Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Nathan

Alert:

Search term "Nathan West" mentioned one time online:

Nathan West Seen with Tech Villain Frederick Chantal. Shocking Proof Former Good Guy is Feeling the Power of the Dark Side.

If Mina's office had a mood board, there would be pictures of Victorian homes with wrought iron fences. Foggy fields with dew glimmering in the earliest rays of a brilliant sunrise.

The walls are painted a soothing palette of soft grays and muted blues. Large windows adorned with sheer curtains allow natural light to filter in, illuminating the room and giving it an open and airy feel. The desk is a sleek modern piece, no nonsense and clutter-free, except for an orchid arching near her computer in a burst of vibrant purple. The mood board she made for my home is pinned on the wall next to a bookshelf filled with design books and architecture magazines, along with a few photographs and trinkets.

In one corner of the office, plush chairs circle a low coffee table adorned with design catalogs and a chic vase of fresh flowers. The area is perfect for Mina to present her ideas and sketches, fostering a collaborative and inviting atmosphere.

This is not what I expected from the Hot Mess Express.

I scrub a hand over my mouth to wipe away a smile.

It's been a week since my birthday and I still haven't unraveled everything that happened. Mina and I haven't seen much of each other, an unspoken agreement that we needed some space. I almost kissed her. And she almost let me.

And then, in the car, she may have offered to be there for me while I work through whatever is bothering me. And I liked the way it felt, thinking she saw through all the shit posted about me online to who I really am.

And I'm not supposed to like shit like that, especially with someone like her.

So yeah, space was necessary.

"Would you like a cup of coffee? Maybe a bottle of water?" asks Mina's ridiculously good-looking assistant, lingering in the doorway, eyeing me like he's prepared to defend his boss's honor if I make one wrong move.

"I'd love a coffee," Mina replies, sitting behind her desk, back straight, prim, proper. Our eyes meet and my heart thumps a wild rhythm.

What the fuck is that about?

I've never met anyone who made me feel so out of control.

I hate it.

"Mr. West?" she prompts, and I swallow hard.

"Coffee, please. Strong and black."

Tad nods, pushes off the doorframe, and then Mina and I are alone.

"Look, I—" I begin at the same time she says, "I think we should?—"

There's an awkward laugh and some dodgy eye contact before I let out a short breath. "You first."

Mina crosses her legs, then promptly uncrosses them. Folds her arms over her chest, then licks her lips and finally settles on clasping her hands in her lap. "I asked you to arrive early so we can talk freely before Benjamin gets here. After the catastrophe that was your birthday last week, I think we?—"

The door swings open and in breezes Tad, sporting two coffee mugs and a grin the size of Texas. "Here's a hot, sweet, and basically white for Ms. Blake and a broody, dark, and bitter for Mr. West."

He sets the mugs down in front of us, then pauses at the door. I feel his eyes boring into the back of my head like a guard dog alerting to danger before he closes the door and once again, Mina and I are alone. She takes a drink of what looks more like a milkshake than a coffee, and I sip a rich, dark brew. Her outfit is demure today, a cream-colored blouse buttoned up to her throat and a form fitting blue skirt that stops just below her knees. It's a stark contrast to the red dress she wore the other night, but my hands still ache to be on that body.

Mina rests her elbows on the desk and her chin on her hands. "As I was saying, if we're going to pull this fake relationship off, we need to be better prepared than we were at your parents' house. We need a story and we need a plan, Mr. West. A good one."

"Before we get to that, you need an apology, Ms. Blake. A good one." I smile as I mimic her no-nonsense speech pattern. "I wasn't myself that day. I haven't been myself for some time now and I assure you, you won't deal with that version of me again."

"So, you're saying that behavior isn't typical for you." Her eyes glimmer with ball busting glee. She's given me that excuse more than once and looks thrilled to throw the words back into my face. I hate that I gave her the ammunition but respect her for using it. It will, however, be the last time Mina Blake gets the better of me.

I glare into my coffee before meeting her eyes. "Since you called me in early, I assume you have ideas on how we should prepare, which would be strange because planning ahead seems out of character for the Hot Mess Express."

There. That's better. A return to equilibrium. It's better when we bicker.

"There's a hot mess in this room, but I don't think it's me." With a crooked grin, Mina cups her mug in both hands and sits back to cross her legs. "In no particular order, we need an end date on this relationship. We need parameters in place regarding physical contact, number of dates we'll be going on, what those dates will look like, and who pays for what while we're out. We need our stories straight about how we met and why we like each other because what happened last week was humiliating."

I take another pull of coffee to hide my smile. "That's a comprehensive list."

She nods, pleased. "I think you'll find me most thorough."

I flash to her naked, on her knees, her mouth on my dick while I wrap my fist in that silky hair. How thorough would she?—

What the actual fuck?

What is wrong with me?

Mina and I have a business agreement. There's no room for her lips on my dick in a business agreement. Not even when it happens in my head. And especially when we don't even know each other.

Or like each other.

Mina. In the car. Watching bugs dance through streetlights. "I think maybe you're working through something and, well, you don't have to work through it alone…"

I scrub the memory away.

"All right," I say, like I didn't just mentally fuck her mouth. "An end date." I stare towards the ceiling and pluck the first one that comes to mind. "My cousin Nick received orders and will ship out soon. He'll be home in six months. We can stage a breakup after we've been to the party my family is sure to throw in his honor."

"Six months?" Mina arches a brow, probably wondering if she can stand to be around me that long.

"Six months," I say with a decisive nod.

"It'll take about that long to finalize the plans for your house. So, the timing works in more ways than one." She jots a note on her tablet. "What about physical contact? I can't have you groping me whenever you feel like it."

