A Kiss for a Promise

CHAPTER 4

Rose’s POV

"You did well today. Although, I'll advise you to take a quick course in theater arts. You have an untapped talent right there."

My chest burned with rage, fury rattled my bones, and my temper whistled like a boiling kettle. "You can't be serious. You just took me out to that battlefield without my consent."

He began to take off his wristwatch and wrist cuffs. "But you did consent."

I raised a brow. "In ten seconds? And now, you're acting like...I'm not sleeping in the same room with you!"

If he thinks I would keep doing this with him after tonight, he must be extremely delusional. How could I forget my life back out there just to play trophy wife for some brooding billionaire? I'm sure he wouldn't look at me twice on a random Tuesday. I'm just some toy to be played with by him because he has money.

"Listen up, Rose," he said, saying my name like he was chanting a spell. "There are forces out there controlling everything that you don't know about. People in higher places."

"How does it have anything to do with having me play a fake fiancée?"

"People are merging for what is about to happen. And my board wants me to form an alliance. They want me to marry the daughter of a foreign investor." He shifted his weight, taking off his suit jacket. I gulped when I saw for a second how his chest looked like it could rip his shirt open if he moved too much. The man was huge. "I don't want that. Marrying her means I'm being pulled into a game I don't want to play. The Caza family don't play fair."

I swallowed, my breath shaky. "Are you saying..."

"You need something from me, and I need something from you. We are partners. I have a feeling I know who made your sister disappear, but investigating them is... complicated. Using this fake engagement to avoid a real marriage with the Caza family is my only way of getting close to the truth without raising alarms." He stepped closer, his eyes trained on mine. When he was just a few inches away, he stretched out a hand.

"Deal?"

"You promise to find my sister?" As much as I heard and knew how much a billionaire is willing to lie to get what he wants, I still hoped for a fraction of reason to trust him.

Damien grabbed my face and covered the little distance we had between us. Our faces were so close I could feel his breath mingling with mine. Then he did the unthinkable, softly pressing his lips on the corner of mine.

When he pulled back, I almost fell on the ground.

"Is that enough assurance?" I was too stunned to speak, so I just stared at him wide-eyed. "Have some sleep. We don't have to sleep on that bed together, but some guests, press included, will want to find out why my fiancée and I are sleeping in different rooms. Best not to steal the spotlight this early, Malishka."

Again with the strange name. I folded my arms.

"I'm not taking the bed."

He shrugged. "That's fine by me."

When he took off his shirt too, I snatched my gaze immediately. This was madness. Staying in the same room with a dangerous man I was supposed to build a story on. Not just that. I would be playing the perfect fiancée with THE Damien Sterling.

"Are you just going to stand there, Miss Rose? We have a lot ahead of us tomorrow. You should get some sleep."

Why is he already so invested in this lie? That infuriated me more than I'd like to admit.

Slowly, I lay on the hard marbled floor, hissing sharply when I felt the chill from the floor seep into my skin. Instead, I curled into a ball-like position and shut my eyes.

I could have been in my room, building strategies on how to build a nice story for Westmore Times. I could have decided to retire to my bed with lots of fluffy pillows, warm blankets, and my sanity.

The cold was already biting into my bones, my teeth chattering and the wind howling from outside. I held on to my self-respect, wishing to rather freeze to death than sleep next to him.

"Would you freeze to death instead of sleeping on the bed?" Damien's voice came through.

I didn't respond, hoping to convince him I was asleep. Instead, I heard him sigh deeply, the bed creaking under his weight, and shuffled footsteps.

Oh, fuck! Is he approaching me?

He towered over me for a while, and just when I thought he would walk past, I felt my body being lifted. I stiffened, my eyes tightly shut. What is he doing?

"You don't have to," I said, struggling to get off him. But the man was like a goddamn wall. "I am fine."

He was unmoved by my fit as he dropped me on the bed gently. "When I said to pretend we were getting married, I meant pretending to care as well. If you want to find your sister, I'd love for you to see her with your complete toes."

Before I could respond, Damien proceeded to take off my shoes. I flinched, but he was faster, taking off my shoes and throwing them across the room. He wrapped his warm hands around my feet, and that made me wonder. Are his hands too large or my feet too small?

"Don't worry. I'll take the couch."

I watched him rise from the bed, guilt wrapping around me like a blanket. Just when he was about to lie on the long couch a few feet away from the bed, I called out.

"You don't have to do that. We can share the bed."

What the hell are you doing, Rose? I didn't know myself. But I was going to trust him enough to lie beside him. All I had to do was grab a bunch of pillows and create a wall between us. He watched my movements with the patience of a turtle.

"All done," I squealed, clapping my hands with a sudden, childish excitement.

It was like building a sandcastle, like I always did with my sister. That memory made my smile drop.

"It's wonderful." Damien spoke just in time, and moments later, he collapsed beside me.

For a while, I heard our breathing sync together, silence descending on us till I could no longer stay awake.