No matter how much she tried to act like she was comfortable, Ximena just couldn’t stop fidgeting. She had no idea what Adriano wanted to show her but that wasn’t exactly the problem. Ever since he’d kissed her for the first time, and the second time that afternoon, her feelings for him had escalated hundredfold. Yes, she was attracted to him physically, but that was not all. Adriano, though he was a total jerk to her in Paris, he wasn’t all bad. Beneath that tough exterior, he was gentle, caring and sweet.

Or maybe it was all in her mind.

If you did, you'd know she's not my type. I don't normally go for spoiled girls.

Those cruel words always echoed in her head. He probably did not even feel anything for her.

You are mine.

All of this was just confusing the hell out of her. His phone began to ring, bringing her out of her unprecedented thoughts. It was connected to the car’s system so he just pressed a button his steering wheel and answered it.

“What do you want Fuentemayor,” he drawled bored, as he continued to expertly cruise along the highway.

Santiago chuckled. “Well, I stopped by your office to see you and ask if we’re still on for tonight. By the way, why aren’t you here? Are you missing work on purpose? Looks like my habits are starting to rub off on you,” he said, mirth lacing his voice.

“I’m with my fiancée,” he replied with a smirk, giving her the side eye. Her face immediately flushed red. “And yes, we’re still on for tonight. I’ll be there by 8, I think.”

“Nice one. I knew that you’d be hitting that sooner or later,” he added cheekily and Adriano groaned as he sped his car up a little. Ximena just stared at the dashboard, completely appalled.

“She can hear you; you know. Listen, I’ve got to go now, I’m almost at my destination. By the way, you better not have invited Pedrad like you did at the engagement party. You know that I don’t exactly like that cocky moron,” he warned.

“Too late. I’ve already done that. Loosen up, man. He’s my friend too. Anyways, I’ll let you go for now, playboy. Bye Ximena,” with that he ended the call. Sighing, Adriano took a right turn and entered into a beautiful neighborhood littered with houses that had manicured lawns and shrubs. Ximena looked on his curiosity, wondering where they were and why they were there. Swerving, he brought the car to a halt in the driveway of one in particular. It was a mansion, but not as big as her parents of the others she’d seen. This one was unique, quaint and unassuming.

Once Adriano stepped out, he went over to open the door for and held his hand out to help her out. She looked up at the wide building with the blue roof tiles. “This is a nice house,” she said truthfully.

He smiled at her. “Let’s see the inside.”

Entering through the mahogany door, they walked into the foyer that had two passages to the left and right, then a staircase that led upstairs. By the looks of it, it was fully furnished with a rustic, homey feel to it. A diamond chandelier hung over them, glistening expensively. With his hand still around hers, he pulled her to the right passage which led to the kitchen. This continued until they’d seen the whole house, which had about five bedrooms, two lounges, four and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, a pantry, a dining room, an office and two empty rooms that could be used for anything. The backyard had a lovely pool with a jacuzzi attached to it, a barbecue area and a lot of space. The front just had two garages and a spacious driveway. Once they’d seen it all, they went back into the kitchen.

“So,” he began with a happy look on his face. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

Ximena walked around a bit, place her bag on top of the island and leaned against it. “Yeah, it’s pretty beautiful.”

Adriano took a step towards her, eyes darkening a bit. “You know what else is pretty beautiful?” he asked huskily, making her gulp. She was not liking at all the direction in which this was headed. Nobody was around to interrupt and this time; she couldn’t just leave. He came to stand in front of her, hand on either side of her by the counter top, engaging her. His scent filled her nostrils and made her stomach flutter.

“I-I don’t know,” she replied timidly, looking up into his bewitching jade orbs. His eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes. His pupils were now quite dilated, as were hers.

“You.” He whispered and then claimed her lips. It was the second time they’d locked lips and this kiss, in her opinion, was way better than the last one. The last one was to comfort her but this one was aimed at sucking all the air out of her. Latching onto his collar, she pressed into him as his hand snaked around her waist, pushing her back into the island side. It hurt, but she didn’t care. All she was focused on was how soft his lips were and how wonderful he tasted.

He pulled away and looked at her once more. They were both panting, but not too heavily. “I’m glad you like this house, because it’s ours,” he murmured and she retracted a bit from him, bewildered. Theirs? But when had he done that? Her heart fluttered involuntarily, but not for that reason in particular.

