I snatch it away but heʼs quick. And as if knowing I would, he grabs my other hand.

“Unhand me.”

“Stop being dramatic. You know youʼre always going to be safe with me.”

Painfully itʼs true.

But Iʼm never going to admit that.

“Do I? When youʼre forcefully taking me away. This is practically kidnapping.”

“Itʼs not.”

“It is too.”

“It is not. And I am not going to play that game with you so just stop.”

I glare at the back of his head as he continues to lead me through the halls of the hospital.

“Stop glaring,” he says easily, not even glancing behind at me.

I drop the glare and roll my eyes.

“Why are you the one here to take me home? Why isnʼt it Papi? Or  Bonnie?”

“Thatʼs what youʼre worried about?” he chuckles. “If it is, donʼt be” Then with a smile over his shoulder at me, he says, “I asked for their permission from them this morning when I took Cami home.”

“Permission to do what? Kidnap me? I doubt very much that theyʼll let you, Armani.”

Shit!

He stops and looks at me, a bright smile on his face.

“You said my name.”

I didnʼt mean to.

“Itʼs not your name,” I say instead.

“Yeah, it is” he smiles brighter. “Now cʼmon, weʼve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“Itʼs just a thirty-five-minute drive. And Iʼm the dramatic one?”

He smiles at me and looks away again.

“Oh, Iʼm not taking you to Meridian.”

I narrow my eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I need to take care of you. Thatʼs why weʼre going somewhere else,” then softly he adds, “Just the two of us.”

I stop walking and snatch my hand away from his hold.

“No way, Armani. Uh-uh,” I shake my head.

He smiles.

“Yes way Lee. Now gimme your hand—”

I abruptly step back from him.

“Lee...”

I do it again when he takes a step forward. Then he frowns.

“Aileen.”

I shake my head.

“I donʼt wanna go anywhere else if itʼs not to my house.”

“Well Iʼm sorry but that decision isnʼt yours to make right now. Itʼs mine.”

“No itʼs not. This is about me” I point to myself.

“Exactly. And youʼre my responsibility, Lee. So I call the shots on this one.”

“No, you donʼt.”

“Yes I do, Lee. I need to take care of you.”

And I canʼt help but laugh at how serious he looks.

Heʼs delusional.

“Youʼre crazy.”

He bobs his head.

“You donʼt know the half of it. Now letʼs go. You need to lie down.”

I laugh and move further away from him.

“Youʼre over doing this a tad too much, Mr. Dalton.”

He winces a little.

“And I think youʼre the one who needs to lie down and get some rest since you stayed up watching me sleep.”

“Iʼm not complaining am I?”

“Well, itʼs showing, Armani. So go on home. Iʼll order an Uber and go home on my own.”

“Iʼm not leaving you, Lee” he frowns a little. “Iʼm never doing that.”

So I play the card.

“Well technically, youʼre going to have to. Since our little agreement has been brought to a sneeze and— hey!” Iʼm being carried away. “Put me down, Armani!” I try to wiggle out of his arms but he barely flinches with his hold on me.

“Just stop talking.”

“Put me down!”

“Youʼre creating a scene.”

“Reid!”

“Armani” he scowls at me.

“You canʼt force me to call you that.”

“I canʼt force you to do anything.”

“Well youʼre forcefully taking me away to some place.”

“I donʼt hear you complaining.”

“What does this sound like?”

He pauses and smiles down at me.

“You enjoy being in my arms.”

I do.

“I do not.”

“Yeah you do” he whispers, smiles softly, then proceeds to walk away with me.

I groan.

“Please, Reid. Put me down. I donʼt wanna go anywhere with you.”

He stops again and looks at me.

“But I do.”

“Armani...” I groan and press my face into his chest from exhaustion.

This isnʼt going to work.

“Am I interrupting something?”

I feel Reid tense and I turn away from his chest.

“Dad?” he asks, “Whatʼre you doing here?”

He smiles a little.

“Well Asha told me sheʼs better but I guess I wanted to see for myself. And you didnʼt come home last night.”

“I couldnʼt exactly leave her, Dad. I canʼt do that even now.”

Eros Dalton chuckles and looks at me.

“I see that.”

Reid nods.

“Well if youʼre heading to the house letʼs go in my car.”

“No thatʼs okay Dad. I asked Don to drop off my convertible this morning. Sunroof and all. Plus weʼre not going to the house. Or her house... or ours.”

Aye!

