Let's Pretend (Romantic Comedy, Contemporary, Second Chance, Sensual) Read Online Free Page B

and slid her palms down her slim jean-clad legs, he figured he’d share the part of her impulsive plan she clearly hadn’t thought of. “That’s a tall order, Belle. You’re asking me to test my restraint beyond limits when we have to share a room.” He patted the bed while waggling his brows at her.  
    Momentarily horrified, she looked from him to the bed, back to him, then the door. “Drat, I completely forgot about that.” Her gaze narrowed. “You can take that smug look off your face, because I have news for you.” She turned to the cupboard behind her. Pulling open the double doors, she reached into the walk-in wardrobe and fought a metal object out from against the back wall. Giving a triumphant grin, she unfolded the narrow foldout bed. “Ta- daa ,” she sang. “You get to sleep on this!”
    Why couldn’t he have fallen in love with a bimbo instead of a gorgeous surgeon with a genius IQ? One look at the flimsy little bed, and Luc knew it’d never hold up under his weight—in fact, he intended to make sure it didn’t. Once it crashed to the floor with him on it, her caring nature and a bit of guilt would ensure she let him into her bed. Of course, she’d make him sleep on top of the covers, with every pillow in the house between them. But at least he’d be where he longed to be—in bed next to his wife.
    “Fine.” He gave his best impression of acquiescence. “But you might want to tuck it back into the cupboard in case one of your relatives comes in and sees it. You wouldn’t want to risk Gran noticing we aren’t sleeping together.”
    The word “sleeping” seemed to echo around the bright room with innuendo. Belle must have detected it also, because she blushed and dropped her gaze. Luc noticed the slight tremor in her hands as she wrestled the bed back into the cupboard. He should have helped, but the sight of her neat butt pressed against the seat of her jeans as she bent over the metal object had his mind drifting in directions that had more to do with lying on the bed than hiding it away.
    After her exertion, she closed the doors and turned back to face him. Luc cleared his throat and didn’t bother to hide his appreciation of her chest rising and falling under her white, close-fitting tank top.
    She leaned back against the doors and folded her arms. “This is not a game, Luc. I truly appreciate your help, but please don’t get any ideas.”
    Too late .
    He nodded, schooled his features into a serious expression. “Understood. However, I haven’t told you my conditions for going along with your plan—yet.”
    “You have conditions?” Speculation entered her eyes, and she tightened her mouth. “I would’ve never believed you capable of using vulnerability to your advantage, Luc. If you’re asking me to have sex with you in exchange for your help, you can just forget it. I’d rather go out there, tell everyone we’re done, then deal with the consequences.” Her sandy blonde curls, scraped into a ponytail, swished back and forth with her angry movements as she jabbed a finger toward the door.
    “Stop jumping to assumptions, Belle. You have no idea what I’m about to say. But since you put the idea of sex in my mind...”
    She gave him a murderous glare.
    He laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. No sex.” He stood and closed the space between them, much in the same way he wanted to shut the void that had developed between them over a year ago. “But you have to promise me we’ll talk about what is really going on with us. I want the real reason you filed for divorce. Because it has got to be more than me missing the hospital’s fundraiser dinner, Dr. Murphy.”
    ~*~
    BELLE SIDLED away from Luc, needing to get some distance and with it, perspective. He’d never bothered to ask for a reason before. She’d expected him to challenge her decision, and when he’d simply accepted her announcement that their relationship was over, she’d been both shocked and