She nodded and stepped out of the elevator. She looked back as the doors closed and she looked so lost he wanted to reach out and keep the doors from closing. He wanted to go to her and comfort her and tell her it was all going to be okay. But he couldn’t tell her that. This was what she wanted…she wanted Nathan, not him, and he refused to be a second choice or a substitute. The doors closed, cutting off his view of her and he leaned his head back against the mirrored wall, exhaling harshly. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to change the direction of his thoughts. He and Cassie were in a fake relationship and that’s all it could be unless she walked away from her silly infatuation with his stepbrother. The doors opened again on his floor and he carded his way into the penthouse suite. He kicked off his shoes and loosened the top button on his shirt. He grabbed his phone and sat on the balcony overlooking the dark beach. It was June and winter in the sunshine state, but it

"So, what's the plan of action?" he inquired, interrupting her. "Strategy," she inquired. His nod was incisive. "For Sunday brunch. Nathan must not be aware that I am your date. "Oh, no," she replied, "but he is aware that I own one." So what now? We simply enter and ask, "Surprise?" She questioned, "Do you have a better idea?" He chewed out, "No," and groaned. "Anyway, surprise is probably preferable because you can witness his first response without giving him a chance to adjust to the concept." She pivoted to gaze outside the window. The encounter with Nathan was not something she was looking forward to, especially not in front of so many strangers. Although he had never been overly attached to her, he had also never had to face the fact that they were dating. And the man he was constantly competing with was his stepbrother. The fact that Brian was wealthier, more accomplished, and, some would argue, more attractive did not help. Nathan felt even more inadequate in

"Blue, what's wrong?" He spoke on her flesh. What happened to you? Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked up into his stunning green eyes. She bent down to kiss him chastely, and as she did, she felt his hand tighten on her other shoulder. She muttered, "Nothing," against his lips. "Nothing is amiss." "Stullshit," he said in a whisper, but the harsh words were softened by the smile in his eyes. "But for now, I'll let it pass." With his eyes fixed on hers, he planted another kiss on her lips. "Now, fill up your stomach; you'll need it to get through this afternoon's dress fitting." His eyes glowed with laughter as she grinned at him. She cupped his jaw and ran her fingers through his silky beard, the tension that had been between them this morning melting away. His eyes became gloomy as desire heated them. She was sitting back from Brian when she heard the scrape of chair legs on the deck, which cut through her veil of confusion. Nathan also cleared his throat

This, although theoretically reasonable, was completely absurd if he entered the same room as her. Every time he felt the urge to touch her, to smell her flowers, to feel the warmth of her body next to his, his barriers crumbled. He was helpless in her presence, and he fucked and enjoyed it. Did that mean he was a masochist in some way? He gave a damn. He was aware that he would eventually have to pay for this exquisite and lovely torment, but he was also aware that he could not escape it.As Cassie pulled into the Oceans Resort's underground parking garage, she turned to face Ainsley, perplexed. This was as far as a bridal store was located. She said, "What are we doing here?" as Ainsley parked and killed the engine. She clarified, "I'm meeting the dressmaker here." "I reserved her because I didn't like any of the locations along the ocean and because I had heard odd things about this eccentric woman who had a shop in Paddington. Although she seems strange, I appreciate her work.

As they bid farewell to Madam Hilda and made their way into the hallway, she was in a trance. Since her room was only a few floors below, Cassie begged to skip the early afternoon drinks that the other women had planned and claimed she would simply go to her room for a night of sleep. When Brian came out, the other lady waived her off and went into the elevator, making her knees go numb at his sight."Cassie, were you looking for me?" he said in a worried tone. She bit her lip and shook her head. She pointed to the other door and replied, "No, ah, I mean, we were just in there for the dress fitting." He stopped in front of her and fidgeted with his hands, saying, "Oh." She turned to face him and remarked, "You're back early." "You can't possibly be done with eighteen holes already." He smiled. "No, but I've had enough of this asshole," he said. She shook her head, grinning. He said, "Do you want to come in for a drink?" She glanced at the floor before glancing up at him