by J. C. Reed
“Hell, let’s do it.” I grinned at him and shook his hand. As I turned around, I saw people staring. I could only guess it wasn’t usual for a newly engaged couple to shake hands rather than fall into each other’s arms. Not exactly a romantic moment. Nothing to gush about. Not even a ring.
But, for some reason, it felt perfect nonetheless.
“Great. Let’s order,” Chase said, and patted the chair next to him. “I’m starving. One of the first things you should know about your future husband is that I’m always hungry.” The glint in his eyes appeared again, and for the first time I realized it wasn’t just amusement. He was testing me to see if I’d withdraw my offer and back off.
I bit my lip hard, wondering whether I was making a mistake.
No going back on your word, Hanson. You’re working with him. It’s just a business deal, not a real relationship, and certainly no falling in love.
Damn right I wasn’t going to back off. Because, in spite of what people thought, I wasn’t a coward. I wasn’t a helpless romantic.
I was a fighter.
And Chase would help me win my own fight.
Chapter 4
“Ready to see your fiancé?” Jude’s head popped in around the door. Her voice pricked my bubble filled with hope of getting any work done.
“Please don’t tell me Chase is already here.”
“He’s just arrived.” She shot me her most saccharine smile. “If you want, I can keep him busy.”
“No, it’s all right.” I sighed at her smitten smile and got up from my bed, shutting my laptop in the process. Ever since I’d told her about my decision to let Chase play the part, she couldn’t stop referring to him as my “fiancé.” And how lucky I was to have found this “hottie.” Never mind the fact that I only knew his last name—Wright—and a few tidbits about his life. Like the fact that he was twenty-eight years old, a part-time actor who grew up in the hot South and would rather spend his days riding through the wooded pastures than lounging by a pool. Jude was convinced that everything else was just décor, as in—
First, the character…not important. In her words, “The guy’s hot. Who could possibly want to focus on a meaningful conversation in his presence anyway when his body could do all the talking?”
Second, the past…let’s be honest, who doesn’t have a closet full of secrets and probably a few skeletons?
Third, bad habits…in his case, easily overlooked because…see point one.
In short, Chase had to be good because he was sexy. Talk about being objectifying, which she was, even though I would never have called her out on it.
After all of ten minutes speaking with him on the phone and a few more minutes of seeing him in real life, Jude was in lust, hook, line, and sinker. And now she was literally begging me to dig my fingers into him, or give her my sloppy seconds so she could find out if an actor not only looked but also played the part.
While I laughed at her outrageous suggestion, a jolt of unease hit me yet again, only this time, as I slipped into my jacket, I pondered what it could possibly mean.
Chase was a good-looking guy, charming and groomed. We had gotten on well the previous night. Maybe even too well because, right after our short dinner, he had brought me straight home, as if our arrangement had settled everything and there was nothing else to discuss.
Granted, his easygoing attitude and the fact that he wasn’t taking himself too seriously had been a relief. Much to my surprise, we even shared my life philosophy on commitment: We both didn’t like the idea of being tied down. And, just like me, he was focused on work and success. So I knew there would be no invisible questionnaires to assess a prospective life partner and his outlook on the future, no mentally planning the wedding and choosing the kids’ name.
I attributed my sudden uneasy streak to the fact that he was the only candidate I had for now, and consequently, in a twisted kind of way, I was being over-possessive and overly cautious, not wanting to make a mistake that would overcomplicate things, such as sleeping with the “help.”
Count in the fact that he was about to help me out big time, and he was all mine—on a strictly platonic level. Which was why I had insisted on meeting with him in the afternoon, just for coffee, to set up some rules that would keep any blurred lines clear and would ensure our business deal couldn’t possibly steer into a sexual attraction direction, which meant:
No gazing into each other’s eyes in a dimly lit room.
No accidentally touching each other’s hands while reaching for a drink.
And certainly no awkward moment of parting ways while standing in the doorway and pondering the idea of inviting him in just to see what happens—like the one brainless moment I’d had the day before when I wondered whether he was as toned as he looked.
“I have yet to come up with a better solution, so, in some way, I depend on this guy,” I said. “Promise you won’t embarrass me, Jude.”
“What? Me?” Her eyes widened with false innocence. I knew that look. The conniving little witch!
“Jude!” I hissed, peering toward the door to make sure Chase wasn’t there. “I mean it. No hints or remarks. No sexual innuendos. And definitely no help to get him to like me.” Which was something she always did by telling guys “cute” little stories about me, reminiscent of a mother doting over her child. Needless to say, it always backfired.
“You mean like like you.” She grinned. “Or—”
“You know exactly what I mean,” I hissed, cutting her short. “Keep your mouth shut at all times, please.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. If you want to stick to your boring life, I’ll accept your decision.”
I could see from the stubborn look on her face that she harbored no intention of keeping her word, but I had no time to argue. Throwing her a warning look, I grabbed my handbag and walked past her.
“You look stunning,” Chase said with an appreciative smile as I entered the living room.
