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CHAPTER 16
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WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 17
Totally mesmerized, Lance kept watching the beautiful woman sitting sideways on the couch, her back against the arm and her knees doubled in front of her. Annalise looked comfortable and completely relaxed, which was more than he could have hoped for given how stupidly he had sprung the whole fake engagement thing on her. After her initial fury, though, she had calmed down and had taken it quite well. Annalise was extremely intelligent and funny, a few other qualities Lance liked in a woman, especially the woman he was interested in. Accepting to play this game at his side, agreeing to play the part of his fiancée, was no little thing for Annalise, but she understood his necessity and said yes. Lance was definitely attracted to Annalise sexually, but beyond that, he genuinely liked spending time with her. This was another reason why he pleaded with her to help him. ‘Just stay put, and let her be, man!’ Lance said to himself while admiring her. ‘Stay awa
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 18
“Well, this is me, sometimes I dream impossible things… And it was a good dream for the extremely short time it lasted,” Lance grumbled. “I was too focused on my work, on achieving the success I was pursuing. So, I didn’t have the time to figure out what my ideal woman was. All I knew was that I needed a perfect private life, without problems at home… So, I looked around and there was Guinevere and I didn’t feel like waiting anymore. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. So, I gave her the ring and that was that.” “Oh… And that went so well… Mr. Hamilton, allow me to introduce myself: I’m Annalise, your fake fiancée.” Lance scowled ferociously at Annalise only for her to start laughing again, this time even harder. “Stop making that face, Lance! Even you have to admit this is so damn funny.” He smiled. “Okay, so what happened next? Other than Arthur stepping in and being a total jackass.” Lance smiled again. He really liked this woman. Annalise
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 19
Slowly, Annalise nodded. Her fingers went to her forehead and she dug them into her hair. Still, Lance could see them shaking, and Annalise swallowed again, her slim neck working with the effort. “Please, Lance,” she whispered. “I can’t do this. It’s the one thing I can’t do. It’s a promise I made to myself. So, don’t ask it of me. Look, if you want me to admit it, to admit I’m attracted to you, I will. If this could help you in some way... if this could ease the way you’re feeling, fine... I want you, Lance. More than I have ever wanted another man. More than I want my next breath.” Savage satisfaction gripped Lance. Didn’t just grip him but lunged for him and wrapped a hand around his throat and his groin. His entire body reacted to that simple statement. Annalise wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. She turned on the couch until she faced forward and her feet met the floor. She looked in turns miserable and scared. Her eyes were cl
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 20
She was lying in bed looking at the ceiling. Annalise had done this all night long just waiting for the morning to come. After what happened in the suite’s living room, she went to her bedroom, closed the door and went to bed… but didn’t sleep a wink. Annalise just stood there, tossing and turning, thinking over and over at what happened between her and Lance. And so, she didn’t need to set the alarm to get out of bed and be ready on time. “It was just a kiss, dammit!” she whispered and covered the face with her hands. She could not understand why was she feeling this way. Why every single one of her senses was completely shattered by their kiss… a pretty simple kiss. It wasn’t like Lance was the first man she’d ever kissed in her life. And it won’t be the last, she knew it for sure. Yes, it was just a kiss, a normal kiss between two grown-up people. Something most human beings experience at least once in a lifetime. So why, instead of going over her pi
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 21
Then Annalise prepared her final punch, the one she knew would bring Lance to his knees. Her excitement increased because she knew he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. This had nothing to do with personal attraction. He was all business right now and his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. “And I have in mind the perfect person who could show both of these groups how great ‘HL Sportswear’ is for all of them. The man I’m thinking about, the one who can do these sweaty, driven shoots and the cool engaging commercials is John Beckett.” Lance’s eyes widened a fraction, and then he sat back in his seat, looking at her totally stunned. “What?” Seeing his reaction, Annalise tried to remain serious and hide her smug grin. “Wait a minute…” Lance added. ‘I got you, Mr. Hamilton!’ she thought, already tasting her success. “You’re telling me you can get me John Beckett, none other than the ‘L.A. Cali FC’ team captain? The best soccer player who ever ex
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 22
Annalise prepared herself to meet the entire Hamilton family once again, but first of all, she was going to have lunch with Lance only. After winning the first round, she was willing to celebrate a little bit, and maybe enjoy the rest of their stay. Lance was quite relaxed, so she dressed for the occasion, and soon after, they left the hotel suite. But the nice lunch by the harbor never happened. As they were exiting the hotel, Flora and the rest of the Hamilton family ran into them. His mom was so genuinely thrilled to see Annalise and Lance. Flora told her eldest son they were on the way to lunch and had the magnificent idea of having lunch all together, before going to the terrace for the very informal wedding rehearsal. Annalise couldn’t understand the need for a rehearsal, since there were few people invited to the event. Maybe Flora wanted to indulge Guinevere’s romantic whims. Still, it was evidently important for this family to keep up appearanc
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 23
Lance made a strangled noise and promptly took a long sip of his wine. Annalise kept a perfectly straight face as she took in the reactions of his family. The facial expressions were different all around the table. Flora looked wary. Guinevere looked murderous. Arthur had a strange look that could only be interpreted as a cross between regret and sadness. Michael nodded approvingly. He reached over to slap his son on the back. “You have got yourself a winner here, my son. I heartily approve. This wonderful, fiery woman will keep you on your toes well into your old age. I like her very much. I can’t talk for all the others, but to me, she is your match in every way.” Fantastic! Hearing Michael, Annalise realized she let her mouth run away with her. Yes, she had the approval of her father-in-law-to-be, but the problem here was Michael was the fake father-in-law-to-be. She looked over at Lance as guilt started e
WAKING UP WITH THE CEO CHAPTER 24
“Oh, sweetheart, there you are.” Lance sighed when Flora latched on to his arm and dragged him over to introduce him to people he had zero interest in and would never see again in his life. Lance smiled at her, but what he wanted to do was to get Annalise and leave that room. After several minutes of useless pleasantries, Lance grew restless. The song ended, and he turned toward the dancefloor, in search of Annalise. She was nowhere to be seen. His father was making his way through the crowd toward him and Flora, but Annalise was not with him. He looked around, almost in desperation, until he finally found her. Annalise was dancing with Arthur! She did not look altogether thrilled, but Arthur was smiling as he was holding Annalise way too close. That slimy little prick! Arthur went too far! He had warned his brother to stay away from his woman! Lance felt a wave of irrational anger explod
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