I lean forward, forearms on her desk, drunk on the scent of citrus. "As I remember, you're the one who groped me. I simply readjusted my hands on your back."

"And commented on my underwear." Mina sips her coffee, then mimics my posture, her gaze locked on mine. Her blues meet my greens and I swear she's daring me to say otherwise.

Obviously, that solidifies my need for the last word.

"Did I?" I cock my head. "That doesn't sound like me."

"Oh, you better believe you did. Like it was my fault that you can't control yourself. Who in their right mind would blame someone else for their own bad judgment?" Her eyes flash with surprise and it sounds like she's working herself up to righteous indignation, so I hold up my hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay. You're right. I'm very sorry about the underwear comment and won't do anything like that again." At least not out loud. When it comes to Mina Blake, my mind seems happy to wander into filthy territory on its own accord.

She sits back, satisfied. "I'm glad we both agree. Also, no more unplanned butt touching."

I surprise myself by laughing. "Honestly, that should go without saying."

"Right?" Mina quirks her head and laughs to herself. "Anyway, we obviously need to do some of that stuff in public if we want people to believe we're in a relationship. We can definitely hold hands."

"And you can lean into me." She did that at the party. It wasn't awful.

"And you can wrap your arm around my waist or put your hand on my low back as long as you adhere to the no butt touching rule."

"That seems like all the appropriate touchy-feely in public stuff."

"Exactly. No need to go any farther than that."

There's an awkward moment of silence while I wonder about "farther." If we're really going to sell a relationship that lasts six months, we'll have to do more than light touching at some point. My dick throbs its approval of that idea.

Mina bites her lip, eyes downcast. Is she wondering about "farther" too?

We agree on two dates a week. "I'll pay my half," she says like it's a done deal.

"First of all, no." I bite off the sentence a little harder than I intend.

She recoils. "And second of all?"

"Hell no." I put on what I hope is a friendly smile. "If this relationship was real, I'd be paying for our dates. It would look strange if you're the only woman I expect to split the bill."

Mina jots another note on her tablet then reads for a few seconds before glancing up. Gone is the fidgety woman who didn't know how to arrange her body and in her place is a force to be reckoned with. It's hard to reconcile the two.

"Any special events we want on the calendar? Birthday parties? Holidays?"

"Obviously there's the welcome home party for Nick, but I don't know exactly when it'll be. There's a charity gala at the foundation around that same time frame. I'll want you there with me." And hopefully, by then, my family will be off my back enough that Aunt Maisie won't object to her being there.

Mina starts to respond, but her desk phone rings and she yanks it to her ear. "Yes?" she asks then takes a deep breath and lets it out, shaking her head. "Send him in, Tad," she finishes before whispering, "Game face on. Benjamin's here."

Saying his name rattles her right back to fidgety. Her gaze darts to the door. She bites her lip and furrows her brow. Sitting back, she tucks her hair behind her ear and takes a deep breath. This guy makes her nervous and I don't know why.

Though actually, I do.

The crush that inspired that stupid group text.

For some reason that annoys me. Probably because it will be harder to sell our relationship when she's got the hots for another man. Or maybe I want them focused on my build, not each other.

Definitely not each other.

"Easy now, Hot Mess. Don't hurt yourself trying to impress the guy."

Mina rolls her eyes and settles back in her chair, looking poised, polished, and astonishingly beautiful. Benjamin Bancroft enters the office, freezing when he sees me already seated at the desk.

"Am I late?" he asks, adjusting his messenger bag to check his watch.

When we met at the build site, I instantly liked the guy. He's friendly without being cloying. Professional without being stuck up or rude. You'd have no idea he was at the top of his field. Today, watching Mina's cheeks blush when she shakes his hand, I like him a little less. It's not so much her reaction as it is his. His eyes shouldn't linger on her lips. His handshake shouldn't be so…touchy.

I offer him my hand. Linger on that, asshole. "Mina and I had some personal things to discuss before you arrived."

"Oh. Right. The butt biting text. Should I leave?" Benjamin jerks his thumb over his shoulder. "I can sit out there until you're ready."

"There's no need," Mina says. "I think we've just about gotten everything we needed to talk about out in the open."

I should just agree and leave it at that. Move on. Talk about the house. The build. But I don't like the way Benjamin looks at Mina. If anyone else sees him looking at her like that while she blushes like a schoolgirl, it will be really fucking hard to make people believe we're together.

That's gotta be it.

"There's something else we need to get out in the open," I begin with a glance toward Mina. Her face transforms into a minefield of dismay but she catches herself before giving into another fidget outburst.

Benjamin pulls out a chair and sits beside me, slightly concerned and entirely interested. "Is there a problem?"

"I should hope not." I reach across the desk to take Mina's hand. "Though a lot of that rests on your level of professionalism. Mina and I are in a relationship. A pretty serious one. And I know I should apologize but I'm not sorry, because I'm starting to think she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

I beam sappily into her face and a genuine smile morphs her pretty features into something beautiful. Fuck. I wasn't prepared for that.

And apparently, neither was Benjamin Bancroft.

"Oh. Wow. Yeah. Okay then. That's wonderful. I guess I assumed, you know, your text made it sound like you guys weren't all…" He points back and forth between Mina and me, then tugs at the strap on his messenger bag like it's strangling him.

"Nathan has that way about him," Mina replies. "He can be hard to read until you get to know him, and then he's just…well…we're very happy together, aren't we Sweet Prince?"

"You better believe it…" I almost call her Hot Mess but catch myself just in time. "…HM."

"HM?" Benjamin cocks his head.

"Her nickname isn't exactly work appropriate, if you get my drift."

He nods. "Oh. Right. Yeah. That's funny," he says even though it's clear he's clueless. His gaze turns upward as he mouths "HM" like he's trying to decipher a code.