by Mia Zachary
Jordan hesitated for a second then realized she’d be perfectly safe with him. “Okay. I’ll follow you.”
After retrieving her car from the valet, she followed Danny’s Jeep along Baltimore Street then turned left on Charles. For the next eight blocks, she tried to sort out the reasons for her eagerness and anxiety. She had no idea what had possessed Danny to pretend to be his brother, nor was she certain of what he might ask for in return, but she appreciated it.
She grinned, remembering the look of jealousy on Keisha’s face back at the hotel.
But now she was going to be alone with Danny, knowing for the first time who he was and exactly how much he turned her on. Though her mind was determined to doing nothing more than talk, her body was already singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Maybe she wasn’t so safe with him after all.
At Center Street, the traffic light changed and she took the opportunity to gaze at Mount Vernon Place. In the middle of the four gardenlike squares filled with fountains and statuary stood a 160-foot white marble column. This was the first monument dedicated to President Washington, completed nineteen years before the one in D.C.
When the light changed to green, she drove past the Walters Art Museum and glanced appreciatively over at the Peabody Conservatory of Music across the street. Jordan followed Danny’s Jeep to Madison Street and turned left. He parked in front of one of the extravagantly detailed row homes and waited for her.
As she got out of the Honda, she looked around at the elegant neighborhood. A National Register Historic District, Mount Vernon was an eclectic mix of Georgian-and Federal-style house built between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries.
“Nice area. How can a fireman afford to live here?” While Danny punched in the code for the entrance, she couldn’t help but smile at how incongruous the modern-day keypad looked on a traditional leaded-glass front door.
“Most of these places have been divided into apartments, so it’s not as expensive as you think.” He held the door for her then stepped inside. “But I still couldn’t afford it without the trust.”
“The what?” Jordan turned away from admiring the inlaid floor and paneled walls to look at him.
Danny scratched his head, his expression self-conscious. “Um, the money David and I inherited when we turned twenty-one.”
“You guys are rich?” Jordan shook her head as she followed him up the main stairs to the second floor. “I’m beginning to think I don’t know anything about my supposed fiancés.”
“It’s not something we go around bragging about. In fact, David almost never mentions it outside of our parents’ social circle.”
“Hmm, I just realized I’ve never heard David mention your family.”
“We’re not that close to our parents. Especially me. I’ve been the black sheep ever since I didn’t follow in their legal footsteps.” He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and opened the door to his apartment. “Here we are.”
She walked past him into a narrow entryway leading to a living room on her left. Everything from the hardwood floor to the plush area rugs and ten-foot ceilings was a warm earth tone in color. Overstuffed chocolate suede sofas were positioned in front of the biggest entertainment center she’d ever seen. All four walls displayed black lacquer-framed 1940s movie posters above blond wood shelves filled with books, music and DVDs.
Jordan loved the living room immediately. They shared a lot of favorite novels and films. It was easy, too easy, to imagine curling up with him on the couch and watching Pillow Talk or His Girl Friday. She turned to find Danny standing close behind her, his hands in his front pockets and his lips curved into a smile.
He looked perfect in this room, his dark brown curls and mocha skin just as warm and inviting as the room itself. She felt a magnetic force drawing her toward him and purposefully stepped back. No matter how attracted she was, and despite what had happened last night, she wasn’t the type for casual sex.
“All right. Why the identity switch at the airport?”
Danny shifted from one foot to the other. “Are you hungry?”
“Hungry?” She wrinkled her brow, momentarily thrown off-balance. “I thought we were going to talk?”
“We can talk while we eat, can’t we?” He shrugged, his hands still in his pockets, making him look boyishly handsome.
Jordan sighed heavily. “Fine. I did skip lunch today.”
“What do you feel like?” Danny turned toward the kitchen.
She watched him walk down the hall, his stride easy and fluid, and his long, lean body filling out his jeans in a way that ought to be illegal. What did she feel like? She felt like leaving. Otherwise, she might rip off his clothes.
The small galley-style kitchen was spartan but everything was top quality. Black-and-white floor tiles complemented the granite sink and Jenn-Air stove and the white dishwasher and Sub-Zero refrigerator. The stovetop, microwave and toaster oven were spotless. The only appliance that looked used was the bright red state-of-the-art blender sitting on the countertop.
“I take it you don’t cook much?”
Danny stood in front of a letter sorter, rifling through a collection of restaurant carryout menus. “No, but I eat a lot. How about Japanese?”
“Sounds good. Order me some tempura, please.”
As soon as he hung up the phone, Jordan crossed her arms and tried again to initiate the conversation they were supposed to be having. “Okay, Danny. We came to your place. We’ve ordered dinner. Now start explaining.”
“It’s simple enough. David couldn’t get out of the office after all, and asked me to stand in.”