“You think?” I made a clumsy pirouette and regarded him coolly. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He was dressed in jeans and yet another snug shirt that accentuated his chiseled chest. His dark hair was tousled in an effortless way, and the onset of a stubble cast shadows on his chin and cheeks, giving his gray-blue gaze a haunted look. My heart jerked against my ribcage and sank into my jeans as I regarded him in silence. He wasn’t just delicious; he made me wonder what secrets lay hidden beyond those eyes.
“Ready to kick back?” Chase asked.
“Hell, yeah, she is,” Jude said with a wink at me. She had insisted on canceling her afternoon date to see me off, as in, spend some time around Chase in case I might pass him on to her. “That’s all we’ve been talking about all day,” she continued.
Oh, here we go.
For the umpteenth time I felt like strangling her. That was all she had been talking about while I had been trying to focus on work, as in skimming various newspapers and an entire bookmarks section on my laptop for various employment opportunities. As usual, my attempts had remained fruitless. No one wanted to employ an out-of-college graduate with no hands-on work experience and no references. Never mind the fact that I had tried to obtain all of the above during my time at college, only to be fobbed off with the excuse that a college degree was a prerequisite for actually getting any sort of work experience.
“Is that so? You’ve been talking about me?” Chase said, interrupting my thoughts.
“Not really.” I smirked and realized from his smug expression that he didn’t believe a word. The problem with guys like him was that, not only were their looks too perfect for their own good, but their ego usually matched the proportion of their looks. “Jude is being far too generous.” I eyed her behind his back, mouthing, Shut up.
We said goodbye to Jude, who even accompanied us to the door and pulled us in a hug in a bold moment of lust-induced craziness. I grimaced at her because she had never been the hugging type. In fact, she always claimed touching other p
eople’s skin gave her the itches.
And then we were in Chase’s car, finally alone. He pulled out of the quiet residential area and onto the busy highway, out of the city.
“Are we going back to your favorite bar?” I asked casually.
He looked at me sideways and smiled. “That was my first choice, but I figured it’s probably closed until dusk because of all the honest people who could accidentally find their way over there. We wouldn’t want that.”
“Ah. A bar that chooses its clientele wisely. Makes sense.” I nodded knowingly. “What makes you think only crooks should visit the place?”
“You did yesterday,” Chase said. I raised my brows, and he continued, “You kept your handbag glued to your chest like it was a life preserver.”
“I thought I was going to get mugged,” I muttered. “You can’t blame me for being too careful.”
His lips quirked, and for a heartbeat I felt compelled to reach over and touch his cheek just to see whether his stubble would graze my skin as deliciously as I imagined it would.
“I’m taking you to a special place,” Chase said, oblivious to the naughty direction of my thoughts. “You’ll like it. It should be more…your style.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what do you think my style is?”
“Interesting.” He looked at me, ignoring my puzzled expression. “Just wait.”
We made small talk for a few minutes, talking mostly about my day’s events, or lack thereof, and then he left the highway and pulled onto unpaved terrain. Gravel creaked under the tires as we passed a gate marking the land beyond as private property. The narrow road stretched on for a mile or two, after which Chase parked the car and we exited.
“Where are we?” I asked, turning slowly to take in the area. To either side were hills of grapevines and untouched nature. Even the air smelled clean and fresh.
“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously.
Chapter 5
The sun shimmered in the sky, its bright rays warming my skin. I took off my jacket, revealing a loose batwing top, and slung it over my arm as I followed Chase along a narrow path up a hill. Gravel and loose branches crunched under my heels. Once or twice, Chase supported my arm to prevent me from taking a tumble. As we reached the top, I saw the meadow below. Almost hidden between orange trees was a picturesque cottage with whitewashed walls and painted windowsills.
I stopped to draw a sharp breath, not because it was so amazingly beautiful, but because it reminded me of Waterfront Shore…of the oleander bushes growing all over the property, shading us from the blazing midday sun.
“Come on. We’re nearly there.” With a silent smile, Chase grabbed my hand and pulled me after him. He didn’t let go until we reached the porch. A table and two chairs had already been set up, a white tablecloth covering the old wood, giving it an old but charming flair. The cottage was run-down in some way, and yet it made me feel more at home than any other place ever had. Maybe it was because it was planted in the middle of nature, a direct contrast to the city I lived in.
A soft wind pushed a strand of hair into my face, and eventually I turned my head away from the stunning scene and back toward him. “I hope we’re not trespassing,” I said.
He shook his head, his gray-blue eyes shadowed by those impossibly dark lashes that kept me mesmerized. “No, it’s mine.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised.
“I bought it a while ago. It was supposed to be an investment. Then I realized living in the city might be good for your pocket, but nature’s good for the soul. I need to switch off whenever the chance presents itself, so I come down here on the weekends. Sometimes even during the week.”
He pulled a chair back and gestured for me to sit. I sat down and peered at Chase, unsure what to say. When he had claimed to want to show me a special place, I figured he was talking about something more public. To be honest, I didn’t expect any of it. Not the complete solitude. Nor the privacy, or the stunning views.
