“Honestly, no.”
She winced and blushed at that confession, and all Max could think was that she was fucking adorable, and he had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her again—but this time slower, softer. She was so candid and guileless, and so completely opposite of any woman he’d ever dated, which was a huge part of her appeal to him.
She sighed as she glanced at the diamond on her finger. “I just thought when I was ready to take the ring off, which probably wasn’t going to be for a long while, I was going to say we split amicably.”
“How about you not worry about all that for now?” He was more than willing to see where this pretend relationship took them, and this would give him the chance to really get to know her and vice versa. “When the time comes, we’ll stage some kind of believable break-up.”
But even as he said the words, which were meant to reassure her, the thought of never seeing her again made his gut twist with opposition and made him wonder just how much he’d fallen for Hailey in the past three months that he’d known her, despite believing she was engaged.
More than he realized, he thought, startled by the revelation. He wasn’t in love with her, but now that he knew she was free and clear and available, he definitely felt something for her.
She was standing close enough that he was able to reach out, gently grasp her wrist, and pull her toward him. Surprisingly, she didn’t resist or panic at his open display of affection—which he figured she needed to get used to, anyway—and he moved his feet apart, making room for her in between his legs. They were now face-to-face and only inches apart, her lush mouth tempting him.
“Max . . . ” she said when he settled his hands on her waist, those uncertainties infusing her voice again.
“Hailey . . . ” he teased right back, and was gratified when the beginnings of a smile appeared on her lips. “You’re going to have to learn to relax around me. Especially when I’m touching you.”
A small frown furrowed her brows as she tipped her head forward, causing that thick, gorgeous hair of hers to fall in soft waves down to her breasts. “I’m just not used to a guy being so . . .”
“Handsy?” he supplied for her, and deliberately skimmed his palms lower, drifting them down her hips to where her thighs began, just to accentuate his point.
She shifted on her heels, seemingly self-conscious with the intimate way he was touching her, even through her clothing. “Well, that’s one way of putting it.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of her unease, but he wasn’t about to let her be insecure with him. “Get used to it, sweetheart.” Because if he had his way, his hands were going to be all over her beautiful, curvy body. “In fact, there’s one more important thing about this arrangement of ours. Since I’m agreeing to be your fake fiancé, then I’m going to have to insist that I get all the benefits that go with it.”
He heard her quick intake of breath, saw the hesitation flickering in her eyes as her gaze searched his face. “Are you saying you want to sleep with me?”
Abso-fucking-lutely. Yeah, he didn’t think that particular answer would go over too well at the moment, so he tempered his response and added a grin. “For the sake of full disclosure, I certainly wouldn’t say no if the offer was on the table.”
She rolled her eyes, looking adorable again. “Well, for the sake of full disclosure, it probably won’t happen.”
He chuckled, and actually liked the fact that she was discriminating when it came to sex. Another refreshing thing about her, compared to many of the other women he’d dated, who’d made it clear they were willing to put out on the first night. But there was a probably in her statement, which meant she wasn’t flat out rejecting the possibility of it happening. They’d just have to wait and see where things between them led and go from there.
“So, about those benefits,” he said, bringing them back to his stipulations. “During the course of our engagement, for however long it lasts, I want the freedom to touch you and kiss you anytime I want.”
She pursed her lips as she debated his request, which didn’t help her cause since it only emphasized how sensual her mouth was.
He wasn’t asking for anything that they hadn’t already done, and decided he needed to be a bit more persuasive. He brought his hands up to her face, holding her far more gently than he had in the elevator as he drew her mouth closer and closer to his. She didn’t resist him or try to pull back, but neither did she surrender, and that’s what he wanted the most. Her sweet capitulation.
“Come on, sweet girl,” he cajoled, her lips less than an inch away from his. “You know you want me to kiss you again. All you have to do is say yes to the kissing and touching . . . ”
On an unraveling moan, her lashes fluttered closed, her body relaxed, and she breathed the one word he was desperate to hear. “Yes.”
Satisfaction surged through him, and he finally brought her mouth to his, meshing their lips in slow, measured degrees until they were completely fused. Unlike the wild kiss in the elevator, this time he lingered and explored, learning the shape of her mouth against his and savoring the feel and taste of her. He sucked and nibbled at her lower lip, enjoying the husky moan of pleasure that escaped her, and reveled in the way her body swayed closer to his of its own accord.
His dick responded to that small victory as he tipped her head slightly, then gradually, languidly took the kiss deeper. He slid his tongue inside, teasing and flirting with hers. The give and take was playful and sexy, without demands or expectations, and by the time he eased back and ended the kiss, Hailey was smiling, her stunning blue eyes hazy with desire.
He smiled, too. “Just so you know, there’s going to be a lot of kissing and touching. Anything beyond that, we can negotiate,” he said with a devilish wink.
* * *
“Oh. My. God.”
Hailey bit back a grin at Brielle’s response to the entire story she’d just relayed to her best friend about her whirlwind day with Max and everything that had happened between them—from the encounter with Maureen at the restaurant to the mind-blowing kiss in the elevator to Max eventually agreeing to be her fake fiancé.
