by J. C. Reed
“That’s nice. At least we can share a BBQ plate and get the beer thrown in for free,” I muttered. “That is, if we don’t get involved in a bar brawl.” Or catch hepatitis, I added mentally.
I had taken a shaky step forward when his arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me close, towering over me.
“Relax, Laurie. No one’s going to bite you,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes. “Unless you ask nicely, in which case, make sure to ask me first.”
His hot breath brushed my earlobe, cutting off my air supply and sending an electric frisson of excitement down my spine. From so close, he smelled amazing, of aftershave and something else. Something dark and earthy and way too sexy.
I pressed my handbag harder against my chest, ready to sling it over my shoulder and put some space between us, but his arm released me, and he stepped aside.
Opening the door to the bar, he motioned for me to enter.
“Ladies first.”
I had no idea whether he was laughing at me again, so I nodded a “thank you” and stepped inside the bar.
Chapter 3
The bar was a crowded single room with tables on one side and a bar area on the other where the mostly male patrons had gathered in a neat row, nursing their drinks. As suspected, the place looked like it had seen better days, and its clientele seemed past its prime, too. AC/DC was playing at a bearable level in the background. As we walked in, a few heads turned. Bleak eyes slipped over me, barely paying me a second look, which I assumed was the result of my outfit. I didn’t mind because I didn’t like to stand out in a crowd anyway.
Chase’s fingers touched the low of my back and guided me to the bar area. Immediately, two guys with tattoos covering most of their exposed skin stood and offered me a seat. I whispered a thank-you and sat down, slowly relaxing the grip around my handbag.
“This is the last place you probably expected to meet chivalry,” Chase remarked, amused, and turned to greet one of the guys who, from the look of it, he seemed to know pretty well.
I sighed inwardly.
Not only was I stuck with a guy who thought it might be a good idea to have a job interview in his regular bar, he also seemed to have forgotten all about me while touching base with his buddy.
Crossing my legs, I ignored them as my attention focused on the bar area and the man serving drinks behind it. He was maybe in his early thirties, clad in jeans and a black T-shirt featuring the logo of a band that had seen better days—both the band and the T-shirt. His eyes met mine and his face lit up, his dark eyes glittering with something.
I smiled shyly.
Now, he seemed like a better candidate.
Candidate.
I really liked that word. It almost made me feel like Donald Trump on The Apprentice. Right now I would have loved to point my finger at Chase while saying, “You’re fired.”
“Drink?” The bartender pushed a bottle of beer over the counter before I could declare my distaste for anything alcoholic. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the taste of it; I just didn’t like what alcohol did to me. I smiled again and took a customary sip. “Not your usual place, huh?”
I nodded. “I guess you could say that.”
He wiped his hand on a towel and held it out. “I’m Adam.”
“Laurie.” I gave his hand a quick squeeze and pulled back quickly.
“Great to meet you, Laurie,” he said. I laughed because, for some reason, his open smile was infectious. “I’m sure Chase will show you the ropes.”
Following Adam’s line of vision, I turned and found Chase behind me, watching me with a strange look. Suddenly uncomfortable, I took another sip of my beer, even though I had already overstepped my personal limit, and followed his movements as he grabbed a bottle from Adam, then pointed to the back of the room.
“There’s a free table over there. Given the purpose of this meeting, I thought you might welcome the privacy.” Chase shrugged, as though it was a mere suggestion, but his fingers wrapped around my elbow decisively. I had no doubt if I didn’t get up, he’d help me to my feet—possibly by dragging me up. I remained seated.
“Privacy?” Adam laughed, and Chase narrowed his eyes at him.
“Mind your damn business, Adam.”
There was a sharp undertone to his voice, a hard edge I hadn’t detected before. I looked up but saw nothing reflected in Chase’s face. Adam flashed me a smile and turned away, mumbling something like, “If you need anything…”
“Come on,” Chase murmured in my ear, sending a strange jolt through my stomach. We zigzagged our way through the room to a table on the far side near the tinted windows, and Chase held out my chair, his attention strangely distracted as he sat down in his own chair, his relaxed attitude suddenly replaced by tension.
“You two know each other,” I remarked as a means of starting the conversation.
“Yeah.” He smirked and shifted in his seat, then pointed around him. “Like it?” I knew an attempt to change topics when I saw one, even one as smooth as Chase’s.
I decided to let it pass this time. For one, it wasn’t my business. Besides, it didn’t matter, considering I’d be leaving soon anyway and would never see him again. “It’s—” I fought to find the right word as I scanned the exotic bottles adorning the walls and the peanut shells littering the hardwood floor.
“Interesting,” I said eventually. “Never seen a place like this from the inside. Is this the sort of establishment you usually frequent?”
“You make it sound like it’s a strip bar.” His stunning blue eyes twinkled and his lips twitched with amusement, striking me breathless once again. The Chase from before was back, and hotter, if that was even possible.
“Given that you knew this used to be a strip bar and probably used to frequent it, you can’t judge me for forming such a first impression.”
“Touché.”
We fell silent for a few moments, listening to the song changing in the background—something lighter, more my style. I began to tap my fingers on my thigh, nervous under Chase’s blue gaze.