“Oh?” Eros Dalton arches his brow. “Where are you going then?”

“Somewhere private” he doesnʼt hesitate to answer. “And itʼs not what youʼre thinking... okay maybe a little of that but...”

What?

“This is to help Aileen. She needs to rest. Get better...”

“Iʼm completely fine” I mutter and he gives me a 'not now' look before adjusting me in his arms.

“We canʼt go home because she wonʼt get any rest with everyone wanting to know how sheʼs doing. So Iʼm taking her somewhere else so I can take care of her. And as soon as she gets better, weʼll come back.”

Heʼs seriously planned this out.

Eros Dalton nods once.

“And work? Youʼre just going to abandon your job and play caretaker? I believe this young woman here also has a job to do.”

“Thatʼs all been taken care Dad, donʼt worry. Whatʼs most important right now is Lee getting better.”

I am.

Eros Dalton chuckles and nods again.

“I see why you didnʼt tell him about this for two whole years” he looks at me. “I wasnʼt even aware my son could possess this... trait.”

You and me both.

“But itʼs understandable” he smiles. “I do hope you feel better soon.”

I nod with a small smile.

“And son, let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks, Dad” Reid smiles.

Eros nods and steps out of the way to let us pass. Reid carries me into the parking lot and only lets me go when he seats me inside his car.

“I got it!” I slap his hand away when he attempts to buckle me in.

He holds his hands up and watches me do it before crossing over to his side and getting behind the wheel.

“You okay?” he asks as he shuts the door.

The roof of the car was already down.

“When youʼre kidnapping me? No Iʼm not” I say.

He chuckles and is about to slide his sunglasses down his face when I snatch it off the top of his head and put it on. He chuckles again and nods.

“Looks even better on you” he smiles, reaches into his glove compartment, and brings out a matching pair to slip on.

I roll my eyes as he starts the car.

“Next stop, just the two of us.”

✯✯✯✯✯✯

✿ Reid's POV

I watch her with her head resting on the hollow door of the completely rolled window and humming along to the music playing on the radio.

The way she doesnʼt complain about the wind in her hair makes me smile and when she slaps my hand away when I attempt to change the radio channel, I canʼt help but grin like the Cheshire cat.

“Eyes on the road, Armani.”

A laugh bubbles up my chest and I nod.

“Yes ma'am. But weʼre going to have to make a pit stop when we get to the resort.”

She sits up.

“Resort?”

I gesture zipping my mouth.

“Iʼve said too much.”

“If this is your idea of a romantic trip, you failed when you kidnapped me and took over my life.”

“And you wonder where Cami gets it?”

“Shut up” She lowers the sunglasses down her nose to narrow her eyes at me before pushing them back up.

I smile. The rest of the drive is quiet and soon weʼre at the resort. I hurry out of the car to get the door for her before she does it herself.

“Iʼm not invalid, Armani,” she says but takes my hand either way.

“I know” I smile and close the door before tossing the car keys to the valet who looks more than happy to park my car.

I lead her into the supermarket in the resort and pick up a basket, all the while not letting go of her hand. This time, Aileen doesnʼt complain or demand I unhand her.

“What would you like?” I ask, looking over at her.

She sighs dramatically and pushes her sunglasses up her head. She reaches for the basket from me but I hold it away from her.

“No. Just pick. Iʼll hold” I say.

Another dramatic sigh leaves her and she proceeds to take her hand away. But I hold on to it.

“Let go.”

“No.”

“How will I pick if you donʼt let me go?”

“Use your other hand.”

“Armani...”

I donʼt move.

“Iʼm not going to run away you know?”

I nod.

“I know. I just like holding you.”

She shakes her head and takes the lead, her hand still in mine.

“Mountain Dew?” I chuckle.

“Shut up” she shoots at me and Iʼm more than happy to oblige.

It doesnʼt take long before weʼre checking out.

“You wanna grab something to eat before we go up?”

“No Iʼm—” she stops abruptly.

“Lee?” I call out.

She looks at me.

“Whatʼs wrong?”

She lifts a finger.

“Are you hurt? Do you need something? Can you walk? Are you breathing okay? Is it—”

“Shhhh...” she presses her finger to my lips and taps her ear. “Listen” she whispers.

To what?

Then she smiles.

“I love that song.”

Higher Love?

And Iʼm upset but it doesnʼt last when her smile grows brighter.

“Ugh itʼs such a good song” She throws her head back and takes her finger off my lips to fall on my shoulder.

