Accidentally Ever After

: A Deal wi

he'd handed her after their awkward "negotiation," still trying to make sense of how her life had derailed so quickly. She'd woken up t

g casually against the marble kitchen counter, his phone in one hand and a glass of water in the

cked up to meet hers, and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. "I've laid out the terms.

ealize how insane this sounds? Six months of prete

a lazy smirk. "You liked m

before I realized you were

,'" he said smoothly,

s up in frustration.

you're s

ing trapped in this arrangement, walking away wasn't an option. Not with her crushing debts, her land

said finally, her voice s

nsity that made her feel exposed. "You don't have

exuded control and arrogance in equal measure? She glanced down at the massiv

e," she said, her stomach twisting.

ifted in surpris

g my job. I'll still take freelance gigs when I can.

his tone almost am

No loopholes, no surprises. If I smel

," he said w

er lip. "No... intimacy. This is a bus

the air between them seemed to shift, charged with an unspoken tension. He s

" he murmured, his vo

efore meeting hers again. Her body betrayed her, a spark of he

noring the way her voice w

moment, then stepped back with

tinged with an inexplicable disappoint

hing

composure. "What happens after six mont

rms of the will are fulfilled, we'll

ht of being married-and then di

ng his phone. "I'll have my lawyers draft the contract.

What's wrong w

re going to sell this marriage, you'll need a wardrobe that

"This just keeps

" he said, his voice

-

surrounded by racks of designer clothes she couldn't pronounce the names of. Xander loung

ed as the stylist pinned a fitte

ddess," Xander said

ff guard. The dress hugged her body perfectly, accentuating her figure

o ignore the flutter in her chest when Xander f

on her for a moment longer than necessary. "If we're going to c

that?" she asked

the words carrying a weight

-

Sienna collapsed onto the couch, kicking off the

g," she said, rubb

lass of wine before settling into the armchair

avor. "So, what's the plan? Do we ho

test the waters. Tomorrow, we'll make o

ened. "Tomor

a," he said, his tone

deeper into the couc

said, his lips curvin

w someone could be so composed in the face o

licker of something unreadable crossed his f

stood abruptly, setting his empty glass on the coffee

l his arrogance and control, there was something deeply guarded abo

s Vegas skyline, Sienna couldn't shake the feeling that she was stepping into

ay Xander had looked at her in that boutique, his gaze burning with