6. Rules

CELESTE

The world froze the moment our lips locked. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but the warmth of his breath against my lips melted down my spine. The roar of the reporters and the clicking of the shutters faded into a distant noise.

Caspian’s body stiffened against mine. My stomach twisted at the familiar feeling of rejection, and just as I was about to pull away, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his skin as he kissed me breathlessly.

I pressed my hand against his chest, trying to brush him off, but he wouldn’t budge. He inched closer, moulding our bodies into one, and gods… he tasted so good. The peppermint in his breath mixed with a taste of vodka sent chills down my spine.

Declan had never made me feel anything like this. My body trembled beneath his touch, and if he wasn’t holding me so close, my legs would have buckled.

I pulled back, just enough to see Declan. His face wasn’t just red. It was contorted in a way I’d never seen. Even with Avery clinging onto him like the air she breathed, he wouldn’t spare her a glance. For the first time, I wasn’t the one looking at him with longing… he was looking at me with pure unadulterated fury.

“Careful, Raven,” Caspian breathed against my skin, his voice so low only I could hear it. “Perform like that again, and I might start believing you wanted this.”

My breath hitched and I hated how my body betrayed me. I had almost forgotten about the reporters until a flash shutter in my face.

Oh, shit.

I tried to pull away from Caspian immediately, but he held me still. “Are you going to run away again?” his eyes glinted with a teasing smirk before he finally broke the silence.

“Is that answer enough or would you like us to give you some more show?” he turned to face the crowd, his expression switching from a teasing one to a deep frown.

“Did I just watch that?” A reporter’s eyes widened, hands shaking as she tried to register what she had just witnessed.

I’d be surprised too that anyone would want to attach themselves to an ass like Caspian. But who was I kidding? Those girls would literally lick his feet just to get his attention.

He intertwined our fingers, taking me by surprise. 

“Do you want to get out of here, Raven?” he said, bringing my hands to his lips to kiss. My stomach churned at the action. I knew it was just an act, but being this close to Caspian feels a bit… Weird.

I nodded, hiding my flushed cheeks with my other hand as the crowd parted for us to walk through. Every head in the room turned to look at us. This kind of attention was something I never prepared for, but for some reasons, It didn’t feel as suffocating as it did earlier.

I scanned the crowd for Hilary, but she was nowhere to be found. I bet she thought her best friend had gone crazy because that was the only way to explain this.

Caspian led the way to his car, never letting go of my hands. I felt a glare on my back, but I refused the urge to see who it was. Just as I was about to get in, I turned to see Declan glaring at me. His hands were curled tightly in a fist, jaw clenched and I could tell the only thing stopping him from making a scene were the cameras.

Good.

I hoped he knew that was nothing compared to what I felt when I found out about his infidelity.

“That went well,” Caspian said, snapping me out of my trance.

He settled into his seat beside me, and the driver hit the road.

“Where are we going?” I asked with a frown. 

I might have acted on impulse earlier, but that didn't mean I wanted to have anything to do with Caspian. He has a reputation I want nothing to do with.

“We have a deal to finalize, remember?” 

His lips curved slightly and I mentally cursed him. Of course, he was going to milk the situation.

“I didn't agree to do anything with you…”

“Hm,” he shrugged. “How about we wait until morning then? I'm sure the media have their own opinion.”

Typical Caspian fucking Ashford.

My lips pressed into a thin line, as I snapped my eyes close. I couldn't believe I was really doing this with him.

“Fine, but there will be rules,” I said sternly, crossing my arms under my breasts.

He leaned back on the leather seat, just staring at me with a stupid smirk, and for once, I wished I could read his mind.

Caspian is the most manipulative asshole that lived. If anyone had told me I'd find myself in this situation, I'd call out their bluff and laugh in their face, but here we go.

“Let's hear it,” he muttered in that devilishly calm voice.

Inhaling sharply, I sat up, turning my full attention to him.

“You'll help me earn my place in my father's company and that is it. You don't get to meddle in my affairs, and definitely no contact except when it's for the media,” I sneered.

“And there will be a lot of them,” he added with an amusing grin. “You'll be acting as my future Luna, remember? And the media loves me.”

“Okay, this is not going to work,” I shook my head. Who'd be foolish enough to believe Caspian and I could really be a thing anyway.

“Sure. Just spend the night thinking of what excuse to give the media. I'm sure you can handle the heat.”

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, typing away as if all of that didn't just happen.

“Are you kidding me right now?” I scoffed in disbelief.

“What? I thought you're not interested in my offer?” He arched his brows.

My father would kill me if he finds out that this was a lie that was not properly planned and I can't let his business face the backlash.

The only thing he did wrong was loving me too much and believing in me.

“Fine! But no more kissing. No physical touch unless it's absolutely necessary, and don't give them stupid ideas, Caspian,” I shot him a look as I said the last part and he smirked.

“First, you initiated the kiss—”

“Which I regretted,” I hissed, but he wasn't even listening to me.

“And unless you want to announce to the world that this is a lie, we will touch… a lot,” he trailed off, emphasizing on the ‘a lot.’

His gaze dropped to my lips, and my stomach tightened.

“And lastly, we'll go on dates. A lot of them. And we’ll learn just enough about each other to make it believable.”

That's it?

I arched my brows as I stared at him. His conditions sounded awfully convincing. What did he have up his sleeve?

I'd be benefitting the most in all of these, so why was he making it easy? That is so unlike Caspian.

“We don't have to go on actual dates,” I muttered. “Just ask me what you want to know and I'll answer.”

“What are we? High school kids?” he looked up from his phone, staring at me with his long lashes.

The car came to a halt, and that was when I noticed we were back at my place.

“I'll pick you by seven tomorrow night. Get ready for our first date.”