There we were, and I had no clue how to get it over and done with. I figured being tactful was the way to go.
But how?
“This job,” Chase began slowly, “it’s not something I’ve ever done before. I just thought you should know.”
Not surprising, given the fact that most people I knew either weren’t single or weren’t afraid of admitting it to their family. They sure as hell didn’t need a paid actor to play the doting fiancé part, and they certainly didn’t need to pretend to be in love and ready to walk down the aisle.
“That’s fine. I didn’t expect you to, because I know my situation is bizarre.”
And desperate.
He shook his head and leaned forward, placing his hand on the table so close his fingers almost brushed mine.
“It’s not the most bizarre request I’ve ever had. Trust me on that.” His eyes twinkled, and for a second I wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or teasing me. “Once, I was asked to play a monkey on stage. If I can imitate an orangutan, I’m pretty sure I can play your husband.”
I stared at him. He was trying to be funny. And it worked. Too easily. Only too late did I realize I had been smiling without even wanting to.
“Fiancé,” I corrected.
“Even better. We can play the loved-up couple without all the insults and the hating that comes with being married.”
I laughed. “Not a fan of the so-called wedding bliss?”
“You could say that.” He smirked before a sexy smile lit up his lips again. “What about you?”
I shrugged as I thought back to my old life and began to flick through what I could and couldn’t say. In the end, I decided some things were better left unsaid. “It doesn’t really matter.”
“Why do you need a fake fiancé?” Chase asked, proving to be a guru at changing the subject. “Can’t you just say you’re not into it?” His directness took me again by surprise. “Su
rely if you don’t live with your parents anymore, which I think you’re not”—he paused, his expression questioning. I nodded and he continued—“ then you don’t own them an explanation.”
I brushed my hair back, hesitating. Explaining my situation without actually explaining anything was the hard part. Jude was the only person who knew my dilemma. She was the only person who knew some of the secrets that surrounded Waterfront Shore.
I needed it to stay that way.
“I can’t deal with it right now,” I said simply. It was the truth, to some extent. “I know I sound like a coward, but there’s enough drama in my life already. All I want is to buy myself a little bit more time.” I gave an uncomfortable shrug.
“No, you’re not a coward.” He shook his head slowly, his eyes piercing through my heart and soul—so deep my breath caught in my throat. Even though I knew he was trying to be polite, somehow it mattered that Chase didn’t think of me that way.
I leaned back, eyeing him more carefully.
Perhaps Jude was right, and Chase was a nice guy.
“I think it’s unselfish,” he continued. “Maybe you’re holding on to the hope that one day you’ll find the one person who’ll change your outlook. And when you do, maybe someday you’ll give your parents what they want.”
I highly doubted that, so I inclined my head and forced my lips into a thin smile. He couldn’t have the entire situation more wrong. Love and marriage had never been one of my priorities. They had never featured in my cards because love is nothing but a fool’s gold: It glitters and shines until you look underneath and see that all is but an empty shell of appearance. Something we all want but can never fully grasp, and when we do, it always comes with heartbreak.
I stopped wanting love a long time ago.
“Maybe,” I lied, ready to change the subject. “Your Internet profile says that you’re an actor. You certainly look the part.” My face flushed a little at the obvious compliment.
Chase’s smile widened. He’d opened his mouth to say something when I held up my hand, stopping him before he got the wrong idea and thought I was hitting on him, which I wasn’t…not intentionally, anyway.
“What I mean is, you don’t look like you need to do this kind of job to get by.” Damn, that came out wrong, too. I cringed. “What I mean is—”
“I get it,” Chase said, laughing. “Acting doesn’t pay a lot. In our economy, you have to get creative. I do a bit of theater acting, host workshops for aspiring models and TV personalities, do club appearances, voice-overs. You know, bits and pieces here and there.” He paused for a moment and took a gulp of his drink, obviously in his element. “I draw the line at nude work. In fact, at anything involving nudity.”
My fantasy took off in that instant, and I found myself imagining him half-naked. His body looked buff enough to earn him a lot of money. Actors certainly didn’t wear a whole lot of clothes—particularly not those who looked like Chase—so why not go just a little bit further than that? Everyone did it. Not that I wanted him to.
The mere thought of him strolling in front of a camera with his shirt off ignited a pang of fire inside me.
“I get it,” I lied. Not. With a body as hot as his, shoulders that broad and arms that strong, it should have been mandatory for him to show off his sexiness.
Chase took a gulp of his beer and put the bottle back down, the clear liquid leaving a wet trail on his full lips. Unintentionally, I brushed a trembling hand through my curls. I wasn’t used to sitting so close to someone, especially someone so manly and confident. I had never met anyone who had made my body react the way it did around Chase.
I averted my gaze quickly before he noticed and leaned back, taking a sharp breath and letting it out slowly.
Okay, I didn’t really know him after barely spending an hour in his presence, but so far he had been friendly and easygoing, nonjudgmental and way more fun than I imagined. Chase had proved that he wasn’t what I expected at all, and, to my surprise, I found that I actually enjoyed his company. Only a few days left until I had to face the Waterfront Shore dilemma. Only a few days to come up with a better plan.