I drop the bags into a shopping cart nearby and instinctively wrap one hand around her waist to pull he closer to me.

“Wh-What are you doing, Armani?”

“May I have this dance?”

“Out here?” her eyes widen.

I shrug.

“Why not?” I lead her other hand to press against my chest.

She laughs when I begin to slowly move and I smile.

My favorite sound in the world.

✯✯✯✯✯✯

✿ Aileen's POV

“Sorry about kidnapping you,” he murmurs, resting one of his hands on my hip while he uses the other to press my palm against his chest.

Ha, so he admits it!

I tilt my head back to peer up at him.

“I canʼt believe youʼre making us dance outside.”

“Me neither. But the things I would do for you, angel.”

His response makes me stumble, and I would have crashed to the ground if he hadn’t been holding me so closely.

I exhale.

“Armani, we need to talk—”

“I know. And we will. As soon as we get in our room.”

My brows draw together.

Heʼs very serious about this.

“Right,” I whisper.

I turn my head away from Reid and press my cheek against his chest so he doesn’t see how devastated I will be after the talk.

Being so close to him doesn’t help me keep a lid on my growing feelings, but itʼs okay because this is the last day I get with him.

As we move together, I enjoy how feminine I feel in his arms. When he kisses my neck, I savor the thrill that races down my spine. After only a few songs, Iʼm practically panting in need.

Just as Iʼm about to suggest that we take a break so I can pull myself together—and maybe pay a quick visit to the ladies' room to strip out of my drenched panties—a tall, thin man with dark, slicked-back hair stops behind Reid and taps his shoulder.

“May I cut in?”

Reid turns toward the man, his fists clenched at his sides so tightly that his knuckles are turning white.

“Excuse me?”

The guy flashes him an insincere smirk.

“I was hoping to steal this beautiful creature away for the next dance.”

Reid simply shakes his head.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“Maybe we should let the lady decide,” the man suggests, turning his focus to me. “We haven’t met. I’m Mark Arison.”

He looks at me expectantly as though his name should mean something to me. It takes a moment before I realize why it sounds familiar.

“Oh, yes. You work with Sophie.”

“How wonderful, isnʼt it?” He holds his hand out. “Why don’t we talk more while we dance?”

“I’m standing right here,” Reid grunts.

“Yes, I had noticed.” Although Mark is about a foot or two shorter than Reid, he somehow manages to look down his nose at him. “A man of your size is quite difficult to miss.”

Reid steps between us so that Iʼm no longer in Mark’s line of sight. The back of his suit jacket pulls taut when he crosses his arms against his broad chest. “You have to know that trying to steal my woman out from under me is a bad idea.”

“Your woman?” Mark scoffs. “I’m not seeing a marriage certificate, so she’s not exactly yours, now is she?”

“She’s wearing a dress I picked out for her, my ring is on her finger, it was my car that brought her here and is going to take her home after here,” Reid growls. “So yes, I would definitely say that she’s mine.”

“Well, I—

Whatever he’s been about to say is cut off when Reid takes a threatening step toward him.

“I get why you’d be willing to risk an ass-kicking for a chance with her, but you’re too late. The game is already over, man. Walk away while you still can.”

My jaw drops at Reid’s warning. He just told this guy that he was going to kick his butt if he didn’t back off.

Because of me.
His fake fiancée.
Even though the contract is over.

Mark holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender and mutters, “Whatever you say. No woman is worth that much of a bother.”

“Wrong again.”

Reid turns back around and pulls me close, acting as though nothing had just happened. But it isn’t so easy for me to shrug the confrontation off.

“I get that he was being rude Armani, but don’t you think you’re laying it on a bit thick with the whole overprotective and jealous act?”

✯✯✯✯✯✯

✿ Reid's POV

“Laying what on thick?”

Aileen glances around us, noticing that now we are drawing attention to ourselves, and her cheeks turn crimson. She leans forward and whispers fervently.

“You, being unnecessarily overprotective and acting all jealous. Itʼs just us here, Armani. And besides, the contract is over. Iʼm nothing to you. I never really was.”

Pressing my lips together to keep from growling, I grab her hand, pick up the bags, and begin to drag her away. But she trips on God knows what. Too impatient to slow down, I whip around, scoop her into my arms, and stalk into the reception.

I don’t put her down until I reach the front desk.

“I need a room,” I grunt.