She cocked her head to one side. “You had me drive all the way up here just to tell me that?”
“And so you’d have dinner with me.”
His grin was incredibly charming, but she had to resist. Haywire hormones made it difficult to think straight. “Thank you for standing in. You won’t have to again.”
“That’s fine with me. I don’t do engagements.”
“Neither do I. That’s how I got myself into this situation. But in a couple of weeks I’ll tell them the engagement is off.”
He dipped his head, indicating the diamond ring she wore. “Wouldn’t it be best if you just told your family the truth?”
Jordan immediately recalled the stunned delight on her aunt’s face, the quiet pride on her uncle’s, when they’d met her fiancé. Not to mention how smugly satisfying it had been to see Keisha speechless. “No, I’d rather not.”
“Mind telling me why?”
She dropped her gaze to the floor. “Oh, you know how it is. There’s always one person who gets picked on in every family. You get used to it over the years.”
“But I’ll bet you don’t like it. I know I never have, no matter how good-natured it’s supposed to be.” When she looked up, Danny’s expression was one of genuine empathy.
“Then you’ll understand why I want my family to have a better image of me. I didn’t mean to lie to them about the engagement, but their attitudes have changed. Especially now that they’re finally meeting David.”
An odd look crossed his features, erased before she could identify it. His tone was laced with curiosity. “How are you planning to pull this off?”
“It shouldn’t be too hard. He only has to pretend to find me irresistible for about five events.” Sarcasm gave her voice an edge. She longed to be part of a couple, to feel that she belonged to someone. But she wanted it to be real, not just a show she put on for her family.
Danny moved toward her with predatory determination, his dark eyes gleaming. “I wouldn’t be pretending.”
“What are you talking about?” Her pulse quickened as she backed away. This wasn’t why she had come here tonight. Was it? Her hips suddenly bumped against the edge of the countertop, trapping her.
He braced a hand on either side of her, standing close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body. Her pulse leaped and thudded along her veins. Dann
y leaned forward, lowering his voice to an intimate level.
“You need a fiancé, Jordan. You also need a partner for the fantasies that come before and after number fifteen.”
She felt heat rush up into her cheeks and slither down into her belly at the same time. Had she heard him correctly? Was he offering her the chance to explore the sensuality she’d discovered last night? Maybe they could try the Cook Up Something Hot and Delicious fantasy since they were already in the kitchen.
As she drew a shaky breath, his mouth came down to claim her. His kiss was soft and searching and she was shocked by her eager response. She didn’t bother denying the raw excitement coursing though her body as he pressed closer. The iron band of Danny’s arm enveloped her waist and held her against the bulge in the front of his jeans.
Hot desire pooled between her thighs. She was so turned on she could barely stand up. Jordan cupped her hands to his face, exploring the velvet warmth of his mouth. A soft moan escaped her throat as his hand slid up toward her breast. Then the doorbell rang.
Danny reluctantly broke the kiss while she tried to catch her breath. He smiled at her and pushed away from the countertop. “Saved by the delivery guy. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you grab the drinks?”
Oddly grateful for the momentary interruption, she went to the refrigerator. The chilled air felt wonderful on her flaming cheeks. One night of great sex had turned her into a shameless wench. When she opened her eyes, all she could do was stare at the sparse contents.
There was a gallon of milk, some cartons of yogurt, an assortment of fresh fruit and beer. Lots of beer. In all different shapes, sizes and nationalities such as Japanese Kirin, Jamaican Red Stripe, Chinese Qingdao, Indian Kingfisher and Greek Mythos.
When Danny came back into the kitchen, she shot him a questioning glance. He shrugged and reached around her for two tall silver cans of Kirin. “Food tastes better when you have the right beer to go with it. Come on into the dining room.”
He led her across the hall into the pages of a fine-living magazine. A circular Persian carpet covered the hardwood floor beneath a polished dark maple table. The cut-crystal chandelier gleamed softly overhead. Six skirted chairs were sheathed in a rich damask fabric that echoed the reds and golds of the rug. An oak and glass breakfront cabinet stood against one wall and a large Impressionist oil painting hung above the matching server.
“This room is gorgeous, Danny. It’s much more formal than the living room, though. Did you hire a decorator?”
“No, these pieces belonged to my grandparents. I have some good memories of them, so I keep the dining room the way Grandma used to.”
Danny lit the white tapers in the pewter candlesticks on the table, creating an intimate atmosphere for the cardboard carryout food boxes. Women always appreciated atmosphere. He’d already laid out the rose-patterned china along with crystal tumblers for the beer. He held Jordan’s chair before he sat down across the table.
She looked beautiful. The candlelight shed a warm glow over her golden skin and drew attention to the rich shade of her hair. His attraction was undeniable. Even sitting here sharing a perfectly innocent meal, his thoughts were anything but. Somehow, he was going to convince her to let him be both her fake fiancé and her lover.
