Dating the Guy Upstairs

by Amanda Ashby

  Both very good questions, and if only Will wasn’t still feeling jet-lagged he was sure he could answer them. Tucker folded his arms, as if to let him know that he expected a reply.

  “Well, it’s quite new and we didn’t want to take away from your big day,” Will improvised.

  “You idiot. You should’ve said something. Oh, and damn. That means I owe Danni twenty bucks.”

  “Excuse me?” Will was starting to feel like the conversation was getting a little away from him.

  “When I was telling her about you, Riley’s name came up quite a few times. Like when she dyed her hair blue because she had been roped into playing some kind of character at the library. And when the two of you both fell asleep at the cinema and got locked in. She immediately announced that you must be in love. Damn, but she’s good.” Tucker’s eyes sparkled with pride.

  Actually she was insane, Will wanted to retort. He hadn’t met his soon-to-be-sister-in-law, nor did he have anything against her, but the idea that he was in love with Riley was ridiculous. And yeah, sure, he’d just told his brother that they were dating, but it didn’t mean that they actually were. More to the point, even if he did want to date anyone, Riley would be the last choice. Not because she wasn’t gorgeous and smart and funny and a hundred other things, but because she wanted a boyfriend about as much as he wanted a girlfriend. In fact she’d probably take a frontal lobotomy rather than date anyone.

  None of which he could tell his brother.

  Not unless he wanted to be set up with every bridesmaid at the wedding, or deal with facing his toxic family alone. And right now, he needed all his focus to be on his business, not on avoiding Cupid’s arrow. It wasn’t as if they would have to keep up the charade for long, and he was sure that Riley wouldn’t mind since she’d already agreed to go to the wedding. Okay, that was a lie. He knew that she’d hate it, but he also knew that she’d be too sweet to say no to him. At least he hoped that would be the case. This time, it could work in his favor. He took a deep breath, but before he could reply there was a knock at the door, and a moment later Riley poked her head in.

  As was her normal morning ritual, her long red hair was in two braids and her glasses were pushed back on her head, which meant she’d probably been reading in bed.

  “Will. I figured that you wouldn’t have had time to get to the store, so I brought you up some milk and— Oh, hey, Tucker. I didn’t see you there. Congratulations on the upcoming wedding.”

  “Thanks, Riley. And congratulations right back at you.” Tucker stood up and scooped her into a bear hug. Will winced and tried to catch Riley’s eye to mentally inform her of the situation. It didn’t work.

  “Um, okay.” Riley wrinkled her nose. “So, that was different. Anyway, I’ll just put away the milk, coffee and bread and leave you two guys to catch up.”

  “You don’t need to go on my account,” Tucker assured her before giving her a broad wink. Will let out a silent groan. And to think that this was all a mess of his own making. “I’ve got to get to the office, but I’ll look forward to seeing you tonight and hearing more about how it happened.”

  “Tonight? How it happened?” Riley took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses as if that would somehow help her understand what Tucker was saying. “I’m not sure I follow. I thought that the wedding was on Saturday.”

  “It sure is. But now that Will’s told me the big news about you two dating, you have to come out to dinner tonight with the rest of the wedding party. I absolutely insist. Danni’s going to love you.”

  “Will? Why did Tucker just say that we’re dating?” Riley turned to him, her dark eyes enormous and full of confusion. Not that he could blame her, since there was never a good time to discover that you had a new fake boyfriend.

  “Because Will just told me that you were. And I think it’s great. I really do,” Tucker said, causing Riley’s mouth to drop open. “Though he was still a bit shy on the details. Like how come it has taken you guys so long? And what’s with all the secrecy?”

  “Will and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends, you know that.” Riley titled her head, as if trying to decide if he was drunk or not.

