Cormac doesn’t look amused. “Your father thinks we’re pretending, but I intend to make this look real, so he’ll hire me under his arcane rules.”
“Right,” I whisper. “We pretend when the right people are watching. And then go back to being roommates with rings behind closed doors?”
“When I stop controlling myself around you,” he says low, “roommates will be the last thing we are.”
“Okay…” My breath stutters. “I can sleep on the couch.”
“No.” His face twitches at the suggestion. “Your head is not touching anything in this apartment except the pillows on this bed. Understood?”
I love the possessiveness threading through his tone. It’s dark and sexy as hell. “So, I can’t nap out in the living room?”
“You know what I mean, brat.”
Brat… I like it when he calls me that.
“What’s in here?” I open another closet and see it filled with men’s clothes.Hisclothes.
Then the scent hits me. Cedar, cotton, and spicy cologne.
I drift inside to the center dresser and run my fingers on the stone top. Two expensive watches dangle from a velvet holder. On a silver tray, there are stacks of cashand… A gun.
The room tilts, and my knees wobble. I have to get out of here from the sensory overload. I back away and then face the king-size bed with a black down comforter and black sheets.
I sit on the end of the bed and finger the top cover. “Your bed is comfortable.”
“It’s our bed now.”
“I won’t be a distraction?” I ask quietly and lie back. “You can sleep in the same bed with me and not touch me?
He huffs a quiet, broken laugh. “You’re the biggest distraction I’ve ever had. But I’ve gotten used to avoiding things I want that I shouldn’t.”
“Putting me on my knees excluded?” I tease.
“The stakes are higher now, Scarlett. No touching. Either of us.” His jaw tightens.
“Why can’t we just enjoy ourselves?” I ask, feeling everything around me float.
“Things have changed.” His tone is stripped of any emotion. “As soon as you were cornered and you needed me, this became the best temporary fix for both our situations.”
I glance around and have to accept this is my new reality.
“How long?” My voice is small, humiliatingly so. “How long do you need me to be your wife?”
His pupils darken, swallowing the green. “At least until I sign an iron-clad employment contract at the end of this semester. I’ll pay off your tuition, give you a roof over your head, clothes, food, healthcare, and a spending allowance. I’ll give you everything you need. Anything you want. Even a divorce settlement that will get you through your graduation and into your residency.”
The word divorce lands with surgical precision.Ouchdoesn’t even cover it.
“Okay.” Heat flushes up my neck, and I force myself to nod. “Then what about my father? What happens when you divorce the dean’s daughter? How will that land?”
Cormac’s smile builds slowly and looks cold. “You let me worry about how I deal with your father.”
A shiver breaks over my spine. “Does that include that I may not have a father?”
He frowns. “Of course not. Smart people like your father eventually make smart decisions.”
Either way, we’re both fucked. We’re trauma bonding. Clinging to the wreckage together in the storm. Jumping off the ledge holding hands.
That’s when it hits me. I’ve sold my soul to this man who’s connected to the mob.