“I’m waiting.” His voice was soft through the door and I shivered. Oh shit, here we go.

“You didn’t have to wait for me outside the door you know. It’s unnerving.” I snapped as I walked back into Xavier’s bedroom. It looked like a display bedroom from a museum exhibit. “Your bedroom is crazy.” I walked over to the four poster bed and touched the thick wood.

“This bed belonged to my great-grandfather. It was hand carved in India. It was a gift to him from the English.”

“The English?” I frowned. “I thought you said it was hand carved in India?”

“The English colonized India. Did you not know that?” He paused. “Oh yes, I forgot, you’re an American.”

“Excuse me?” I took a deep breath and was about to tell him where to get off.

“I’m not saying that to be rude.” He shrugged. “I only said that to mean that English children would grow up with that knowledge because it was their country that tried to take over the world. American’s haven’t colonized anyone, have they?” He cocked his head and smiled. “Unless you want to talk about my heart. You’ve colonized my heart.”

“Aren’t you confusing your heart with your cock?” I said bluntly and he laughed loudly.

“Perhaps I am.” He reached down and grabbed himself. “I’m still quite hard.”

“That’s nice.” I walked to the window and pulled the curtain to the side. “That’s some backyard.” I stared out at the vast expanse of green lawns and flower beds. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. We have ten gardeners. We have the Versailles gardens of Romerius.”

“I’ve never been to Versaille.”

“I’ll have to take you one day.”

“That’s okay. I don’t need two fake engagements in my life.”

“You can go as part of your first one.”

“I think that’s an awful lot to fit into one week.”

“Well, it might be longer than one week.” He shrugged.

“No.” I bit my lower lip. “I have to get back to London. Xavier, why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I don’t want you to be painted as a scarlet woman by the press.”

“The press don’t know or care about me?” I rolled my eyes. “Date someone else and they’ll focus on her.”

“I don’t want to date anyone.” He walked towards me purposefully. “I’m not in this to date anyone. I’m in it to—”

“I know what you’re going to say.” I cut him off and gasped as he picked me up. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you to my bed.”

“Put me down.” I struggled against him, my hands beating against his muscular chest.

“Will do.” He dropped me on the bed and looked down at me for a second before lying down next to me. “Are you ready for me?” His fingers ran up to my heaving br**sts and squeezed my nipple.

“Stop.” I pushed his hand away from me. “This is so not appropriate.”

“What’s not appropriate?” He sat up and pulled his shirt off. I stared at his naked chest and the sprinkles of hair covering his pecs. He reached over to me and I felt his fingers pulling up my shirt. I lay there without stopping him. I knew that I should say no, but I wanted him to touch me. My body craved his touch as my parched throat craved water. “We should go shopping.” He said as he stared down at me. “Sit up, so I can take your bra off.” He commanded me and I frowned.

“What are you talking about?” I frowned at him. “Why should we go shopping?”

“It looks like you don’t have many clothes? I think you’ve been wearing the same bra every time I’ve seen you. And frankly, it’s not the sexiest bra, I’ve ever seen.”

“Excuse me?” My jaw dropped as his fingers slipped inside of my bra and played with my ni**les. I squirmed on the bed as he teased my hardening ni**les.

“I’m happy to buy you nice things. It will work out for both of us. I’d like to see you in a bra that —”

“I don’t care what you want to see.” I pushed his arm away from me and sat up and jumped off of the bed. “Every time, I say to myself, just give him a chance, he’s not such a jerk, you say something that reminds me that you’re a bigger jerk than I even gave you credit for.”

“I’m a jerk because I want to buy you pretty things.”

“You’re a jerk because that comment implies that my things aren’t pretty.”

“I’m not implying anything.” He jumped up and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m telling you that your bra is ugly and your clothes aren’t doing much to accentuate the beauty of your body. Your clothes should hug your body like a second skin, right now they cling onto you like a tick clings onto a dog whose blood it’s sucking.”

“What?” I shook my head and paused. “What are you talking about? You’re calling my clothes a tick?”

“Whatever you took from that is your issue.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him. “Now, be quiet.” His fingers deftly unclasped my bra and he yanked it off of my body. His lips fell to my breast and he took my nipple into his mouth and sucked on it gently before nipping at it with his teeth.