Chapter 7
Though today was a sad occasion Libby couldn’t help but feel a thrill running through her over stimulated body. For the past few days she felt like she was standing on the sharp edge of desire and real life. Between setting up for today, the last day Loaves of Love would be open in Paris and getting acquainted with every muscle and every plane of Amir’s body she felt emotionally confused. Sleeping with Amir hadn’t been part of her plan or their fake fiancée arrangement and it had her questioning everything.
She had already told Amir that she couldn’t let him pay her with an outrageously expensive building in the heart of Paris but she wasn’t naive enough to think that he wouldn’t try to compensate her in some way. Now that they were sleeping together, at least they had been for the past four days, how could she possibly accept any type of payment from him? She couldn’t, of that much she was certain. But that left her own future more unstable than it had been moments ago.
“What are you back here sulking for girl? This is your last day here sugarplum, let's put on our smiles and make sure people remember your name.” Her grandpa flashed a kind smile at her and Libby found herself plastering her flour covered body against his round belly, inhaling the sweet scent of the cigars they both pretended he didn’t smoke and the bacon he couldn’t give up.
“Thank you for everything Grandpa. I couldn’t have opened this place without you.” She felt tears threaten, but she had no plans to let them fall. This wasn’t a sad occasion and she wouldn’t think of it as such, it was just the end of one chapter. The next one would be better, maybe with fewer bumps in the road and a couple more breaks. She could use one right about now. Maybe two. Or ten.
“No need to thank me little girl. I enjoyed helping you and I’ll enjoy helping you with the next one.” His big thick hands held her at arm’s length as his gaze looked her over. “Unless this fake engagement thing has turned real?”
The way her heart leapt at the thought told Libby she was in trouble and she needed to tread carefully. “Don’t be silly Grandpa. He’s going to be a King, a ruler of a nation. We wouldn’t fit for real.”
Grandpa Nate frowned. “You’re crazy girl. That man, hell any man, would be lucky to have you. He doesn’t seem stupid to me.” He wrapped her in his arms once more, squeezing tight and dropping a kiss on top of her head. “Come on, let’s go greet the people who showed up to say goodbye.”
Goodbye. It was a sad thought and one she couldn’t let herself dwell on. Not today. “All right, let’s go!” She fixed a smile on her face, as bright as it was fake and made her way into the dining area of her shop. At least for another ten hours and twenty-seven minutes.
Libby loved people. She loved meeting new people, talking to them about their lives, their loves and their experiences. It was part of why she wanted to open a bakery in this wonderful city. People stopped in at all times of the day, ready for a chat and to share a few tidbits of their lives with her. Normally she loved it, but today it all felt a bit too bittersweet. Still, she smiled bright and engaged with customers as they told her how sad they were to see her closing, how they couldn’t wait to find out her new location. She had a newsletter sign-up so she could alert them all about when—or if—she reopened.
“Hey sugarplum we need more of that pumpkin bread.”
Libby nodded and pushed her way back to the kitchen to remove bread from cooling racks and from the oven, drizzling some with her sweet vegan cream and leaving others plain. With a contented sigh, she looked at her creations before pushing backwards through the door and into the throng. “Who asked for pumpkin bread?” She sang out and the words received loud greetings in return.
“Pumpkin bread sounds delicious,” a deep baritone said in a teasing voice she immediately recognized. Even if she hadn’t her body did. When the voice spoke again, it was closer. “What the hell is pumpkin bread?”
She laughed and turned to find Amir smiling down at her, looking so gorgeous she had to catch her breath. His dark beauty constantly left her stunned. Speechless. “It’s bread made with pumpkins and many other things, of course. Want a bite?” She held up a slice for him to bite.
“Always.” His hand wrapped around her wrist and brought her hand closer to his mouth, leaving her to watch, transfixed, as his full lips wrapped around the bread just barely grazing her knuckles as he took the bite. And made a sound so dirty it hit her right in her stomach and spread out, heating her to her core. “Damn that is some good pumpkin bread,” he grinned. “Best I ever had.”
