“Initially, that’s what made me click on your profile.” She didn’t mention that his gorgeous face had been part of what had influenced her decision because that seemed so superficial. “Then I read your bio, and it was quirky and funny and made me laugh, and trust me when I say I need a guy who doesn’t take things too seriously, because my parents are a little over-the-top and you’re going to need to roll with the punches when it comes to them.” And to also deal with her disingenuous, two-faced cousin and her underhanded remarks.
“Can’t wait to hear more about them,” he said, grinning as he took another drink of his Americano, giving her a moment to appreciate his long fingers and neatly trimmed nails. “So, are you trying to please your parents by bringing a boyfriend to the reunion? Are they the type who are anxious for you to settle down so they can have grandbabies and you don’t want to deal with the whole when are you getting married spiel?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, they’ve honestly never pressured me.”
Turning more serious, Evie absently rubbed her palms along her thighs beneath the table, knowing she needed to clue him in to why she was hiring him so he’d be on his game while interacting with her family, but hating the embarrassing reality of the situation. “The truth is, I don’t want to show up at the reunion and have to explain to everyone that I’m no longer with Eric . . . the other Eric. They’ll want to know what happened, and I’ll have to explain the degrading story of being duped and cheated on, and everyone is going to feel sorry for me the entire time I’m there and treat me with kid gloves because they’ll think I’m depressed over the breakup.”
“Are you? Depressed over how things ended?” he asked.
She shook her head, and since he seemed genuinely interested in her answer, she replied candidly. “No. I’m more angry that I didn’t see it coming, and that I dismissed red flags I should have paid more attention to because I didn’t want to be one of those paranoid girlfriends who didn’t trust their boyfriend. In hindsight, I should have listened to my gut, and now I find it a little hard to trust my own judgment when it comes to . . .” Realizing the direction the conversation was heading, she abruptly stopped talking. The last thing she wanted to do was bare her insecurities to a guy she’d just met or have him feel sorry for her.
“When it comes to men?” He finished the sentence anyway. His low voice, threaded with understanding, prompted her to be honest.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “That’s why a pretend boyfriend works for me. I’ll get through the reunion without being the focus of everyone’s attention and I won’t look like that pathetic girl who can’t keep a guy.” Ugh, she was revealing way too much again. “Anyway, by hiring you, I know exactly what to expect, without the complications of an actual boyfriend. We’ll play the happy couple for a few days, and when we get back, the transaction is done and we can go our separate ways.”
“A few days?” His brows rose in surprise. “So, this is more than a one-day gig?”
She absently bit her bottom lip. “Yes, it’s over the Fourth of July holiday weekend next week. Leaving on Friday and returning on Monday. I’m more than willing to pay whatever your fee is, along with all your travel expenses.”
It was probably going to cost her a small fortune, but now that she’d spilled her guts to Eric about her situation, she really didn’t want to go through the interview process again. And she really did like him. He was easy to be around, and there was no awkward tension between them that relatives would notice or question. The fact that there seemed to be a mutual attraction was a nice bonus, even if it was all a very believable act on his part.
“I’ll need to make sure it doesn’t interfere with my day job, which I don’t think it will since it’s a holiday weekend.” He finished his coffee and set his paper cup on the table, his gaze meeting hers. “So, tell me what kind of family reunion this is and where we’re going for four days.”
“It’s the immediate family on my father’s side. Most of those relatives live in and around Fresno and Bakersfield, and ever since I was a little girl, every three years, we’d all meet up at a camping resort in Santa Barbara, which is about a four-hour drive away for us here in San Diego.”
His seductive mouth curled in an amused grin. “We’re going camping? Like with tents and roughing it in the great outdoors?”
“Oh, hell no.” She laughed at the thought, even though he didn’t seem opposed to the idea. “Did you not hear the ‘resort’ part of my comment? Everyone has their own small basic cabin to stay in. Just a bed, bathroom, and kitchenette. It’s rustic, but there’s hot and cold running water and the toilet flushes.”
“Thank God for that,” he teased.
“My sentiments exactly,” she replied seriously. It wasn’t glamping, but close enough. “My mother already booked a single, double-sized bed cabin for me and my ex. Unlike most parents, mine are very open-minded when it comes to relationships and . . . well, sleeping arrangements with a boyfriend.” Open-minded was an understatement, but Evie wasn’t about to scare Eric away with their “free love” mentality, which was just the tip of the iceberg of how unconventional they really were. “I hope you don’t have a problem with those arrangements?”
“We’ll make it work in a way you’re comfortable with,” he assured her, and she believed him. So far, he’d been the epitome of a gentleman.
“Okay, then I guess that’s it for now, until I hear back from you to confirm your availability next weekend.” She glanced at the time on her phone, startled to see so much time had passed, and so quickly. “Oh, wow, I need to get to work. I have a nine o’clock appointment.”
Eric nodded. “I need to get to the office, as well.”
They both stood up, and he tossed their empty cups in the trash, then held the glass door open for her to walk through before following her out of the Espresso Cup, where they were greeted by the gorgeous, sunny, San Diego summer weather. He lightly pressed a palm to the small of her back, being courteous and respectful, yet her body felt as though it had just been shocked with a high-voltage wire.
