A Billionaire Fake Marriage (Complete)

Chapter 19

" CHLOE POV "

"Hey Chloe," Gio's deep voice filled the phone, and I felt a smile soften my face.

"I'm sorry to do this to you at the last minute, but I'm afraid I'm working late tonight. I won't be home until midnight, at least."

"How come?"

He sounded displeased.

"The developer on one of the contracts we signed a few months ago wants to reopen terms. Scumbag. I hate people like that. They make a mistake; they should have to live with the consequences. Instead, they're whining to me, as if it's my fault, and they expect me to accommodate them."

More than a month had passed since we'd returned from Paris, and though I was reluctant to admit it, things were good, really good between us.

Since I'd never been in a marriage of convenience, I hadn't really known what to expect, but it hadn't been this.

I hadn't thought that I would be having crazy hot sex with my husband-on-paper, and I hadn't counted on the warm camaraderie that had grown between us.

I might have fallen in love with Gio.

"Don't work too hard." I frowned away my feelings for Gio.

It didn't do, to dwell on what I couldn't have - I'd learned that from a young age.

My mother had left to live like a hippie in Vancouver rather than deal with the responsibility of a baby, and I'd learned to wall off that hurt.

My grandmother had never had much money for toys, and I'd taught myself that envy was a corrosive emotion.

Now, I did the same thing. I could either spend all my time being sad that our marriage wasn't going to last, or I could enjoy the present.

And with a husband, as hot as Christian Giovanni De Luca, I was definitely choosing to enjoy him .

"Have you had dinner?" Gio tended to forget to eat when he got engrossed in a design problem.

"No," he admitted sheepishly.

"Tell you what," I suggested.

"Can you take a break for fifteen minutes? I was going to drop by at my grandmother's, but I can bring you dinner first."

"My office isn't on the way," he replied, but I knew he was tempted by the idea.

"I'm doing it," I told him, opening the refrigerator and staring at the contents.

We'd eaten a chicken and lentil salad for dinner last night, and there was still some left.

"Don't get too excited. I'm just bringing you leftovers."

"I'm not excited because of dinner, Chloe." His tone was warm, gentle.

"I'm glad you're dropping by."

Think sexy thoughts, I ordered myself, before my emotions could swell out of control.

Think of his hard abs and bulging biceps and tight ass and that massive, massive dick.

Just lust. No feelings.

"Do you have a naughty assistant fantasy?" I asked.

"Maybe I'll make it come true."

"Will you?" Normally, at this point, his tone would have transformed to amusement, but today, it stayed tender.

"Only if they are really naughty." It felt like someone had wrapped a palm around my heart and was squeezing it slowly, painfully.