Another laugh escaped her and she nudged him away with her hip, placing the rest of the bread in his hand. “Only bread you’ve ever had, you mean.”
He shrugged, giving her that boyish smile he did each time he did something naughty to her. “I’m sure it’s better than all the rest of the pumpkin bread out there.”
“Stop trying to flatter me. What are you doing here?” She hadn’t expected to see him for the next few days. “I thought you had business out of town.”
He nodded. “It’s done so I thought you might need your fiancé to support you today.”
“Damn, that’s sweet of you.”
“I’m a sweet guy,” he deadpanned.
“You really are, but don’t worry Amir your secret is safe with me.” Her head tilted up to look him directly in those chocolate brown eyes smiling down at her. Then his lips were on hers, kissing her senseless in the middle of her bakery. Even if it was just for a few more hours.
“The offer still stands for another location Libby. Just say the word.”
She sighed and took a step back. “I can’t, especially not after we’ve made love,” she whispered so low she barely heard her own words.
Understanding flashed in his eyes and he nodded. “Can you spare a minute?”
“Sure, what do you need?” Instead of words he grabbed her hand, weaving their fingers together and pulled her through the kitchen and down to her tiny office. She blinked when the lights flickered on and two pieces of luggage were stacked neatly in a corner. “You’re leaving?” She would wait until later, much later, to examine that strange tug at her heart. That acid burning her stomach.
“I am. And I’m hoping you’ll come with me.”
With him? “Where are you going?” This is a fake relationship, she reminded herself to keep her silly heart from floating right out of her chest and into his hands.
“I have some business in Bali and I’d like you to come with me.”
Her lips curled at his commanding words. He never asked only gave orders and instead of putting her off it made her smile. “You would?”
“Yes.”
She laughed again. “Then how can I possibly say no?”
* * *
“Mother it’s too soon to meet her. When the time is right, you can meet her, I promise.” Amir raked a hand through his windblown hair while he listened to his mother try to convince him the meeting needed to happen sooner.
“You’re already engaged so why is too soon? You have been gallivanting all over Paris with her, looking so in love that your father and I are simply anxious to meet her.”
He knew that much was true because he’d seen all the photos too and he did look completely besotted by the tiny, vivacious woman with the wild mane of reddish blonde hair. He wasn’t besotted of course, merely amused. She interested him, intrigued him. That was all. “Mother please. Give us some time to settle in together and I promise I’ll bring her to you.” It was all part of his plan. The world would get to see them together, falling in love and traveling the world so that when they got to the palace everyone’s expectations would not be met. They would see how wildly inappropriate she was and he would get a reprieve.
With a long suffering sigh, his mother finally agreed. “Fine. The annual harvest festival starts in three weeks. I expect to see you both for the ball.” Without another word she hung up.
Three weeks. He could do that. Hell, now that their relationship had turned physical it would be no hardship at all to keep her around. Even if she wasn’t completely inappropriate she was sexy as hell, fun and she kept him guessing. Hell, it was a surprise to find such a sensual woman untouched by any man. Ever.
Just thinking about how responsive she was whenever he touched her was more than enough to make his body heat and swell in response and in seconds he was on his feet, heading out of the seaside bungalow to where Libby frolicked in the sea. Though instead of the sea, she’d found her way to a group of kids building a sand castle big enough to rival the bungalows just a few feet away.
She had them all transfixed and not by her bikini clad body, but the animated flailing of her arms when she spoke or how she used a bow from a little girl’s hair for the turret and buttons for the hidden cannons. “You just need a little imagination,” she told them with a blinding smile that had the older boys shifting uncomfortably. “Now Lana what do you think we ought to use for the doors?”
