Page 98 of Temporary Vows

Isla laughs softly, glancing down at her bump. “Knox and I want at least three. Maybe four. I’ve always wanted a big family.”

“Four?” Cindy gasps. “You’re brave.”

“I was an only child. I love the idea of a full house,” Isla says dreamily. “Noise, chaos… all of it. Give it to me.”

I’m amazed she seems so put together. Then my thoughts drift back to my own situation.

I’d always imagined a big family, too. I just never imagined this.

Or Dorian Vale.

Dorian is my wild card, the one thing I never saw coming.

It’s more than likely that we’ll start with one child and take it from there.

I’m about to ask another question, but a quiet awareness prickles at the base of my neck, then the heat of a body behind me sends a shiver down my spine. A large hand presses to the small of my back, and the faint scent of musk and cedarwood reaches my nose.

I don’t need to turn to know who it is.

Dorian leans close to my ear, the scruff of his beard brushing my cheek. “I need you.” The deep baritone of his voice goes straight to my core, awakening the nest of butterflies living in my stomach.

I glance up at him, meeting those piercing blue eyes.

“Now,” he mutters, keeping his voice low.

“Sure.” I glance back at the group. Everyone is watching us with keen interest. “See you guys in a little while.”

They each give me a small wave.

Dorian leads me away again, but this time, he takes my hand, and there’s purpose in the way he moves. “I need you to kiss me.”

I turn to him sharply, caught off guard. I shouldn’t be surprised to find him staring ahead, his expression stripped of emotion.

“You want me to kiss you?Now?”

“Just follow my lead. There are two reporters here fromThe Chronicle.”

In my search into the scandal,The Chroniclewas the most vocal about Dorian and Grace. I got the impression it was because he’d been rude to them in a previous interview, and they were getting him back.

They were the first to insinuate an affair between Dorian and Grace. Then the other papers ran with it, adding more to the story.

“They’ve been watching us all night,” he adds with a quick glance over his shoulder.

Geez. I always thought that if someone was watching me, I’d feel that sixth sense people talk about. Clearly, that’s not even remotely true. At least not in this case. I’ve been talking with everyone, completely unaware.

And I guess we werestillbeing watched. But that’s the least of my worries.

Dorian wants me to kiss him.

Of course, I should have factored that in, given what tonight means. I just didn’t.

God, the last time Dorian kissed me, I barely kept my head together. And that had been a real kiss.

What would this one be like?

The one for show.

He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “Act naturally, Elodie.”