And right after that second kiss with Max, and his teasing remark about negotiating anything more, the owner for the property in Logan Square had called to tell Max that he’d accepted the offer for the building, and the signed paperwork was on its way over. Hailey had been bouncing by the time she returned to her own office, nearly bursting with excitement to share the news with her best friend, who’d insisted they head out to one of the hot spots in Chicago, the Popped Cherry, for a celebratory drink after work.
After sliding into a vacant booth and ordering a cosmopolitan and an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms for the two of them to share, Hailey spent the next half an hour spilling all the details of her afternoon with Max. Brielle was the one and only person in her life that she shared everything with. They’d been best friends since her freshman year at University of Chicago, when they were paired up to share a room together in the campus dorms. After graduation, it had been Brielle who’d encouraged Hailey to start her matchmaking business because, believe it or not, she had a knack for setting up compatible couples and had been doing it since high school with her friends.
The woman sitting across from Hailey knew her deepest secrets, fears, and insecurities—and loved her anyway. Besides being her assistant at the Ellison Agency and overall marketing expert, and despite the two of them being on opposite ends of the personality spectrum—Brielle was more bubbly and outgoing to Hailey’s more quiet and introspective nature—she was the sister Hailey had never had, and she didn’t know what she would do without Brielle in her life.
“The whole thing with Max is crazy, right?” Hailey finally said with a shake of her head, once she’d brought her friend up to speed on the arrangement she and Max had agreed to.
Brielle finished the last stuffed mushroom on the table between them and sat back in her seat with a huge grin on her f
ace as she summed up their conversation. “Let’s see . . . between those sizzling-hot kisses and making your pretend engagement to one of the sexiest men in Chicago official and purchasing the building of your dreams, I’d say you’ve had the best day ever.”
Hailey laughed and couldn’t disagree. She was still on a high about her new digs, and still a little buzzed from having Max’s mouth on hers. Twice. Even though both times had been so different in intensity, there was no denying that the man knew how to kiss . . . and if she wasn’t such a prim and proper good girl with more than a few hang-ups, her very damp panties probably would have dropped to the floor both times.
She crossed her legs beneath the table to subdue the ache that still lingered and gave Brielle the one last piece of information she’d withheld until now. “He said he’s willing to negotiate more than just kissing and touching during our temporary agreement.”
Brielle’s brown eyes lit up with renewed interest. “And that’s a problem because . . .?”
Hailey frowned at Brielle’s enthusiasm on her behalf and threw a crumpled napkin at her. “You know why, smartass.” It had been a long time since they’d had this specific conversation, but she knew what her best friend was insinuating and where this discussion would most likely lead.
“Yes, I know exactly why.” Brielle sighed, her expression turning serious. “I just think it’s past time that you put yourself out there that way again.”
Hailey finished the last of her cosmopolitan and arched a brow. “That way?”
“Sex,” Brielle said succinctly, the one word that always made Hailey cringe when it pertained to her specifically. “You’ve been with one asshole, and that was back in college. He fucked you once, and he wasn’t even polite enough to give you an orgasm for taking your virginity, and then the dickwad douchebag had the nerve to send you a demeaning, obnoxious break-up text the next day. And every guy you’ve dated since then, you’ve ended things before you get to the main event. It’s past time to get your groove back on, sister.”
Hailey knew she was a self-sabotager when it came to her relationships. But in all honesty, out of all the guys she’d dated who’d matched well with her on paper and when it came to a compatibility quiz, none had ever made her want to take that next intimate step with them where she bared her entire body—the soft belly, the stretch marks from the weight loss, the less-than-firm backside.
Except when Max had put his hands on her ass and she’d felt the solid length of his erection when he’d pressed against her, and he’d whispered in her ear all the naughty, thrilling things he wanted to do to her, the pulsing need between her thighs had elicited a slow burn of desire in the most shocking of places. Places she wanted him to touch and caress . . . with his hands, his fingers, that sinful tongue of his . . .
“Let’s face it,” Brielle said, her amused voice bringing Hailey’s attention back to the present. “At twenty-six, you’re practically a virgin all over again.”
Hailey laughed, because her friend’s observation was pretty much true. She’d had intercourse once, and she’d given a few blow jobs to said college asshole as well. And that had been nearly five years ago. If it weren’t for her vibrator, her vagina would probably have cobwebs.
“And now you’ve got a drop-dead gorgeous hunk of a guy at your disposal, who is willing and able to deliver the goods, without any strings attached or any emotional entanglements to worry about,” Brielle went on with her sales pitch in favor of Hailey having sex again. “He’s not asking for forever, so just enjoy the situation and him.”
No, she wasn’t in love with Max, but Hailey could easily admit he was a man she could fall for if she allowed herself. Hotness aside, he was charming and funny and persuasive. He had a kind side, and even that glimpse of alpha male she’d gotten in the elevator earlier today attracted her. Except the prospect of getting her heart broken at the end of this temporary relationship was a scary one.
“The way I see things, there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of a fake engagement with benefits.”
