by Jess Bryant
Her eyebrows knit behind her glasses, “Of course it’s my room. Where did you think we’d be staying?”
“Don’t know. I didn’t think that far ahead. A guest room maybe?”
“Well, this is my house, or, it’s my dad’s house, and while there are lots of guest rooms, I prefer mine.”
“Fine by me. I like it. It feels like you.”
“What does that mean?” Millie tilted her head and eyed him curiously.
“It’s soft, sweet… girly.”
She rolled her eyes, “Sure. You got all that from my teenage bedroom.”
“Yep.”
It wasn’t true but he didn’t think she wanted to hear that he knew more about her than she wanted him to. He’d researched her online and learned a lot but knowing who she was, that had come from months of watching her and working with her. She might be stubborn and demanding, even standoffish occasionally, but she was also soft and sweet and girly just like he said.
The floral wallpaper proved it.
“Just….” She groaned and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows, “Please don’t act like you know me., okay?”
“Isn’t that exactly why I’m here?” It was his turn to raise an eyebrow.
“Dammit Hunter,” Millie squeezed the bridge of her nose before dropping her glasses back into place and meeting his gaze again, “I’m serious. This is serious. This is my brother’s wedding. What were you thinking?”
“Uh…” He threw his hands in the air because he had no idea what she was getting at.
She’d always been hard to read but now it was virtually impossible for him to get a handle on what she was thinking. One minute she was stiff as a board against him. The next she was playing along. Just a couple minutes later and she was snapping at him and telling him not to act like he knew her when he was more certain than ever that he knew her better than these people she called her family.
“Down there. What were you thinking, claiming to be my boyfriend? You were only supposed to be a date.”
He shrugged, “Oh, that? Well, I was mostly thinking that I was saving your ass.”
“I don’t need saving.”
“Yes, you do, or I wouldn’t be here.” He winked and then pointed to a door on the other side of the room, refusing to get into an argument with her when they’d been a couple, fake or not, for less than fifteen minutes, “Is that a bathroom?”
“Yes.” She answered though her voice was clipped and clearly annoyed.
“Good. I’m going to take a quick shower before dinner and while I’m in there, you can think about that completely priceless look on your ex’s face when I said I was your boyfriend. You can say thank you when I come back out.” He blew her a kiss and then stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Let her think about that for a while and she’d realize what he’d said was for the best. She didn’t need to know that he intended to make it true. Not yet. For now it was good enough just to be close to her. He could wait for her to open up to him. They were a team here and he was the only player on her side. She’d have to trust him with the truth sooner or later.
5
Millie paced back and forth around the bedroom so many times she started to worry about the structural integrity of the old boards under her feet. She threw herself onto the edge of the bed, her legs dangling and buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe that Hunter had called himself her boyfriend. He was only supposed to be a date. That’s what she’d told her brother in the last-minute text message. But then Hunter had wrapped his arm around her, said he was her boyfriend and now everyone would be watching them this weekend trying to figure out just what she was up to.
If she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t have kept Colin and Reed in the dark about him. They knew that. With as often as her brother had tried to set her up to have a double date, dragging her along to meet Joshua in attempts to get them back together, the news of a boyfriend would have been high on her list of things to tell him to make him stop.
He had to know it was a farce and if he knew then Reed knew.
She hadn’t expected her father to be pleased with her when she turned up with a last-minute date but after Hunter’s announcement, he’d seemed only vaguely amused. She’d known he intended for her to reconnect with Joshua during this weekend but she’d underestimated just how much he wanted them back together. The information he’d given her out by the car when it was just the two of them had explained his good humor and more than confirmed this was all a game to him.
He’d told her he was proud of her. It was a rare occasion that he uttered those words to either of his children and when she’d looked up at him, dumbfounded as to what she’d done to earn the praise, he’d given her that smarmy grin of his. He’d told her it was nice to see she’d come with a weapon of her own considering Joshua had brought a date too, no doubt to make her jealous. He hadn’t believed her in the slightest when she told him she had no desire to make Joshua jealous though, and when he’d ambled back up the stairs she’d tried not to notice the blonde girl that her ex all but jerked back inside as he made his own departure.
Joshua had brought a date. She hadn’t been expecting that. Maybe it meant he’d moved on, or maybe, like her father seemed to think, her ex had some notion that seeing him with another woman would make her yearn to be back in his arms.
It didn’t. If anything, it had done the opposite. It had confirmed for her that Joshua was the kind of man that only wanted a woman by his side for show.
And it had worried her because she knew what Joshua was capable of when he was in a foul mood. Millie showing up with Hunter had certainly angered him. That much he hadn’t tried to hide at all. The way he’d grabbed the girl who must have been his date by the arm had sent memories of the pain his fingers had caused clutching her skin coursing back through her head and now she couldn’t help but worry that her selfish action of bringing Hunter to be her buffer, her date, and at least in his estimation her boyfriend, would lead to the other woman suffering the repercussions of Millie’s actions.