If only I knew how to get out of my problems. I had been searching for months, and there was no better plan. None that might actually work.
Except hiring an actor.
“How good is your acting?” I found myself asking, my hands playing with the neck of the beer bottle.
“I would say ‘good.’ If we’re to work together, then I’ll obviously need to get into character,” Chase said before I could follow the strange direction of my thoughts. “Find out everything about you. Who you really are. What you do. What makes you tick. You know the drill.”
I turned to regard Chase’s smooth face and the smile lighting up his eyes.
He wanted to know me to get into character. A dangerous undertaking, but not impossible. A challenge on my part to give him what he wanted while not giving him anything at all. It might just be simple enough.
Not a good idea. Back off, Hanson.
Alarm bells went off somewhere in my mind as I found myself nodding slowly.
“We’ll have to agree on a fee,” I said in spite of my better judgment.
“I’m affordable. You can even pay in installments.” His lips twitched at the corners as he reached over the table and held out his hand, urging me to shake it. “Do we have a deal?”
The words came low, insinuating hidden promises and dark secrets, and my heart lurched in my chest. “You haven’t even asked what exactly this role entails. For all you know, I could be asking impossible things of you. Like…” I threw my hands up in exasperation as my words failed me.
“I’m strong enough to fend off any unwanted advances,” Chase said. “I’m cool if you want me to be.” Something in his tone made me turn back to him. His facial expression was serious now; even the glint of amusement in his eyes had disappeared.
“There won’t be any sort of advances,” I said sharply.
“My life philosophy is ‘deal with whatever’s thrown your way when the time comes,’ Laurie.” The way he said my name sent a tiny shiver down my spine.
Sexy.
Forbidden.
As if he knew me already. Too personal for my taste.
I gawked at him, both confused and irritated by my strong reaction to something as basic as the way he pronounced my name. It wasn’t like me to be so—
Animalistic?
That’s what sex is all about, isn’t it? An instinct. A pull that isn’t reasonable or easily understood. I hadn’t been with someone like him in a long time. Rewind that. I had never been with someone like him. Someone who exuded sexuality in such an obvious yet non-intrusive way.
The fact I had never experienced what sex felt like, and then sitting opposite what I assumed might be the world’s sexiest man alive, was painful in both a physical and mental sense. I was craving what shouldn’t be craved, seeking what I should have run from.
Chase rolled up his sleeves, exposing strong arms, and leaned forward. My heart rate spiked and my body temperature began to rise—the result of a lack of air conditioning, I assumed. Or maybe it was because my mind kept creating images of him in bed, and I kept wondering if his kisses would be as delicious as he looked.
As if sensing my thoughts, Chase leaned back in his chair, and his gaze settled on my mouth for a second or two. My lips parted of their own accord, as though inviting him to savor them, even though that was the last thing I wanted. He raised his eyebrows, and his lips slowly curled into a sexy smile. And there it was again—a spark of something way too intimate as our eyes met.
“Do you believe in destiny, Laurie?” His voice was deep and dark, the strange tone drawing my attention back to him instantly.
“No. I just believe in reality.” I swallowed hard. “If it’s destiny, then it’s a heck of a cruel life. Never to be able to guess what happens next, always having to find a meaning. I want to make a choice, not be thrown in it.” I paused a
nd looked up. He was watching me intently, his expression unreadable. “Do you?”
“I think it takes two to meet true destiny and two to hold on to it. To me, it’s not a matter of a superpower at play, but more a higher awareness of what you need and can achieve when it comes to what you want. True destiny is a complex interplay of two people playing and working together,” he said. “I can help you, Laurie. You just need to ask if you want to work with me.”
His hand touched mine, scorching my skin. I took a sharp breath, my gaze instantly drawn to our hands. But before I could withdraw from his touch, he pulled away.
Chase’s willingness to come close, to touch and probably be touched, screamed that he was open for more. But he wasn’t pushy about it.
You need to get laid.
Jude’s voice kept echoing in my head. If it hadn’t been for her calling Chase to arrange this meeting, I would never have been in such a situation.
Damn her and her idiotic plans.
Damn her for finding the one specimen who was too sexy to ignore.
My hands began to tremble just a little bit. I interlaced my fingers the way I always did when I needed to stop them from shaking, and inclined my head.
Was it a wise move to go through with this? Probably not. But I was a grown-up woman who had her emotions and bodily urges under control. Whatever was going on today was an exception. Maybe the result of stress or nerves, but certainly nothing to worry about.
“We’ll give it a trial run,” I found myself saying. “Let’s see how the evening goes, and then we’ll take it from there.”
“No.” He shook his head, his lips twitching. “You need to make a decision now. It’s either you take me or not. So, Laurie.” My heart stopped in its tracks as he pushed his chair back and went down on one knee, grabbing my hand in the process. “Will you give me the honor and be my fake wife?”
I stared at him, struck speechless. He made it sound so simple. Uncomplicated. No further questions. Exactly what I needed for my plan to work. Maybe I was overthinking things.