Surprised by that startling response, she couldn’t stop the tiny, sharp breath she inhaled between her parted lips, and hoped that he hadn’t noticed that reflex. Her breasts tingled, her stomach tumbled with awareness, and dear Lord, when was the last time a simple touch from a man had elicited such a rush of heat between her thighs? How about never?
“So, what do you do for work?” he asked, interrupting her body’s crazy reaction to him as they headed toward the parking lot and their respective cars.
She forced her mind on answering the question. “I’m a hairstylist. I’m part owner in the Beauty and Bliss Salon and Spa in Hillcrest.” She glanced at him, admiring the way the early-morning sun glinted off his hair and outlined his striking profile. “What about you? What do you do for your day job?”
“For you, I’m a social worker,” he replied with one of those slow, knee-weakening winks that made her toes curl and her nipples peak. “But in my real life, I work at Prestige Car Services.”
“Oh, like a mechanic?” Surprising, since she hadn’t seen any grease under his nails.
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, not that kind of car service. Prestige Car Services is a company that caters to clients who need a personal driver, for whatever reason.”
“So you’re a chauffeur?”
Another flicker of humor brightened his green eyes, the outer layers of gold more prominent in the sun. “Yeah, something like that,” he replied, his ambiguous tone making her wonder what he was hiding. Not that it mattered, as long as whatever he did for his day job didn’t affect his boyfriend duties.
They came to her vehicle, an older compact model that was basic and no-frills. She could have afforded something current, but she couldn’t justify a four-hundred-dollar-a-month car payment when this one was completely paid off. It wasn’t shiny and new, but it got her where she needed to go and gave her great gas mileage. Now that the salon was fin
ally bringing in a nice profit for all three of them, Evie was saving that extra money for a down payment to buy her own condo someday—especially now that she was going to be single for the foreseeable future.
“I’ll need your phone number so I can contact you,” he said, taking his iPhone out of his front pocket just as she unlocked the driver’s-side door.
“Oh, of course.” She’d assumed they’d communicate through the app, but had no problem giving him access to contact her more directly.
She gave him her digits, which he typed into his phone. When he finally finished inputting her information, her own phone, which was in her purse, chimed with a message notification.
He glanced up at her and grinned. “That was me. I just texted you, so now you have my phone number, as well.”
With that, he opened the car door for her and she slid inside. He braced a forearm against the doorframe and leaned in closer, filling the inside of her vehicle with the enticing scent of his cologne. God, he smelled ridiculously good, and once again her body responded to the warm, woodsy fragrance that was as arousing as the man himself. It was all she could do to keep from squirming in her seat as she met his unapologetically direct gaze that was focused on her mouth. Which in turn caused her to nervously lick her bottom lip.
His slow, satisfied smile felt like a physical caress and clearly solidified that there was nothing pretend or fake about the simmering chemistry between them. It was a complication she really didn’t need, but then again, it would definitely add to the realistic appearance of a relationship if he was able to accompany her to Santa Barbara next weekend.
“I’ll be in touch, Evie Bennett,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
He stepped back and closed her door, and she watched in her rearview mirror as he walked to the row of cars behind hers and got into a dark gray sporty BMW. Wow . . . all she could think was that he must have been a damn good chauffeur who made a lucrative amount in tips to afford a luxury car like that.
He drove off and she started her own car, then reached into her purse to check her phone for any missed calls or messages before she headed to work. There was only one text message . . . the one that Eric had sent to her so she’d have his phone number, too.
She clicked on the notification to read what he’d written. Just so you know, I think you have a great ass.
Her jaw dropped in shock, but not because she was offended. The message was so unexpected . . . and dammit, so satisfying and flattering, when she’d been feeling so insecure about herself after what had happened with the other Eric. She liked knowing that another guy appreciated her curves. Especially this guy.
Thank you, she typed back, and hesitated only a few beats before brazenly adding, Just for the record, so do you. She wasn’t going to lie . . . she’d noticed his firm butt when he’d walked up to the counter to grab their drinks.
She imagined him chuckling as those dancing bubbles appeared on her screen as he formed his response. It came a few seconds later. Ms. Bennett, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.
The winky face emoticon he added at the end of the sentence put those butterflies right back into her stomach again.
As pretend boyfriend material, the man was good. Really good.
Eric walked into the office with a cheerful smile on his face that Heather, the receptionist at Prestige Car Services, noticed immediately and didn’t hesitate to point out.
She arched a brow at Eric as she reached for a few pink message slips and handed them to him. “Someone must have had a good morning . . . or a good night that lasted through to the morning,” she added meaningfully.
It was no secret to anyone, especially the people in his office and the drivers he and Leo employed, that he was a player, so to speak. While he didn’t do long-term relationships, he was a twenty-nine-year-old man with a healthy sex drive, and yeah, that meant having occasional sleepovers with women.
Rolling his eyes at her comment, Eric glanced through the calls he’d already missed that morning, while prioritizing the messages by importance.