A small tow-headed girl wearing pigtails and a polka dot bikini not too different from Libby’s grinned up at her, tapping her chin. “Shells! They could be the handles!”
“Very nice. We also need a drawbridge and a moat,” she cast a glance at the boys who shyly looked away and rushed off presumably to do her bidding. Finally, she looked up, big blue eyes flashing surprise then desire, and then joy at seeing him. “Hey guys, do you know Amir?”
They all shook their heads because he’d spent the past two days since they landed on the phone or in meetings. “Is he your boyfriend,” the little blonde haired girl asked in a singsong voice.
“More than that,” she said, skirting the castle and pressing a quick chaste kiss to his lips. “He my betrothed. That means we’re going to get married.”
“And live in a castle?”
Amir saw the way the light in her eyes dimmed and he wondered what brought it on but it was gone so soon he thought he must’ve imagined it. “Home. Castle. It’s all the same when you’re together, right?”
“That’s right,” he answered for the little girl and wrapped her in his arms, dropping a kiss to her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. She smelled so damn good, like woman and ocean and coconuts.
She beamed a smile up at him before turning back to the kids. “My ride is here and we have a dinner to get to but I’ll stop by later to see how the castle is turning out, okay?”
“You’re really good with them,” he told her as they walked away. “How did you meet them?”
“Lana wandered too far into the water and I got a chance to play lifeguard.” Her laughter ricocheted off the trees and the bungalows, spread just far enough apart to provide each unit with privacy. “Everything going okay?”
“Yes. Well other than the fact that my mother has summoned us back to Kadrishan in time for the Harvest Ball.” To his unexpected relief she laughed. Not just a giggle or chuckle, a full body laugh with her bent over at the waist, tickled pink. “What’s so funny?”
Libby held up a hand, but her laughter wouldn’t subside for several long minutes as they made their way inside. “You sound so, I don’t know, like you’re suffering to go home to what I imagine is a palace full of people who love you and are on standby to do your bidding. Sounds awful,” she groaned, but it sounded as fake as the sympathy shining in her eyes.
“This is all your fault, you know. She saw us in the papers and said I looked so in love her and father had to meet you.”
She stopped in the hall just outside the bedroom they’d been sharing and turned to him, demeanor stiff with a pained expression on her face. “I understand Amir. Don’t worry that I’m trying to change the terms of this arrangement. I have no designs on your precious palace or your family or your money. Or your heart.”
“I didn’t mean that Libby.”
“Yes you did, and it’s fine. I know where I stand.” She disappeared into the bedroom and locked the door behind her.
“Shit!” He smacked the door and went out onto the patio to wait for her.
* * *
“So what do you do Libby?”
She blinked at the question because she’d been sitting at a table in a private dining room inside the resort’s five star restaurant for hours and she’d mostly been forgotten about. Which was fine with her since she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. “Well, I had a healthy bakery in Paris, but my building was recently sold to make room for a shopping center so now I’m here with you gentlemen.”
One of the men, Mr. Morokovitch smiled, leering at her. “I am sure Amir will be happy to keep your little bakery afloat.”
The deep breaths she took did little to calm her. “My little bakery was a successful venture until the building was sold so I think I’ll do what I did the first time, figure it out for myself.” The jerk laughed and turned to Amir with an amused grin.
“This one is feisty. You will be very happy with her.”
Libby chose to remain silent and enjoy the very, very expensive wine circulating the table. They spoke business throughout the appetizers and several dinner courses and now dessert had arrived and the papers had come out. That was her cue. “I’m sure you gentlemen have much to discuss so I’ll leave you to it. Good night.” Without a hug or a kiss to her supposed fiancé, who didn’t stand to pull her chair out or help her up, she sauntered away.
Libby wanted to be mad at Amir but she couldn’t because he was just making sure they stuck to the agreement. Mostly. Apparently she needed her own reminder if his words earlier had impacted her the way they did. She shouldn’t have been offended, shouldn’t have even let his words pierce her armor. But she’d gone and slept with him and his words had stung. Worse than they should have considering the casual—and fake—nature of their relationship.