“But why?” she asked, confounded. She let go of his blazer and pushed away from. Pushing the hair out of her face, she took a few steps from where he was standing, looking out from the window which showed the backyard. “Why do you do this? This is nothing b-but a façade. None of this is real…you and I are not real,” she trailed off silently. At this point tears pricked the corners of her eyes with all the pent-up emotions she’d been feeling the past couple of weeks.

Nothing made sense to her anymore. The way she was falling for Adriano each passing day was very overwhelming. And now he’d gone and bought a house for them to live in? Everything was too rushed. Ximena had never had a stable relationship yet she was about to get married… to someone who she didn’t quite understand. The feelings were there, but she felt they were unrequited. But why did she feel so frustrated? It’s not like she loved him…did she? No, it couldn’t be. It was way too soon, so fast and totally irrational.

Next thing she knew, she felt him behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and ran them down until her hands rested in his. “You’re tense. I know something’s been on your mind. Tell me what it is,” he said softly, his breath tickling her neck.

“I like you Adriano,” she admitted honestly. “It scares me a little bit. When you kissed me, that’s when I realized it. The fact that all that stands between us is just some dumb contract upsets me. I just wish things didn’t have to be this way,” she finished off, her breath shakily. Now she’d said it out loud, she felt slightly better. Chelsea had been right when she’d told her to just tell him.

Turning her around, he tucked a lose strand behind her ear. His face held a smile. “It can be real if you want. Screw that contract, it does not have to define us. As much as I wanted to deny it myself, I feels a way towards you every time I’m around you and I can’t quite ignore it. When you implied that that guy you were dancing with at your party was your lover, I lost it. I was ready to pound him to the ground,” he said jokingly and she managed to giggle. “I bought this house about a year ago and had it renovated. I was going to move in sooner or later, which works in our favor since you like it too. It’s ours…yours and mine, and possibly our future family. By now, it’s very clear that we’re not a conventional couple but we can be real. Would you like that?” he asked her earnestly, cupping her cheeks. Ximena nodded slowly, which made him smirk and then he reconnected their lips.

“I think I just found my favorite thing to do,” Adriano said after the kiss.

She looked at him confused. “What’s that?”

“Kissing you,” and he kissed her once more. For the time being, they were in bliss…

But for how long?

***

Amanda cut the engine once she was at her designated stop. She stepped out of her red BMW convertible and made her way up to the front of the mansion. She’d been here quite a few times but never got used to it. Ringing the doorbell, someone opened the door a few moments later. It was one of the maids. Recognizing her, the maid led her over to the office where she was surely being expected. Opening the door herself, she sauntered in and made her way towards one of the empty seats in front of the huge desk.

“You better have a good reason for calling me so late, Humberto,” she voiced, feeling already bored being in his presence.

Humberto flashed her a flat look before going back to what he was doing before she had unceremoniously barged into his office. “I’d appreciate it if you knocked next time, and to answer your question…yes it’s quite important. You’ve been avoiding my son, correct?” She nodded. “Well, now I need you to make an appearance, okay? I need you to begin stirring up problemos for them. Things are starting to work in my favor. I can tell that Dos Ramos’s daughter is falling for him.”

Amanda rubbed her temples, already feeling a migraine coming along. “What would you like me to do?” she inquired automatically.

The truth was Amanda wasn’t particularly proud of what she was doing. It was a couple of months ago when Humberto had approached her and coaxed her into seducing his son. When she heard how much he’d pay her for it, she’d almost jumped at the chance to do it. It wasn’t long before she’d gotten close to the younger Dos Santos and then they were exclusive. It was way too easy actually and everything was going great.

Until she’d actually fallen in love with him.

It instantly became a huge problem. The line between business and pleasure had been severely blurred, which made things a hell of a lot more complicated. And to make matters worse, Adriano didn’t even love her, he never had and it seemed he never will. The way he’d so easily given up on their relationship, though totally according to plan, made her feel so heartbroken. And it was all because of a certain blue eyed little witch.

Oh, she was going to have so much fun messing with her. After all, she’d taken what was Amanda’s.

“My son’s idiot friend is throwing him a bachelor party sometime next week just before the wedding. I need you to make an appearance there and set the ball in motion. Then I want you at the wedding as well. Don’t do anything to rash, just cause a stir. Am I clear?” he remarked coldly, his hollow eyes glazed over with malice. It still bothered her just how far Humberto was willing to go with this elaborate plan of his.

She smirked at him, placing one leg over the other. “This is about to get interesting.”

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