  “What do you mean?” Now it was Tucker’s turn to stare at him, his eyes full of questions. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” Will ran his hand through his hair and sucked in his breath. As far as he could tell, he had two choices. He could either have a complicated conversation with Tucker about why he’d lied, and then suffer from his brother’s attempts to set him up, or he could just stop Riley from saying anything else and then convince her to go along with his plan later.

  Plan B it was. Before she could open her mouth, Will purposefully wove his way through the various potted plants until he reached her. Up close, her eyes were more like chocolate with small flickers of black running through them, and on the tip of her nose was a tiny freckle. He lowered his mouth. Riley let out a little squeal of surprise, but it was soon silenced as he brought his lips crashing down onto hers.

  Will only planned to give her a small peck, just to keep her quiet until Tucker had left and he could explain the situation. Instead, Riley’s mouth opened, sending waves of swirling energy darting through him. The kiss deepened and Riley’s body pressed into his, causing Will to wrap his arms around her shoulders, just like he had so many times before. But instead of just giving her a quick hug, his arms lingered and he pulled her closer. The familiar smell of Riley-ness flooded his senses. It was one of vanilla and sweetness, and—

  “Okay, you two. I thought I was the one meant to be doing that kind of thing,” Tucker’s voice called out from somewhere far away. “Anyway, I’ll see you both tonight. And, Will, get a haircut.”

  “S-sure.” Will gulped as he reluctantly pulled away from Riley. Getting a haircut was now the least of his problems. First he was going to have to explain to his best friend that she’d just been upgraded to his girlfriend. And judging by the stunned expression in her eyes, he had a feeling that she wasn’t going to be too thrilled about it.

  Chapter Three

  Of course Riley had sometimes wondered what it would be like to kiss Will Henderson. She wouldn’t be human if she hadn’t, especially considering she’d heard about his bedroom conquests from more than one of his distraught ex-girlfriends. Plus, being best friends with a guy meant that she’d seen him shirtless on more than one occasion and there was no denying that he was physically stunning. However, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that it would feel like that.

  She didn’t know anything could feel like that.

  She tentatively touched her mouth, as if to prove that it had really just happened.

  Her lips tingled in response. Did any of the other guys she’d kissed realize how substandard they’d been?

  “God, Riley. I can only imagine what you must be thinking.” Will hurried back into the room after escorting Tucker down the stairs.

  Highly doubtful.

  Riley quickly dropped her hand to her side and prayed that her cheeks weren’t bright red. They certainly felt hot enough. She clamped down on her lip to try and regain some composure.

  “Before you start yelling and throwing things at me, I can explain.” He sat next to her on the threadbare sofa like nothing had happened. Probably because as far as he was concerned, nothing had happened.

  If only her own stupid body would get the message.

  “R-right.” Riley reluctantly sat at the far end, careful to make sure that his long legs didn’t touch hers, in case she did something stupid like try to kiss him again. “Well, it was unexpected.”

  “I know.” Will ran his hands through his overgrown hair and pressed his mouth together, which sent her pulse flickering. “I’m so sorry. It was an accident.”

  “Accident?” She almost choked. As far as she was concerned, stubbing your toe was an accident. Kissing your best frien
d and turning their brains to mush was another thing entirely. “I’m not sure I follow. What happened? And why does Tucker think that we’re dating?”

  Will sighed and leaned back against the sofa. “Tucker happened. Riley, it’s worse than we thought. When I told him that you were going to be my plus-one at the wedding, he gave me a speech about how I needed to grow up and settle down and that it was time I stopped wasting my life. That’s when he started talking about the bridesmaids. So I did what any sane person would do. I lied and told him that you weren’t just coming as my friend, you were coming as my girlfriend. And he was so happy that he invited you along tonight.”

  “What?” Riley squeaked as she got to her feet. “You told him what?”

  “I know you’ve got every right to be mad at me, but in my defense I did think I’d have time to explain it to you first.”