“Libby, wait!”
She stopped, but did'nt turn around. He walked around her when he caught up with her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You’re in business mode so you don’t need me there and I don’t want to be. Is that a problem?” She was proud of how calm she sounded. How unaffected.
“No, of course not.” He looked confused, but quickly shook it off. “You seemed off at dinner and I just wanted to make sure we were all right.”
“I’m fine. You don’t want to keep your guests waiting Amir.”
“I suppose not. Will you wait up for me?” He looked so earnest that she wanted to leap right in and comfort him.
But she didn’t. “I don’t know.” Waiting up for him meant one thing and one thing only. Sex. Hot and sweaty and passionate sex. That would only serve to confuse the hell out of her. But she couldn’t deny that if he came to her, which he most certainly would, she would fall into his arms because they were big and strong, and because pleasure lay that way.
Just keep the sex away from your heart and you’ll be fine. She knew, even as she said the words, they were impossible. She hadn’t waited this long to make love with a man for it to simply be casual. Meaningless. “That doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to be diligent about it,” she told herself when she made it to the bungalow and slipped off the blue dress she’d worn at Amir’s insistence and stepped into a red one piece swimsuit. She needed the outdoors, the calm sway of the ocean, the sand between her toes. The still night air.
The wine had made her a little fuzzy, but not enough for her to be in danger as the sounds of the ocean grew closer and closer. The sand was still a little warm from the long, hot day, but the cool breeze chilled her skin. It felt absolutely perfect.
Floating in the water, parallel to the shore, she let her thoughts wander to what she would do when the time came for her and Amir to part ways. They wouldn’t likely remain friends or even acquaintances and she needed to find a way with being okay with saying goodbye. Which means I need distance. Of course that would be nearly impossible for at least the next three weeks so she would have to keep her emotional distance. Because the only other option, giving up making love, wasn’t really an option at all.
So she would have to summon all the strength and self-restraint she could muster up, from all her years of being the outcast. The weirdo who would never fit in and she would enjoy her time for what it was. A nice distraction from real life.
“What in the hell are you doing swimming alone, at night?” Amir’s voice broke the calm of the night but Libby didn’t let it bother her.
“I didn’t realize I needed anyone’s permission.”
A low sound came from his direction and she didn’t know if it was a growl or something else. “Be reasonable Libby. You’ve been drinking and if you drifted away no one would know.”
“I’ve taken every precaution and here I am, not floating away.” It would be nice to think his concern was genuine, but she figured it would reflect poorly on him if his fiancé went missing in the sea. She continued to float along the shore, enjoying the slight jostling of her body and ignoring the angry presence to her right.
“Libby.” His voice held a warning, but she didn’t answer to him. Especially not tonight.
“Amir,” she returned in the same tone.
“Damn frustrating woman,” he groaned, still mumbling under his breath for nearly a minute before she heard his legs pushing through the water. “Libby come out.”
“No.” He stood close enough that she could feel his nearness but not his heat. “You go on in and I’ll be there when I’m ready.” Then strong hands pulled her from the water and unceremoniously tossed her over his shoulder, leaving her upside down as he picked up his clothes and moved them towards the bungalow. “Put me down you animal!”
His deep laugh echoed on the night air, vibrating through her chest and legs. “I think I like you in this position.” His hand landed in a hard smack on her ass. “Yes, I definitely like this position. Ow! Did you just bite me?”
She smiled even though he couldn’t see her. “Maybe.”
They made it inside to the bedroom they’d been sharing and he tossed her on the bed, making her laugh at his caveman ways. “You bit me on the ass and now I think I’ll return the favor,” he told her as he kicked off the rest of his clothes and joined her on the bed.
All thoughts of keeping her distance faded as his lips descended on hers, spreading all over her body.