The clerk is a middle-aged man whose pompous expression and demeanor tell me that he let the fact that he worked at this resort give him a swollen ego. He looks taken aback by my demand, but then he recovers. And I can see that heʼs about to blurt out some shit that will piss me off.

Reluctantly releasing Aileen’s hand, I glance at the man’s name tag as I fish my wallet out of my jacket.

“David,” I say in a low, threatening tone. I pulled out my driver’s license, then my black card—and slid them both across the counter. “Before you speak, I suggest you take a look at these.”

The man glances at the counter dismissively, then his eyes rapidly dart back to the items in front of him. Immediately, he softens, and his disposition becomes friendlier. He puts a finger on the credit card and pulls it toward him.

“Let me have a look, Mr. Da—” His eyes practically bulge out of his skull when he spies the name on my license.

And these are the moments Iʼm glad my last name has people bending over backward to help me out.

I didnʼt like throwing my name around to get special treatment, but I would have done just about anything to have a private room at that moment. Clearly, Aileen and I needed to have a very frank conversation before I finally got her naked and underneath me.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. D-Da-Dalton,” the man stammers. “I didn’t—um—I’ll just—yes—we absolutely have a room for you.”

“The biggest. With lots of space.”

“We have that sir.”

Aileen makes a muffled sound, drawing my attention. Her lips are mashed together, and her jaw clenched. But her eyes dance with humor. She tries to hold back her laughter, but the slight shake of her shoulders gives her away. And I can’t help smiling as I draw her into my side so she can bury her face in my jacket.

“Here you are, sir,” the clerk said, suddenly jaunty, making me want to roll my eyes.

So I do.

“Where are the stairs?”

“Err um... right through there, Mr. Dalton” he points.

Snatching the key card from his hand, I give him one last glare before scooping Aileen back up and marching toward the staircase.

“Armnai put me down. I can walk fine.”

“No. And besides, I need the workout.”

She doesnʼt complain on the trip up. But once weʼre on our floor, she forcefully wiggled out of my arms.

“I said I can walk.”

I donʼt argue because I can feel myself nearing my breaking point. Keeping a tight hold on my girl, I quickly steer us to our room and open the door. Then I do what I’ve been dying to do since I had her in my bedroom.

I put the bags away and then gently, I push her up against the nearest wall and bring my mouth down on hers, barely noticing the slam of the door as it swings shut.

My hands dive into her hair, and I use my thumbs to put pressure on her jaw to open her mouth. Then I sweep my tongue inside, and my knees nearly buckle when I taste her. Honeysuckle and something unique and womanly that is all her own.

With my palms cradling Aileen’s skull, I tilt her head to an angle that allows me to take the kiss even deeper. Her hands come up and splayed lightly on my chest, almost hesitantly, and it reminds me of the things that need to be said before this goes any further.

And I make her a hundred percent mine.

“Letʼs talk,” I say.

She opens her mouth and I kiss her to shut her up.

“I donʼt wanna do this with anyone else, Lee,” I say. “I agree that we had a deal... but I donʼt care about that anymore. And I hate myself for nearly losing you to realize that what we have... this thing between us... is far from fake.”

She freezes in my arms.

“Iʼm starting to realize that maybe... it was never fake for me.”

She blinks once, twice, then shakes her head.

“You donʼt know what youʼre saying, Armani.”

“Yes, yes I do Lee. I do know what Iʼm saying. And these feelings I have for you... theyʼre far from fake.”

She shakes her head again and I growl before trapping her mouth in another kiss. Ripping my mouth away, I groan and press our foreheads together.

“Does that feel fake to you?” I rasp.

“No,” she whispered, sounding just as ragged with her choppy breathing.

I drop one of my hands to hers and press it against the big, hard bulge in my pants.

“Does this feel fake?”

She sucks in a sharp breath and shakes her head, and I grasped her chin with my other hand, forcing her to look me in the eyes.

“This is what you do to me every time I even fucking think about you. And I donʼt want to fight the feelings anymore Aileen. I almost lost you. And my heart couldnʼt take it. It just canʼt. I’ve been dreaming about your taste, this luscious body, and your beautiful laughter. Fantasizing about the day when they would finally be mine.”

Aileen’s hazel orbs are as round as saucers, her expression relaying her surprise at my confession.

“Tell me you donʼt believe this is fake, angel? After all this time we’ve spent getting to know each other. Iʼm sorry if I gave you that impression. But right now, this thing between us is very real.”

She sighs, her fingers curling around the lapels of my jacket as her eyes slide down to the region of my necktie.