  “Not in a way that would’ve made me agree,” Riley retorted as she hugged her chest. She knew that saying yes to the wedding was a bad idea. And that was before there was kissing involved. However, now that she had kissed Will, it could never happen again. Not if she wanted to keep her sanity. “Will, you have to tell him the truth. It’s one thing for me to act as a barrier between you and your family, but it’s another thing entirely to—”

  “Pretend to be in love with me,” Will finished off, and even though his voice was light, his jaw was tight, as if remembering the charade Lisa had put him through. How she’d walked away from the relationship when she discovered that Will wasn’t going to take his father’s money. She flinched. Pretending to be in love with Will was the least of her worries. After all, what was there not to love about him? He was gorgeous, smart and the kindest person she’d ever met. It was the whole lip-touching thing that was concerning her. But before she could respond, the darkness left his brow and he gave her a pleading look. “I promise I’ll be a nice fake boyfriend.”

  “Will, this is crazy.”

  “No, what’s crazy is just how far over to the loveside my dear brother has gone. Besides, it really won’t be so difficult. You already laugh at my jokes and don’t want to vomit while in my company. All it will really entail is a bit of extra hand holding and kissing tonight at the dinner and then again at the wedding.”

  Riley sat back down and closed her eyes.

  Getting into another debate about going to the wedding was the last thing she felt like doing. Especially since she knew from long experience that when Will wanted something he tended to get it, one way or another. Where there’s a Will, there’s a way. It was just in the past it hadn’t ever involved her. Or her lips. She slowly opened her eyes and let out a sigh.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll be your fake girlfriend.”

  “Yes!” Will punched the air before wrapping her up in a giant hug, causing her to let out a tiny gasp. In the past she’d always welcomed his touch. It was like putting on her favorite pj’s or opening up a beloved book. But now all she could focus on was the feel of his warm skin against hers, while the smell of him caught in her nose, causing her heart to pound. She shakily untangled herself from the embrace and edged away from him. He frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  “S-sure,” she stammered. Well, apart from the fact that during the last ten minutes she’d suddenly discovered that she wasn’t quite as immune to Will’s considerable charms as she’d always thought.

  The worst thing was that she wasn’t like any of his other conquests, who didn’t know the fate that awaited them. She’d seen firsthand just how many hearts Will had unknowingly broken, and that wasn’t a road she wanted to go down. Not to mention that as well as being her best friend, he was also her landlord. She licked her lips and tried not to breath in the Will-tainted air that was all around her.

  “So why are you doing that thing where your eyes go all big and worried?”

  “Worried? I’m not worried,” she quickly assured him, since the only thing worse than suddenly becoming fixated on Will’s lips was him thinking that she was fixated on his lips. Which was why she could never be caught like that again. “The thing is, if we do this, there need to be rules. And boundaries. Then some more rules. Are we clear?”

  “Clear as mud.” Will grinned as he reached to hug her before suddenly pulling away and frowning. “Wait? Like what kind of rules?”

  “Like of the kissing variety.” Riley coughed as her cheeks heated up. “No more spontaneous kissing. I need a warning.” And then some therapy and perhaps some alone time in a padded cell, because if she had to go through these disturbing emotions again, she might not be accountable for her sanity.

  “Right. A warning before I kiss you. I can do that.” His pale blue eyes twinkled. Riley tried not to be offended that he was able to brush it off so easily, but before she could open her mouth to change her mind, there was a knock on the half-open door.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting.” Italy, Riley’s friend from the library appeared. Her wild black hair was filled with silver beads and her blue eye shadow made her eyes appear larger than ever. “When you didn’t answer your cell phone about whether you wanted a lift to work, I thought I’d better swing by and check you hadn’t been eaten by a killer guinea pig. Then I heard voices coming from upstairs so I figured that your favorite neighbor was back in town. It’s good to see you again, Will.”

  “You too, Italy. You’re looking as demure as always.” Will cocked an eyebrow, no doubt taking in the denim jumpsuit and towering heels that Italy was wearing.

