Chapter 21 Going To Miami With Him
“Oh! Do you have some work there?” Skylar asked, but he didn’t reply and went back to his laptop to read some documents. Maybe he would wrap up some work before returning home. Skylar didn’t disturb him and the idea of cuddling up in the bedroom with a good book seemed too good a suggestion to ignore.
“I’ll rest for a while then.” She got up to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.
“Have your lunch first. Flying on an empty stomach won’t do you any good.” Skylar gave him a suspicious look. How did he know she had skipped her breakfast and lunch? How did he know she had overslept?
She sat down and faced him, needing a few answers now. Things were getting a little creepy here. He knew too much about her, while she had no idea about him.
“How did you know I skipped my breakfast and lunch?” He went back to concentrating on his work.
“Obviously, you overslept from the effect of all the alcohol that went into your system last night.” Her mouth hung open on hearing his creepy statement.
“Who told you that?” Skylar felt the need to explain to her family to not give away her whereabouts to creepy strangers.
“No one. I saw you.”
A gasp of shock escaped her mouth. “Where did you see me?” She was sure now that he was actually there at Phoenix and she wasn’t hallucinating.
His eyes shone with amusement as he held her jaw-dropped gaze. “At Phoenix, where else? I’m indebted to Alyssa for saving you before I could beat that bartender Mike up.”
The flight attendant arrived with their orders: a coffee for him and water for her. “When do you want me to serve lunch, sir, ma’am?” she asked courteously.
“I’ll have mine right away, please,” said Skylar, eager to get away from him. She was already feeling claustrophobic.
“Sure.”
“I’ll have mine with her,” said Christian. She nodded and left to get their lunch.
They both avoided one another for almost ten minutes until the flight attendant returned with their lunch. There was a cozy dining area nearby and Christian got up to occupy it. Skylar followed him and sat opposite him, unwrapping the delightful packed lunch she served. The flight attendant left them to enjoy their meal and Skylar took a bite of the mouth-watering fajita while Christian watched her, sipping his coffee.
“Who has coffee for lunch? Why don’t you stop staring and start eating?” she scolded him, his burning gaze boring a hole in her face. It made her feel too conscious of herself to enjoy her food.
He chuckled instead of getting annoyed. “Good to see you learning to play your part well!”
“What part?” she asked, looking clueless.
“The part of a nagging wife!” She gave him a death glare, her heart burning with fury. Did he really think she would bother with him after marriage?
“Stop daydreaming! Wives nag because they care about their stubborn husbands. I’ll never be that to you since I don’t fcking care about you.” He raised an eyebrow and gazed at her more with interest.
“Really? I didn’t know the reason behind their nagging. Anyway, you just proved you care about me more than you show.” With a smug look pasted on his features, he helped himself to the food.
“I don’t. I just took pity on the food. It shouldn’t go to waste.” His smile deepened as he obviously didn’t believe her. Skylar just hurried with her food. The faster she finished it, the sooner she could escape him to the sanctity of the bedroom.
“Mmm, this is good!” said Christian, drawing her attention to his lips.
“You’ll have mayo sticking to your lips.” She pointed out before relishing the key lime pie in front of her.
“Oh, which side? Can’t you wipe it?” His eyes sparkled with interest and he leaned forward to allow her to do the honors.
“Lick it off! Or wipe it off yourself. I’m not your slave!” She continued to enjoy her dessert.
“You’re my soon-to-be wife, not a slave. So you should start practicing these things.”
“I’m not an actual wife. I’m a contractual wife! So I don’t need to practice anything.” She completed her meal and looked up at him. A groan escaped her lips at seeing the mayo still sticking to his pouty, kissable lips. Was it so hard to lick it off?
“It’s the same!” His statement brought her out of her daze.
“No, it’s not. You love your actual wife, but you hate your contractual one.” He rolled his eyes at her theory. What if he told her he loved his contractual wife and wanted to make her his actual one? No, it was too early to confess! She would surely get a heart attack.
“Oh, is that so? What if the contractual wife falls in love with her contractual husband?” He was too interested in her answer to let the topic go.
“No, that can never happen. It will go against the contract. The contract will lose its existence. It won’t be valid anymore.” Christian listened with avid interest. Did she really think so? Then the only way to turn his contract marriage into reality would be to make her fall in love with him. A strange thrill pulsated through his body. He would now tempt her to fall in love with him.
“I see!” Skylar watched his thoughtful features with annoyance. What was there to think so much about it?
“Can’t you wipe that damn mayo off your lips? God, some people eat like toddlers!” She reached out and picked up a paper napkin to wipe it off his lips. Startled, Christian looked up at her and her knuckles brushed against his soft upper lip. A shot of electric current shot up her body at the contact.
What was that? Confused, Skylar’s cheeks flushed crimson.
“Umm, there done. I’ll go in and rest.” Before waiting for his reply, she rushed inside the bedroom, eager to get away from his probing gaze. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Did she see desire flickering in his eyes before she escaped?
She chided herself for her momentary lapse. From now on, she would avoid touching him!
Taking out a book from her handbag, she sat down to read it. Sienna had recommended the book to her but she hadn’t found the time to read it yet. However, her mind could hardly follow a word. It went back to her embarrassing interaction with Christian. What he might think about her? She dozed off to sleep, tired of her struggles since she woke up this morning.
However, after forty-five minutes, she woke up with a start. The lights were dimmed and she could feel someone’s presence on the bed beside her. Alerted, she turned to see Christian lying sprawled next to her, fast asleep. What the hell! She jumped up and glared at the man in disbelief.
“Why are you sleeping with me?” she demanded angrily, pushing him away. However, he didn’t budge even an inch.
“Christian!” No answer.
She scowled at the man and muttered curses at him. He had already disrupted her sleep, and she felt cranky and even more tired.
“I’ll sleep on the seat then.”
“Sleep here, Skylar. You’re making an unnecessary issue out of it,” he grumbled in his sleep-driven voice.
“No, I’m not. I won’t sleep with you. I’m going outside.” Before she could leave, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. Skylar gasped when his arm clamped around her waist. The nearness made her breath hitch, but he still had his eyes closed. She felt thankful that he didn’t see the effect his nearness was having on her.
“Sleep. You have a long night and a hectic day ahead of you.”
“Why? Am I going to work with you?” she struggled against his hold.
“No. Stop struggling and sleep here. I’ll kiss you if you struggle. You know where that will lead us to?” She gaped at his closed eyes and stilled instantly, her mind dazed and incapable of any thoughts. What? Did he really mean that?
“Okay, I’ll sleep. Please leave me.”
He released her reluctantly, but instantly missed her warmth. He loved the way she perfectly fitted in his arms. Earlier, when her fingers had brushed against his lips, his mind had been in a state of turmoil. He had fought hard against the temptation to kiss her and finally gave up, landing up with her on the bed. However, with her looking so innocent, he couldn’t kiss her yet. He wanted her to be awake and feel his love when he kissed her. He wanted her to respond to his kiss. In his battle to control himself around her, he had dozed off to sleep.
Christian watched her as she turned her back towards him and fell asleep. He waited for the flight to land in Miami, Florida. He couldn’t tell her the purpose of their visit yet. She would never agree to go.
Before boarding the flight, he had already ensured that all the preparations had been completed. He knew he should have informed her, but didn’t have the courage to. Knowing her nature, he was sure she would have fought his decision. Maybe it was better this way. She would come to know tomorrow when their family arrived to get them engaged to one another for life!
It was what he had been waiting for a long time. Tomorrow they would finally get engaged!