"I asked you a question, Townsend," Abby said sharply. "Do you prefer the red or the black?" She held up each tie, draping them across his shoulders. He shrugged slightly and she scowled, threw the black one to the ground and slid the other under his collar.
"I sill don't understand why we have to do this. There could be other covers, other ways to establish a deal," he said and pulled away tying the tie himself.
"You're a billionaire, I'm your sexy fiancé ,I pretend." Pretend. God, how he hated pretending. He had to pretend he didn't love her, didn't want her. He had to turn his head when she acted certain ways. Because, let's be honest, she was stunning in that dress. And she played the seductive part very well. Pretending, a word used to make lying seem okay. Pretending to not love her while having to pretend she was his lover. His head was a mess. He couldn't focus on what he should've been, instead he was focusing on her. Again.
"Edward!" Abby snapped. Her glanced back as her nostrils flared. The pretender in her clicked and her eyes blazed. Another knock, not the first he assumed. "We have company," she said softly smirking as she stepped past him and into the other room to answer the door.
"Mr. James, how nice to meet you and your beautiful fiancé," the man pressed his lips to her hand. He eyed her body and instantly Townsend's left arm wrapped around Abby possessively as he shook the mans hand.
"Mr. Sullivan the pleasure is all mine." Townsend smiled. "Penelope love," his English accent deepened as he turned towards Abby and leant down to her ear. "Fetch us the brandy." Abby nodded and left, quickly coming back with two glasses and a bottle. "Please have a seat."
"You have a lovely home, and quite a lovely fiancé. When's the date?" Sullivan sat in the chair.
"March 23," Townsend answered. "That's about all I know. She's in charge of the rest." He relaxed into the sofa, taking a drink.
"I've already told you that you don't need to worry. You have a job to do." Abby sat down next to him, crossing her legs and placing a hand on his leg. He noticed her eyes holding a different fire, not of hard lust, something else.
"Speaking of a job, this contract, what is it implying?" Sullivan sat up as the meeting began. It went on for an hour, discussing money and implications, before they finalized the deal. Sullivan thanked them, once more kissing Abby's hand, winking at her. And once more, Townsend's fingers curled in possession around Abby, this time grabbing her wrist.
The man left leaving Abby to be pinned against the door. Edward stared at her eyes, looked into them as if he were searching for something. "What happened back there, you changed." He searched a second longer before turning and leaving to the bedroom.
"What are you even saying? I changed? What does that mean?" Abby stalked after him.
"It was in your bloody eyes!" He roared. "They were hard and on fire and then suddenly they looked different like...like..."
"Like what?!" She demanded, she was feeding off his anger and confusion.
"Like love!" He answered. "Abigail, that was not pretending." He watched her jaw clench as he backed her into the wall. His hand hit the wall above her head and she swallowed hard looking up. "Do you love me?"
"So what if I do?" She said, her voice a raspy whisper. His lips slammed into hers and he pulled back gasping for air. Abby studied him for a split second before grabbing his tie and pulling him back to her. It wasn't like the other times of debating or doing something because they needed to find a way to let out feelings of anger and hurt. No, it wasn't like that. This was passion and need and want and desire. This was love. She loved him and he loved her. They needed each other more than ever before. They looked into each other's eyes as they moved together.
After they lay there in each other's arms, breathing in time with each other, sighing together. "I'm so sorry," she breathed.
"Shh, there's nothing to apologize for." He kissed her head and closed his eyes, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. She shifted, curling into his body, falling asleep.