She was worried. She felt bad. And yet, when she let herself think about the look on Joshua’s face when Hunter had pulled her close and called her his, she could barely keep her smile at bay.
Hunter was right. It had been priceless seeing Joshua so utterly flabbergasted. His mouth had fallen open momentarily before he regained control and even when he’d pulled it shut his jaw had jumped as he clenched his teeth. He’d gone from shocked to angry in three seconds flat and she knew that shouldn’t make her happy, but it did.
That look, that reaction, was exactly why Hunter was here.
Millie might not like that he’d given himself the label of boyfriend so quickly and easily but she couldn’t deny that the single word had done more for her cause of proving she’d moved on than anything else could have. After all, Hunter might not be aware of it but every other man that had been standing at the bottom of those stairs knew that the only person she’d ever called boyfriend was Joshua… until now.
It cemented Hunter as a part of her life in a way simply saying he was a date never could have done. It made him far more important to the men that were her family. Plus it made him an even bigger obstacle to her ex if Joshua thought to try and get past him.
It also made their fake relationship a liability. They worked together, sure. They knew each other. But they didn’t know each other in the ways that two people involved in an intimate relationship should. All it would take was one probing question from someone unconvinced by Hunter’s touchy-feely act and their lie would crumble. They’d be outed as liars and she’d end up looking even more pathetic than she would have if she’d come alone to this wedding.
She’d been lost in thought for so long that she hadn’t noticed the water turning off in the next room but she heard the distinct sound of the bathroom door opening and looked up to see a cloud of steam emerge. She had just opened her mouth to tell Hunter they would need to run through some basics about
one another before going down to dinner, when he stepped through the fog and her breath caught. For the second time in as many hours, one look at him knocked her completely speechless.
His hair was still damp and he was running a towel over it haphazardly. His jaw was clean-shaven like she hadn’t seen it in months and for some strange reason she noted the loss of his scruffy beard with a level of disappointment that made no sense to her. Without it, his sharp jawline was on full display and, when he caught her looking at him, those damn dimples flickered back into existence, causing her to drop her gaze quickly.
It didn’t help though because the man was built better than any she’d ever had the pleasure of seeing up close. He’d dragged a new Oxford on over his shoulders but he hadn’t bothered buttoning it up and it draped open to reveal a defined chest, a smattering of dark hair and the kind of abs male models sported. That same dark hair formed a thin strip that began beneath his navel and disappeared into the slacks he’d changed into while he was in the bathroom.
A rivulet of water he’d missed snaked down the ripples of his abdomen and she found herself licking her lips, wondering what it would be like to drop to her knees in front of him and lick the water from his skin. Would it be as warm as it looked? Would he suck in a gasp and whisper her name? Would he tangle his hands in her hair? She bit the inside of her cheek to contain a small sound of desire but knew it was too late to hide her reaction to him when he chuckled.
“I’m up here, sugar.”
She jerked her gaze away and narrowed her eyes on his handsome, laughing face, “I know that.”
“Yeah?” He raised a dark eyebrow as he tossed aside the towel he’d been using to dry his hair.
“Yes.” She snapped, more annoyed with herself for getting lost in silly daydreams than with him but she refused to let him know that, “I was just wondering why you’re not dressed yet.”
“Mhmm.” He made a humming noise that in no way sounded like he believed her, “I’m working on it.”
“Work faster.”
His lips tipped into a smirk, “Maybe it would go faster if you stopped undressing me with your eyes, Princess.”
“I am not…” She felt her mouth fall open when he called her out on exactly what she’d been doing but she pulled it shut quickly, “Princess is definitely not what you’re going to call me unless you enjoy being kicked in the balls.”
He chuckled and continued buttoning his shirt, “That one’s off limits too, huh?”
“My dad used to call me that when I was little. I was his little princess.”
“And you didn’t want to be a princess?”
“I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines and look pretty, which is all he wanted his princess to do. Don’t challenge the boys. Never make them look bad by being smarter than them.” She snorted with disgust at the memories, “So no, I didn’t want to be his little princess and I don’t want to be yours.”
She hadn’t realized she’d dropped her gaze to her hands and was twisting the solitary gold band on her middle finger until she felt Hunter step into her personal space. He tipped her chin up until she was forced to face him. With her sitting on the bed, he was standing just in front of her, his legs brushing hers. She swallowed hard when she met that golden green gaze of his, as serious and probing as it ever was.
“You’re right.” He didn’t release his hold on her chin but he loosened his grip and stroked a rough finger over her cheek, “You’re not a princess. You’re so much more than that. You’re strong, Millie. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. I’ve been in this town and this industry for a while now and there aren’t many people that would’ve given up the life you had laid out for you to make their own way in the world. You’re stubborn and resilient and we’re gonna get through this weekend without you forgetting that. Okay?”
