by Nina Strych
“Metaphor! It’s a metaphor!”
They got up—nasty napkin in tow—and wandered toward the trash can. The night was beautiful, much warmer than the current rainy weather in North Carolina. She sighed as they reached the edge of the clearing. The young trees beyond the lighted area were rustling and full of tiny nubs that would become fruit. She’d spent time listening to Amy go on and on about every facet of the place. She had to admit, it was a pretty great place to land for her friend.
“It’s nice here,” Marion said, linking her arm in his.
He patted her hand and said, “Yeah, but don’t tell Mike I said that.”
“Mum’s the word.”
They stood for a few minutes, the sounds of laughter and music behind them. Suddenly serious—which despite what others might think, they were both perfectly capable of—Charlie asked, “You really okay? I mean, about Jason and all.”
He had broken up with Marion—via text, no less—right after she told him about Amy’s engagement. She’d always thought he was kidding when he said he would never date anyone whose friends were getting married. Apparently, he was not kidding.
“Yeah, he’s a dick,” she said.
“Total dick,” Charlie agreed.
“And how are your ladies?” she asked.
“All very lady-like,” he answered with a rakish grin. He did have that going for him, Marion decided. He was as hot as a firecracker, but oh so bad. Which made him even hotter.
“That’s good,” she said and left it there. He didn’t kiss and tell, even when she needled him mercilessly. He’d only laughed when she said it was better masturbation material than porn.
Charlie cleared his throat and said, “Hey, Marion, I gotta ask you something.”
“Sure,” she said, enjoying the warm little breeze that had just kicked up. It made her dress flutter around her legs and she loved the way that felt.
He put his hand over hers where it lay on his arm, then said, “How do you feel about not dating me?”
“What?”
He turned to face her, blocking the breeze with his body and almost looming over her, but it felt different, a little tense in a good way. This wasn’t like when he tried to distract her during ski-ball or that time he helped her to start a fire when the group went camping last fall. This was closer. She gulped.
“Okay. I mean this. What if we…as in you and me…tried not dating for a while? You know, going places together and doing stuff and hanging out.” He tucked that piece of hair that kept falling out of her hairdo back into place and then brushed his hand across her cheek, leaving goosebumps in the wake of his fingers. “And maybe other stuff that isn’t strictly dating. You know what I mean?”
“You want to date me is what you’re saying. You want to go out on a date with me.”
He made a face and said, “I don’t date.”
“Uh huh. I see.”
“Don’t be all lawyer-like on me.”
She considered it for all of one-tenth of the second, then took him by surprise when she grabbed him around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. A serious kiss. She felt her toes curl in her sandals, then let him go and took a step back. He looked dazed.
“Okay. I can go for that. Let’s not date and see what happens.”
Thank You
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Here’s a look at Fiancé For Hire…soon to be released!
Gianna’s family has almost driven her to insanity. On her thirtieth birthday, things went too far when her mother wore black and cried over Gianna’s single state. Her career in bustling Washington, D.C. is all she wants to focus on for the moment, so she develops a plan that should stop all the pressure for good. If they want her to marry, she’ll get the fiancé they crave...and won’t they be sorry she did.
As a fake fiancé, Logan is ideal. Handsome, bright, funny, and up for the game. The only problem? He’s too handsome, bright, funny, and a match for every game Gianna can devise. As he quickly escalates from escort to co-conspirator, Gianna finds herself far too eager for every appointment. Whether at dinner with the parents or swimming in the sea, every glance or touch sends her body into overdrive. As the game intensifies, so does the electricity between them…and Logan might be just the live wire she’s been waiting her whole life to touch.
Table of Contents
Boyfriend for Hire
Books by Nina Strych
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Epilogue - The Next Spring
Thank You
(Untitled)
