Five

EVE'S POV

My heart hammered away in my chest.

Why was he suddenly asking that? Have I said something to give myself away?.

If he finds out the truth and cancelled the marriage... No! I couldn't let that happen. If he discovers my family's deceit, my parents would no longer cater for Sarah's treatment.

"Of course I am" I replied, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Why would you ask that?".

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at me. It made me even more uneasy.

"You are the Caruso's' eldest son, right?" I asked, attempting to shift the attention from me to him.

He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked on his feet.

“I am", he said and I nodded.

"Well then, it's all good, right?”

MORGAN POV

Knowing that I was going to marry a strange woman to fulfil my mother's wish. I sent someone to investigate the eldest daughter of the Lucianos.

I had needed to know about her so he could figure out how to encourage her to divorce him quickly. But now, I was wondering whether my source had gotten his information wrong.

When I appeared at the wedding, I was ready to meet a haughty woman who would turn hostile at the sight of our living arrangement.

Because according to my source, my intended bride would never settle for such a life. But now, the reality was turning out to be completely different.

She was not showing any animosity towards the situation. Did she really not mind being married to a poor man she wasn't even in love with? Was she so devoted to her family that she was willing to sacrifice her own desires to ensure they met their end of the agreement?.

Because if that was the case, I am afraid it would be so much harder to get her to divorce me.

But that couldn't happen. Whether this woman was who she said she was or not, i didn't care. As long as I'm concerned, I had fulfilled my mother's wish and married the eldest daughter of the Lucianos family. Now, all I needed to do was find a way to end the entire thing.

What besides passing off as a poor man could make a wealthy heiress divorce you?

"It's all good," I replied finally.

"It has been a long day, we should go to sleep.", i suggested.

"Yeah" she said, then her eyes slid past me to the bed in the room.

I held out one hand to her.

"Care to join me?"

She shook her head quickly.

"I'Il take the sofa."

"The bed is big enough for both of us," I pointed out.

"You're only my husband on paper, Morgan. Other than that, you're a stranger to me. I don't share a bed with strangers”,.

I took a step towards her.

“You don't?".

She swallowed hard as I stepped closer.

"I don't"

"I will not try to touch you, if that's what you're worried about" I assured her.

EVE'S POV

Does he really think I would agree to sleep in the same bed with him when we were in a fake marriage? Ah, or was this one of his plots to seduce me?

I had heard that he was a player, after all. And not long ago, he had offered to satisfy my sexual needs.

I cleared my throat and gestured to the sofa.

"I'm good with the sofa."

I actually wasn't. After the long day I had, I was hoping for a good night's rest.

But now, not only was I trapped in a room with a strange man, I also had to make do with a sofa.

None of that screamed 'good nights sleep'. Forget having a good rest, I would be lucky if I could get a few hours of shut-eye.

Morgan shook his head and took yet another step towards me. I wished he would stop doing that. It was getting harder to focus on important things, with him getting in my space.

The closer he got, the more attuned I became to the scent of his soap, the slight dampness of his hair, the curve of his upper lip..

I shook my head mentally. Those were not the kind of thoughts I was supposed to be having if I was determined to keep everything platonic.

"No, I can't have that”, he told me.

"If you won't come to bed with me, I'Il take the sofa."

Would he really do that?

"No, you don't have to. It's your bed, after all:"

"Our bed' he corrected.

"And, fake or not, you're my wife, and I won't let you sleep on the sofa."

I looked at him, met his gaze for a second, and then looked away. So, even after saying we would only pretend to be a couple in public, was he now going to treat me like his wife indoors?

"Thanks, then, if you're sure" I told him.

"But" he said, reaching forward to lean one of his hands on the counter next to me.

"Do we really have to resort to that?"

I swallowed hard, my throat going dry at his sudden closeness. His arm brushed against my side and I stepped to the side, attempting to create more space between us.

"What?",

"We are both adults" he said, his eyes running up and down my body openly.

Was he checking me out? What exactly was he trying to do?.

I tried to maintain my composure, but it was hard when his dark eyes rose to mine. They penetrated mine, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. It wasn't my fault that he was good looking.

MORGAN'S POV

The closer I got to her, the stronger the whiff I was getting of her soap, shampoo or whatever it was she had used in the bathroom.

Dammit..was it really possible to play house with this woman without crossing the lines I had intended to draw, even before I met her? I was loving her reactions to me a little too much.

As I got closer, she looked as if she wanted to bolt, but also as if she was trying hard to act like I wasn't affecting her.

Her chest was rising a little more rapidly, and her hands had closed into fists. Maybe while we were stuck in this situation, it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun.

Moving quickly, I stepped in front of her and placed my other hand on her other side, effectively caging her to the kitchen counter.

Her eyes widened instantly as her hands dropped to brace herself on the surface behind her.

"What..what are you doing?"

I leaned in, closing in on her, bringing my lips to her ear.

"Would you like us to be a real couple… behind closed doors?"

Her wide eyes fixated on me.

"I...I.."

"You're a beautiful woman" I whispered, making a point of keeping my voice as low as possible.

"I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you. And, of course, doing other things that a normal couple would”. I added.