Millie chewed the inside of her cheek again but the whisper soft caress of his fingers on her jawline stopped her. Did he know? Could he tell? It was a nervous habit and yet, as soon as he soothed her she was able to consciously stop and still herself. He seemed to be able to see through her, to the wide-open nerve endings and the doubts she tried so hard to keep at bay. She only prayed that he hadn’t guessed the biggest of her secrets and that he wouldn’t before they left this place.
“Okay.” She managed softly just as the door of the bedroom swung open unexpectedly.
“Oh!”
Millie heard the surprised squeak behind Hunter and tried to pull away from him but he wouldn’t let her. The hand that had been on her cheek slid back into her hair and his other hand settled on her hip. He kept her exactly where she was with nothing but his firm touch. If anything he moved closer to her instead of away, his big body shielding hers and it was that thought that reminded her of what he was…not just her fake boyfriend but a bodyguard.
He was guarding her.
Her heart warmed a little at the idea that he thought she needed protecting. Even though she didn’t. She’d told him that she didn’t need saving just a half hour ago. Yet here she was softening like the princess she’d just sworn she wasn’t because her white knight was standing between her and the intruder.
The intruder that was absolutely no threat whatsoever.
“Sorry to interrupt, Mills. I uh… I just wanted to have a word with you before dinner if I could.” Her brother cleared his throat.
“Oh, uh…” She glanced up at Hunter who raised an eyebrow at her where her brother couldn’t see. She gave a slightly imperceptible shake of her head and then leaned around Hunter to look at her brother. “I was about to hop in the shower. I’ll find you downstairs before dinner.”
Colin looked at her for a long moment and then glanced at the back of Hunter’s head. She saw him frown and frowned right back at him when his gaze returned to her. He sighed and straightened his mouth back into a more amicable look.
“Okay. See you down there.” He pulled the door shut behind him and Millie whooshed out a relieved breath, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Hunter’s chest without really thinking about it until she felt him wrap his arms around her.
“Are you avoiding your brother for a reason you want to tell me about?” He smoothed her hair back gently and she hated herself for not pulling away, for giving him the wrong idea, for letting him believe for even a moment that there was anything real about this moment.
“You and I need to talk before they start their interrogations.”
“About what?”
Millie forced herself to pull back from him and this time he let her, “Us.”
“There’s an us?” His grin flashed those adorable dimples and made his eyes twinkle.
She groaned and pushed him backwards with her hands on his chest. He chuckled but stepped back and let her stand. She walked as far as she could get from him. She needed the breathing room. Letting Hunter get close to her in public was one thing, it was part of the act they’d have to put on for her family, but they were alone now, here in her room, and she needed to make sure that when they did their act that it was believable.
“As far as my family is concerned, yes, there’s an us.” She reached the far corner of the room and turned, starting to pace again, “Since you told them that you’re my boyfriend, they’re going to expect you to know things about me and about my life, things that you can’t possibly know. They’re going to expect me to know things about you too. Plus, they’ll want to hear our stories. They think I’ve been keeping you a secret so they’ll want to know why, how we met, our first date, our…”
“Hey.” Hunter grabbed her by the arm and she realized she’d been circling the room, faster and faster, talking faster and faster as her mind whirled and she began to lose control. “Hey. Stop. Just stop.”
She frowned at his easy tone and smacked his hands away from her arms, “You stop. This is your fault.”
“My fault?” He was grinning at her despite the fact she was all but yelling at him.
“Yes, your fault. You just ha
d to go and call yourself my boyfriend when they all know the only boyfriend I’ve ever had is Joshua.” She gasped as the last word fell from her lips and clamped her mouth shut.
“He’s your only boyfriend?” Hunter’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline and she winced.
Stupid. God, she was stupid. She hadn’t meant to let that slip out. She hadn’t wanted Hunter to know just how pathetic she really was. She kept her mouth shut when he continued to eye her and slowly his smile returned.
“Oh, sweetheart…”
She wanted to kick him, “Don’t.”
He ignored her and pulled her against his chest, hugging her gently and then chuckling again as he set her back, “You’re so goddamn cute. Calm down. Let’s get a few things straight, okay?”
She huffed, “Stop calling me cute.”
“Not a chance. You are cute as hell, Mills. It’s one of the reasons I like you so much.” He winked and when she scowled he held his hands up innocently, “The best lies come from the truth, babe. That’s one hundred percent true. Just like it’ll be true when they ask how we met and I tell them through work and when they ask about the first time I asked you out they’re going to laugh their heads off about how you turned me down flat.”
Millie bit the inside of her cheek to keep back a smile as she thought about that. He’d had the nerve to ask her out during his interview for God’s sake. It had been completely unprofessional and she’d told Lemon all about it. She still swore their boss had insisted on hiring him just for the fun of seeing the shocked look on Millie’s face.
She sighed, “That’s not enough.”
“Fine. Throw me some other questions.” He shrugged.
“What’s my middle name?”
“Evelyn. You’re named after your mother.”
She narrowed her eyes at that last bit, wondering how he knew that. Her middle name was on some of the paperwork at the office. It was also online if he’d done some digging. But he’d have had to do a lot of digging to get her mother’s full name.
