THIRTEEN

I stood at the bathroom sink and stared at my reflection.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Getting jealous over a man I barely knew. A man I was only married to because of a contract..

Elijah's reflection appeared in the mirror behind mine. He stepped inside and locked the door with a soft click.

"What are you doing?" My voice came out shakier than I wanted.

"You ran off." He moved closer, and I watched him approach in the mirror. "Why?"

"I told you. I-i-i needed the restroom." I hated that I stuttered. It made me feel weak.

"Liar."

I turned around to face him and my back hit the sink. "Can you stop calling me that?"

"Then stop lying." He moved closer to me. I could smell his cologne and see the flecks of gold in his eyes. I instantly got deja vu from last night. "You were jealous."

"I wasn't—"

He placed one hand on the counter beside me and I was trapped. "You were jealous, Breanna just admit it."

"Fine." I said. "Yes, I was jealous.. happy now?"

He held my gaze and I swallowed nervously. What was he thinking? "Why?"

"I don't know!"

"Yes, you do."

I tried to look away, but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Tell me why," he said quietly.

"Because..." I swallowed hard. "Because even though this is fake, even though it's just a contract, when she was touching you and looking at you like that, I wanted to—" I stopped myself.

"Wanted to what?"

"It doesn't matter."

"This morning you were angry at me. Now you're jealous over me." His thumb traced circles on my chin.

"We have a contract," I said, pulling back. "and boundaries. You said so yourself."

"I did."

"So what are we doing, Elijah? Because one minute you're kissing me, the next you're telling me it's a mistake, and now you're bringing me to your secret restaurant and holding my hand."

He was quiet for a long moment and we just stared at each other. His eyes dropped to my lips.

"Elijah...this is a bad idea," I whispered.

"I know." But he didn't move away.

He leaned in slowly and I felt his breath on my lips.

His hand slid from my chin to cup my face, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. The gentleness of it made my heart ache. I pulled away from him.

This wasn't right. I needed to get myself together.

"We should get back," I said, not looking at him.

He had a look in his eyes that looked like he was uncertain about something then he nodded and unlocked the door and held it open for me.

We sat back down. The food was already served and we dug in. We ate in silence, each lost in our thoughts.

The food was amazing though and I let out a small moan.

He chuckled. “Do you two need a room?”

I rolled my eyes but continued eating.

My phone pinged. It was a notification from “SUNRISE” one of New York’s leading publication. The headline instantly caught my attention.

"ELIJAH WASHINGTON WITH MYSTERY WOMAN AT THE HOSPITAL."

I clicked on the article and scrolled to see pictures of Elijah and I at the hospital. They did a close up of our kiss and it looked very believable and not forced at all.

"The photos the paps took of us are online already," I said to Elijah and showed them to him.

"Good. That's what we wanted." He responded.

My phone rang at that moment and I got up. “Excuse me.” I said before going to the corner to answer my phone.

"Hello?"

"Breanna Jones?" An unfamiliar female voice was on the other line.

"It's Breanna Washington now," I corrected automatically. It sounded strange on my tongue.

"Right. Mrs. Washington." The woman had a British accent. "This is Jennifer Walsh from the New York Tribune. I was hoping to ask you a few questions about your sudden marriage to Elijah Washington."

"How did you get this number?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm a journalist. It's my job." She didn't even sound unfazed like she didn't just admit to being a stalker. "Back to the topic. There are rumors circulating that your sudden marriage with Mr Washington is actually a business arrangement. Would you care to comment?"

Huh??? "No comment." I said quickly. What the hell?

“I just need your input on the whole matter Mrs Washington. I didn't mean to offend you but frankly everyone wants to know the woman who finally captured New York's most eligible bachelor and heir to Washington industries.”

"I'm not discussing my personal life with you. This conversation is over." I said and hung up quickly. The nerve of these nosy journalists. What rumors could she possibly be talking about??

My phone rang again. This time it was a different number. I declined but it kept ringing and ringing.

"They're calling me," I said, holding up my phone to Elijah as I returned back to my seat. "Reporters are asking about our marriage.”

He was already looking at his phone. “Motherfuckers.” I heard him mutter under his breath.

“What is it?” I asked anxiously.

He showed his screen to me. I read the headline.

“IS THIS REAL LOVE OR A PR STUNT? ELIJAH WASHINGTON’S SUDDEN MARRIAGE RAISES QUESTIONS."

"Don't answer any calls from numbers you don't recognize. Don't talk to anyone. I'll handle this." He said.

“How?” I knew how rumors circulated online.

Before he could answer, his phone rang again. He glanced at the screen and cursed under his breath.

"My mother." He answered. "Hello, Mother... Yes, I've seen the articles... No, I can't come today...Yes she's with me. We're having lunch... Mother—"

He pulled the phone away from his ear, and even I could hear Eleanor's voice on the other end.

"She wants us to come to her place," he said flatly. "Today."

"Can we say no?" I say even though I already knew the answer.

"To Eleanor Washington? Never." He looked exhausted.