Hailey absently turned the long stem of her empty glass, unable to completely squash that vulnerable part of herself that always put the brakes on her self-confidence when it came to getting naked with a man. “I’m sure I’m nothing like the women he’s used to, who don’t have to worry about wearing Spanx to keep their muffin tops tucked in and everything else smooth.”
“Hello,” Brielle said, pointing to her own pear-shaped body beneath the flattering dress she wore. “Not once has Kenny ever made me feel less than perfect,” she said of the guy she’d been seeing for nearly a year now. “Not every man wants a skinny bitch with sharp hip bones and a flat butt and no cushion for the pushing. You’ve lost over seventy pounds, Hailey. You do yoga and jog on your treadmill every day. You’re healthy and beautiful, and it’s time for you to embrace all your curves. Own who you are.”
Logically, Hailey knew she was right. Mentally, however, it was a harder hurdle to overcome.
Her friend reached across the table and placed her hand over Hailey’s, her touch affectionate and caring. “I just want you to have a man in your life who adores all of you, and I know he’s out there for you, but you can’t let your insecurities hold you back. You make other people happy all the time with your matchmaking business, and you should let yourself be happy, too. Give Max a chance . . . even if it’s just for sex,” she said with a wicked grin.
Hailey laughed. “I’ll try,” she promised, and meant it. It was time to get out of her own head.
“Good,” Brielle said with a satisfied nod as her gaze shifted to something behind Hailey, and her eyes lit up with delight. “Well, speak of the handsome devil,” she murmured, and a moment later, Hailey found out who had grabbed her friend’s attention.
Max came into view and stopped at their table, with a dark-blonde-haired man by his side dressed in a navy blue Premier Realty T-shirt, faded jeans, and work boots. Hailey recognized the other guy as Connor, who worked in the construction side of the business as an investor and property flipper. According to what Max had told her when she’d first met Connor at the office, the company also purchased old homes and buildings that they then remodeled and upgraded and put back on the market for a higher resale value.
“Good evening, ladies,” Max said in greeting.
“Hi, guys,” Hailey replied politely. Brielle knew Max from the few times in the past when she’d accompanied Hailey to a listing, but since she didn’t know Connor, Hailey made the introductions.
“Nice to meet you, Brielle,” Connor said, then glanced back at Hailey. “I just wanted to stop by and issue my congratulations. It’s not every day that Max gets engaged.”
Hailey’s mouth opened, then closed again. That was the last thing she’d expected Connor to congratulate her for—her newly acquired property, yes, but oh, my God, did he really believe they were engaged engaged? Connor’s expression was so serious she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
She heard Brielle snicker, and she lifted a brow at Max, who looked completely at ease with the situation. “You told him we’re really engaged?”
He cocked his head, his brownish-green eyes filled with mischief. “Of course I did. Everyone in the office now knows what a lucky guy I am. Didn’t you tell Brielle the good news?”
Hailey felt flustered and was certain it showed in her stunned expression. “Of course I did, but she knows the truth. That it’s all pretend.”
Connor busted out laughing. “Oh, my God, the look on your face is absolutely priceless. No worries, we all know you two are faking it and why.”
Hailey groaned. “I take it Max told you the whole humiliating story about our incident with Maureen?”
“Yeah,” Connor said, chuckling. “I just wanted to come by and say hi, but I’m going to head over to the bar to sit with a few of my friends.”
Connor said good-bye and left their table, but Max boldly slid into the booth right next Hailey without an invitation, not t
hat she minded. The warm scent of his cologne instantly wrapped around her, and he didn’t hesitate to sit close enough that his thigh was pressed against hers—as if they were really a couple. Awareness fluttered inside of her, and while she’d normally try and scoot away from such an intimate gesture, she reminded herself that she’d just promised Brielle that she was going to give Max a chance . . . even if it was just for sex, as her friend had said.
Max turned toward Hailey, meeting her gaze with one of his sexy, teasing smiles. “I know this might look like I’m stalking you, but I swear I’m not,” he added with a wink at the inside joke only the two of them were a part of. “Connor and I were just coming in for a beer after work. I had no idea you came here, too.”
“This is our first time, actually,” she told him. “Drinks and appetizers are great.”
He glanced at their empty glasses. “Can I get you two another cocktail?”
“Not for me,” Brielle said, holding up her hand. “I need to leave soon. I’m meeting my boyfriend in about a half an hour after he gets out of a meeting.”
“What does he do?” Max asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“He’s an accountant.” Brielle casually folded her arms on the table. “The end of March and beginning of April are always long, busy days for him. But the man needs to eat, and I enjoy cooking for him, so we try to spend a few hours a night together.”
“Nice.” He returned his attention back to Hailey with a warm smile. “By the way, I have a question for you.”
“Oh?” she asked curiously.
“There’s a small, casual get-together I’m going to this weekend. Do you remember meeting Wes and Natalie at the office?”
She nodded. It had been a while ago, but she recalled meeting them in passing one day when she was at Premier Realty going over a few listings with Max.
“The two of them have been dating for a while. They recently got engaged and moved into a new place together a few weeks ago. They’re having a few of us over on Sunday, and I’d like you to come with me.”
The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set Page 22