“I’ll get us something to drink. Chilled white wine good for you?” Chase asked.
“Yes. Thank you,” I said, and leaned back in my chair, inhaling the aroma of oranges as I closed my eyes for a few seconds, savoring the way the sun warmed my skin. I only opened them at the sound of approaching footsteps and took a glass of wine out of Chase’s hand.
“It’s beautiful here,” I began, pointing my glass to the stunning hills surrounding the cottage. “And so serene.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “It’s the closest I could get to my home. Did I tell you where I grew up?”
“Texas,” I said.
He nodded. “I was born in Mulberry and spent the first few years of my life there.” His eyes clouded over, but only for a moment, during which he didn’t reply. “My parents used to travel a lot, meaning I’ve lived all over the world.”
“But your accent—”
He cut me off. “It’s an acquired thing. My father was born in Kerr, so that’s where I grew up. But my grandparents used to live near Lake Superior in Michigan. I used to stay with them every now and then when my parents were on tour, doing their thing. They were performers with a huge entourage.” He took a sip of his wine. In the bright sun, he looked more stunning than ever. For the first time, I noticed the golden glow of his skin and the beautiful contrast it built to his gray-blue eyes. I figured he spent a lot of time outside in the sun.
“It must have been quite exciting to travel so much,” I said.
“It was okay, I guess.” He shrugged. “Taking care of a child at home when you’d rather hang out with famous people and party until the clubs throw you out was quite the pain in the ass for my parents and not exactly what I’d call a normal childhood. When I was young, I used to envy people who had a stable home rather than live in a bus. As I got older, I got increasingly bored with the routine and looked forward to our brief periods at home. Luckily, my grandparents were happy to give me a shot at that. They took good care of me.” I ignored the sudden leap my heart took, because it was the longest Chase had ever talked about himself. I barely knew anything about him, so the insight into his past fascinated me.
“During the summers, we used to visit Muskegon State Park all the time.” He looked up, his eyes boring into mine. “Maybe one day we’ll go together.”
My breath hitched in my throat.
Men said things like that all the time without actually meaning them.
Empty promises.
They all made them. They all broke them. I decided whatever he suggested was just a means of being friendly. In no way was he being serious.
I stated the obvious. “You loved Michigan so much you decided to get rid of your accent.”
If Chase noticed my feeble attempt at changing the subject, he let it slide.
“I tried—it sort of stuck with me. But enough about me,” he said, his eyes locking on mine. “Tell me something about you, Laurie. How did you get to be this….” He eyed me up and down, lingering on my chest a beat too long, leaving the rest open to interpretation.
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“I wanted to say exquisite.” He smiled. “But…I’m going with gorgeous?”
Holy cow.
I forced my dropped jaw to close.
Maybe he was just being friendly, or maybe he was trying to flirt with me. Whatever it was, his charm was working.
Under his penetrating scrutiny, I flamed up, and my hand traveled up to my chest instinctively. Not to cover up, but to hide the telltale signs of my attraction to him.
Yes, he said some nice things. But it wasn’t his words that made my thoughts turn in a direction I didn’t want them to take.
It was the way he looked at me…all intense and broody…with a depth that went beyond mere politeness and casual friendship, way beyond professional relationships and our unwritten contract. The way he regarded me, it was almost as though his eyes couldn’t take in enough of me. They settled on my lips too long, and I suppressed the urge to moisten the
m. No one had ever made me feel so confused—both wanting to dive into his eyes and run away at the same time.
It was exactly the kind of thing I had always wanted to avoid, the reason why I was single, never letting anyone too close. Chase was right on the brink of destroying it by crushing all formalities to dust.
“There’s not much to say,” I began carefully, and took a sip of the cold wine. His brows drew together, as if he believed I was being modest, and I didn’t like it. I had a penchant for staying in the background and not drawing unnecessary attention to myself, but it sure wasn’t out of modesty.
“You said you grew up in California. It’s a big state,” he prompted.
“That’s true.”
“Where exactly?” His eyes narrowed, and I realized that, for a man, he was extremely observant.
I took a deep breath to bide for time as I pondered my possible answers. How much could I tell him? On the one hand, I didn’t want to offend him, or make him suspicious. On the other, revealing my true past would be too much. In the end, he’d find out anyway, so why not be candid up front, at least about a few things? As my fake fiancé, he had a right to know.
“I grew up on a ranch in Malibu,” I began. “Waterfront Shore. It’s only a few hours’ drive from here. I haven’t visited it in years.”
“Why?” He leaned forward, genuinely interested.
I shrugged. “Because it’s not the kind of life I want to live. I need more than—” I paused again, hesitating. Money, I wanted to add. Luxury—all the things I gave up for priceless freedom. It was a slippery slope and a fine line I wasn’t yet ready to cross. Chase was getting dangerously close to me, and I wasn’t prepared to reveal too much.
“Just more,” I said, and smiled. “Even as a child, I was bored out of my mind, so I decided to travel. Get an education. Do something with my life. I applied for college, packed my bags, and did the one thing I had been dreaming of doing ever I since I felt the need to be free.”
