Page 61 of Seduced in Ink

She smiled up at him, her eyes bright. “What’s wrong?”

“I have that meeting with my client. I can’t get out of it.”

“We’ll wait, then.”

“No, no,” Maeve said. “You shouldn’t have to wait. It’s the perfect day for visiting and seeing the shop. You can take Aaron down another time. I’m sure he’s seen your store enough. Right, Mr. Montgomery?”

Mr. Montgomery?

What was this woman playing at?

He could not get a read on her, but he wasn’t sure he really wanted to.

“You should go,” Aaron said, clearing his throat. He reached out and kissed Madison’s hand. “You have been talking about wanting to expand for a while. Seeing a coffee shop in a place like this could be perfect for you.”

“I’d rather see it with you,” she whispered.

He was aware that the others were listening, but he didn’t know what to say.

So what if they heard? This was what this whole game was about, wasn’t it?

He just hated that he even thought it was a game.

What was he doing?

Why was he letting himself fall like this?

He shouldn’t.

This would only hurt them both in the end.

“You should go,” he said again. “Have fun. And tell me all about it. And then we can go again later.”

She smiled and nodded, searching his face before turning back to Guy. “I would love to go see it.”

Guy grinned, looking smug as fuck. But then again, so did Maeve.

Aaron had a horrible feeling that he had just played into whatever the woman wanted.

But did it matter?

She was seemingly taking an interest in Madison’s life, and even if that wasn’t the case, Madison was standing up for herself. All was going according to plan.

Aaron had taken the heat off her.

And when she walked away, he’d have to figure out exactly what to do about the feelings wrapping themselves around his heart. Feelings that wouldn’t go away, even if he told himself repeatedly that they meant nothing.

That this was all pretend.

Because, deep down, he knew there was nothing fake about what he felt for Madison.

He was so fucked.

Chapter 14

Madison was confused. Why had Aaron seemed so odd at breakfast? Perhaps it was the same reasonshefelt weird.

She was falling for him. He was only supposed to be her friend. The one she could rely on as they traversed these odd circumstances they were in, but she was falling for him. And she shouldn’t.