“You needed a fake fiancée to get your girlfriend to dump her fiancé. Armani, I have feelings for you too. Iʼve tried so hard to get them in check but nothingʼs working. But this... this is never going to work. Weʼre both just so wrong in so many ways to be with each other. But itʼs okay. Because after all, I was only just a convenient replacement.”

My head rears back, stunned at her words. I scoop her into my arms again and stride over to one of the luxurious couches. As I drop onto the cushion, I keep her cocooned tightly against me so she ends up in my lap once Iʼm seated.

“First of all, youʼve never felt like a replacement to me, Aileen,” I tell her firmly, “Never say that again. And secondly, I donʼt care what anyone has to say about us being together. This thing I feel for you... it scares me. But I love it so, so much, and I donʼt ever wanna feel this way for someone else who isnʼt you. This is more than an attachment problem, Aileen. I want you in my life. I wanna take care of you. I wanna love you and love you right. And Iʼd really like it if you took a chance on me and tried to love me back.”

“What?” she gasped. “You... you want me?” Hope blooms in her eyes, and my racing heart begins to slow.

“Of course I do, Lee. How could anyone not want you? You’re the one for me. And I hate myself for almost losing you to accept that.”

“But you date supermodels and actresses and Iʼm just a—”

I roll my eyes and put my hand over her mouth.

“I donʼt wanna date actresses and supermodels anymore, Aileen. I wanna date you. How could anyone not? You love so hard and care so much. And Iʼve never had that in anyone Iʼve been with. I see how you take care of Cami and it makes my heart hurt and then I wanna my baby in you.”

Her chest shakes with silent laughter as tears stream down her face.

“I donʼt care what anyone has to say about us. Itʼs you I want Lee. Itʼs you I wanna be with. You make me do things I didnʼt ever think I would enjoy doing. And as much as I hate it sometimes, I love it. And I love that you are the one making me feel all these new things. I wanna do this with you Lee. And no one else.”

I remove my hand and watch her warily, waiting to see if sheʼs beginning to accept the truth or if I have a long road of convincing ahead of me. Because I wasn’t going to last much longer with this exquisite creature sitting on my lap, all alone, in a room with a bed. I’d just have to use my mouth on her pussy and my cock inside her to help drive my intentions home.

No pun intended.

“Armani...” she sighs. “Are you sure?”

“Of course Iʼm sure, angel.”

“But Anika—”

Grasping her face in my palms, I lock our gazes and smile.

“Anika and I are over. Weʼre nothing, I swear. Nothing happened between us at the resort or the restaurant. And it never will. Itʼs you I want. Itʼs you I wanna do this with. Itʼs you I wanna wake up next to for the rest of my life. And I think it’s time to leave the misunderstandings behind and be crystal clear about what is happening here.”

Aileen’s lips tip up at the corners, and her eyes brighten.

“I canʼt promise to get this right, but I promise that I will never purposefully hurt you, Aileen. Iʼm gonna try hard to get this right, do right by you, and never let anything or anyone hurt you. You are mine. My girlfriend, my fiancée, my wife, my woman, my person, my arm candy, and any other description that basically means I own your sexy body. You with me so far?”

She tries to look offended but fails when she laughs. Giving up, she just grins and nods.

“That means if any other men come near you, I get to kick their asses over the goalpost, and youʼre not going to stop me.”

Aileen giggles, then arches an eyebrow and studies me fiercely.

“Same goes for women and you,” she growls adorably.

“Oh absolutely” My instant affirmation drains all of her tension, and she’s back to smiling happily.

“Good.”

“Now, I might as well keep going since we’re doing the whole honesty thing,” I drawl as I lean back against the cushions. “This is what’s going to happen next.”

“Do tell.”

Grasping her hips, I rearranged her so sheʼs straddling my lap.

“First, I’m going to feast on your sweet pussy until I’ve had my fill. Then I’m going to pop that innocent little cherry and make you mine inside and out. After that, we’ll go take a shower where I’ll most likely do it all over again as well as a few other things I’ve been fantasizing about. And finally, I’m moving your sexy big ass into our house as soon as youʼre better because I’m not willing to sleep without you ever again.”

Aileen is beaming at me, her skin flushed, and her hazel eyes almost crystalline from the happiness shining out of them.

“You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, Mr. Dalton?”

This time I donʼt even flinch at the name because everything feels just right.

And showing seems like a much better answer than telling.

Thank you for reading!
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Ciao
~the_atticwriter