Today, however, his upbeat disposition had nothing to do with waking up to a woman’s mouth wrapped around his dick and instead was a direct result of his highly enjoyable meeting with Evie Bennett, where the only physical contact he’d had with her was when he’d deliberately placed his hand on her lower back.
There had been nothing overtly sexual about the gesture, but he’d heard her tiny gasp of awareness, and damn if her satisfying reaction didn’t make him want to brazenly caress his palm a bit lower, over the ample curve of the ass he’d noticed back at the coffee shop, just to see if it felt as sweet in his hand as it looked encased in her formfitting jeans.
Somehow, he’d managed to resist that particular temptation but hadn’t hesitated to text her exactly what he thought of her luscious backside for her to read after he drove away. It had been bold and risky, certainly, but when she’d typed back her own cheeky response that made him laugh out loud, he’d known right then and there that this funny, endearing woman who’d been recently burned by a cheating asshole of an ex was one he wanted to spend the Fourth of July weekend with . . . because he genuinely liked her. A lot.
Go figure, he mused, feeling another grin tug at his lips. Even he was surprised that thoughts of her had lingered on the short drive to the office, when he’d always been so good at compartmentalizing his time with women and not allowing them to consume his thoughts once they parted ways. It was safer that way and assured messy emotions didn’t get involved, and up until this point, putting that barrier between himself and his dates had been incredibly easy to do . . . much to their frustration.
But Evie Bennett was . . . different. Maybe it was the fact that she was the polar opposite of all those other women he tended to gravitate toward that intrigued him. In the short time they’d been at the Espresso Cup, she’d amused him, impressed him, aroused him . . . but it had been those few times he’d glimpsed moments of vulnerability when she’d talked about her ex that stirred something deeper inside him. Something oddly protective, along with the unfamiliar need to show her that she deserved so much better than a douchebag who didn’t appreciate the woman she was.
“Oh my God,” Heather said, the gleeful tone of her voice pulling Eric from his thoughts. “You totally got laid this morning, didn’t you? That smile you walked in with hasn’t left your face, and I’ve never seen you so distracted. You’ve been staring at the same message for the past five minutes.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” he said, unwilling to give up any of the truth, especially that a woman he’d just met was responsible for his perma-grin. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ll have you know I spent the night alone, and it is possible for me to be in a good mood in the morning just because it’s a great morning. And I was distracted because I was thinking of how I need to respond to Bob Aguilar’s message before I call him back.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed, clearly not believing him. “If you say so.”
The phone on Heather’s desk rang, and as she picked up the receiver and greeted the person on the other line, Eric took advantage of the interruption and headed down the short hallway to Leo’s office. He knew his friend and business partner was already in, since Eric had parked next to Leo’s car.
As soon as he walked inside, the other man glanced up from the laptop open on his desk and stopped typing. “Happy to escape the third degree out there?” he asked, laughing.
“Jesus Christ, yes,” Eric muttered in a low voice while closing the door, because he didn’t need Heather overhearing his conversation about Evie with Leo.
“So, how did it go?” Leo asked as soon as Eric was settled in one of the chairs in front of his friend’s desk. “Did you completely crush the girl’s hopes?”
Eric realized he could have gently and politely turned down Evie at any point during their meeting this morning. Hell, he could have admitted the truth, that he’d been added to the app as a joke an
d wasn’t interested in being anyone’s fake boyfriend and he was sorry for taking up her time . . . but he hadn’t. Even when the opportunity had openly presented itself and she’d blithely pointed out that he’d signed up to be on the Boyfriend Experience app after he’d told her that he didn’t normally offer his services to impersonate a woman’s significant other, he’d still played it off.
“I still think Dylan is a royal jerk for doing what he did. However, after meeting Evie, I really like her,” he admitted with what he hoped was a casual shrug. “She was very sweet and I don’t want to hurt her feelings when it’s easy enough for me to help her out.”
Okay, that was a blatant lie. Hurting her feelings had nothing to do with the reasons he was going to accompany Evie to her family reunion, but Leo didn’t need to know that. His decision was a bit more selfish. She needed a temporary boyfriend and, well, Eric wanted the chance to kiss those full, sensual lips . . . and maybe even run his fingers through her soft, beautiful hair while palming her delectable ass—which, in his opinion, would add to the whole boyfriend experience, right? Better than turning her down and letting some other jackass be her boyfriend for the weekend. His hands clenched at his sides at the very thought.
Leo leaned back in his chair and smirked. “Wow, look at you, being so charitable, especially since sweet is so not your type. But at least that way you’ll be able to keep your dick in your pants.”
Apparently sweet was his type, when it was wrapped up in a curvy package like Evie’s body, because his dick had definitely noticed and appreciated her voluptuous figure. Combine that with her irrepressible personality, and he was fairly certain he was going to enjoy his temporary time with her.
“So, what does she need to hire a boyfriend for?” Leo asked curiously.
“A family reunion over the Fourth of July weekend. She recently broke up with a boyfriend she was going to take to meet her parents. The guy cheated on her, and she doesn’t want to have to deal with explaining the situation to relatives or be the center of everyone’s sympathy, though I’m sure she’ll tell her parents about the split at some point after she gets back home.”
The Boyfriend Experience Page 3