  “Not all of us can carry off the ‘scruffy but gorgeous’ look like you can.” Italy winked and Riley, well used to the flirty banter between her friends, took the opportunity to compose herself. Unfortunately, Italy noticed and frowned. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No, definitely not.” Riley shook her head and glanced at her watch. The fact that Will could go from kissing her to flirting with Italy within minutes was yet another reminder of why the friendship line could never be crossed. Not that she wanted to cross it, of course. “Just catching up, but we should probably go.”

  “Sure.” Italy gave a small shrug of her shoulders. “Work it is.”

  “Have fun,” Will said as he busied himself cleaning up the remains of his breakfast with Tucker. “And I’d better make myself presentable for my meeting.”

  “Good luck,” Riley said as she dragged Italy out of the apartment and back to her own place, where she quickly finished getting ready by randomly throwing on a purple hoodie over her floral dress and thrusting her feet into her biker boots. She liked to think it was Little House on the Prairie meets Sons of Anarchy, but from the look Italy was giving her, she guessed it was more Crazy Library Lady. Still, right now clothing was the least of her problems. She gave Bingley another piece of lettuce before grabbing her purse and following Italy out to the car.

  “So?” Her friend turned on the engine and headed toward the library. “What did he say about Tucker’s wedding? Was he surprised?”

  “You know about the wedding?” Riley, who was checking she’d put her books into her purse, looked up and studied Italy’s profile.

  “Of course. It’s been splashed all over the papers. Are you telling me that you didn’t know? Riley, this is why you need to stop volunteering to babysit guinea pigs. You’re missing out on news.”

  “I’ll concede that the guinea pig was a mistake,” Riley confessed as she thought about the dark glares Bingley was still giving her. “But I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that Tucker Henderson was getting married.”

  “I assumed you knew.” Italy gave a vague shrug of her shoulder as she stopped at a set of lights. “So, how’s Will taking it?”

  “I guess it’s a matter of perspective.” Riley tried and failed not to think of their shared kiss, or the way his breath had felt against her skin. “There’s a small possibility that he’s lost his mind.”

  “Nonsense; that boy is far too pretty and smart
to go crazy.” Italy gave a shake of her head, sending her curls spiraling out in all directions and earning her an admiring glance from the guy in the car next to them. “Why? What’s he done? Oh, don’t tell me that he’s going to take the blonde he was with last time he came home. Because didn’t she go all crazy on Facebook?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Riley tried not to think about how much easier it would’ve been if Will had just asked Jessica-the-Facebook-stalker to go with him. “He wants me to be his plus-one. And pretend I’m his girlfriend.”

  “No. Way.” Italy took her hand off the wheel and fist-pumped the air. “That’s so exciting. I always knew that you two would end up together.”

  “Please don’t start that again.” Riley groaned. Italy and most of her other colleagues were convinced Riley and Will should date, and this was just going to give them extra ammunition. “There’s no together. Did you not hear that I mentioned the word pretend? Apparently Tucker’s gone all Cupid, and then there’s his dad and his ex-fiancée. I guess he just needs the moral support, and maybe a human shield.”

  “Sure he does.” Italy’s grin increased as she pulled up at another set of lights and fiddled with her cell phone.

  “He does.” Riley gritted her teeth.

  “Yeah, well let me tell you what else he needs. You. I mean come on, Riley. You two were born to be together and this is the perfect opportunity for it to happen.” Her friend continued to grin as they finally reached the library parking lot and climbed out of the car. “Even crazy old Mr. Carver who comes in each day to research ants thinks so.”

  “Mr. Carver isn’t crazy, he just has a deep and undying fascination with all things insect related. More to the point, this is not the perfect opportunity for anything to happen. All I care about is getting this promotion, and Will spends most of his time overseas. Then there’s the fact that neither of us want a relationship. So, please don’t make a big deal about it. It’s just one friend helping out another friend. Okay?” Riley said as she grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car.