“So, what do you think?”
Jordan kept her head down as she added more crisp fried vegetables to her plate. “It smells delicious.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” She rubbed her chopsticks together to get rid of any splinters.
“Since there’s a genuine attraction between us, it won’t take much to convince your family that we’re a couple.”
“Why would you want to do this?”
He wasn’t sure when the idea had come to him—this morning in her bedroom or this afternoon on the phone with his brother. But now that he’d discovered Jordan’s wild side, he planned to explore it to the fullest.
“After last night, after that kiss in the kitchen, do you really have to ask?”
“So this is some kind of a sexual favor?”
He cocked his head to the side as though considering her question, then nodded. “Yeah.”
She chose a fat, battered shrimp from the tray. “Not that I’m agreeing, but what exactly do you want in return for faking an engagement?”
“You. Anytime. Anyplace. Anyway.”
Jordan made a weird gulping noise, then choked as the shrimp lodged in her throat.
Immediately calling on his training, Danny jumped up and rushed around the dining table. He yanked her to her feet, knocking her chair backward, and wrapped his arms about her midsection. His fist was positioned at her diaphragm, ready to perform the Heimlich maneuver, when she managed to cough the shrimp free by herself.
He didn’t move away, however, steadying her. He liked the way she felt in his arms, the way she leaned into him so that her breast rested against his bicep. As her breathing returned to normal and the bright color drained from her cheeks, she was able to stand on her own.
Her voice was slightly hoarse as she thanked him. “You can let me go now, Danny.”
“Are you sure?” He smiled at her seductively. “You might need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“My hero,” she said as she eased out of his embrace. “But my dinner’s getting cold and we need to talk about your…your…what the hell was that anyway?”
“A proposal.” As soon as the word left his mouth, he balked. “No, wait, not a proposal. I mean, this isn’t a real engagement. We’ll just be faking for a couple of days.”
“Well, then, let’s call it a proposition.”
Now that was more like what he had in mind, despite her courtroom tone of voice. Fun and games and no commitments. Danny widened his smile and moved to take her into his arms again, but she planted a hand on his chest to stop him.
“How about we use the word agreement? Except that I haven’t agreed to anything yet, Danny.”
Jordan reached down to grab her chair and set it upright. Then she settled onto the seat, leaving him standing there feeling dismissed. Danny sighed and, since she was no longer in danger of asphyxiating, went back to his sushi. He picked up his chopsticks and speared a spicy tuna roll.
“Listen, Jordan, I do want to help you out, but I have to tell you that my motives are purely selfish.” She looked at him in surprise. “I want to be with you again.”
She dropped her focus and squirmed on her seat. But her downward-tilted head couldn’t hide the faintest of smiles. That smile made him resolve to buy his own copy of the Fifty Fast Fantasies book he had noticed this morning. Somewhere beneath her polished exterior beat the sensual heart of a woman who had forty-nine more reasons to agree to his plan.
Jordan pushed the tempura around her plate. “So, you’re saying I have to sleep with you to get your help. Why should I? Your brother already said he’d play the part.”
“You don’t have to. But I know you want to.”
Jordan blushed and her tone became defensive. “Could you be any more arrogant?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice the way you look at me? Let’s be honest here. Last night was fantastic. There’s a lot of heat between us, and since we’re both adults, there’s no reason not to enjoy it.”
She sat back and finally looked at him. A slight frown tugged at her mouth. Danny felt the first stirrings of disappointment and waited for her to refuse his offer.
It wasn’t as if he’d never been turned down before but, for once, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not from Jordan. Not from a woman so eager to explore her sensuality that she’d buy a guidebook and follow the instructions. After everything they’d already done together, he didn’t think he was rushing her.
“Jordan, why don’t we—”
“Okay.”
“Um, excuse me?” Taken aback, he paused with a piece of abalone halfway to his mouth.
“I said, okay. Another night together in exchange for a few perfor
mances.”
Her voice sounded resigned, but there was a glimmer of interest in her light brown eyes, which confused him. Did she really want to do this? He sure hoped so. But he had no intention of being a two-night stand.
“Uh-uh. Not just another night. If I’m going to commit to ten days, give or take, then so are you.”
She didn’t answer directly. “Give or take?”
“Baltimore City’s firefighters work on a rotation schedule. I do two nights, then two day shifts followed by four days off.”
“Oh, this won’t work then—”
He chuckled. “Don’t sound so relieved. I don’t have to be back at the station until Sunday afternoon, so I can take David’s place this weekend.”
Jordan had stopped eating a while ago, but her beer glass was almost empty. Funny, he would have figured her for the white-wine type. But alcohol was alcohol when you needed to boost your courage. Even from across the table, he could see the tension in her posture and the rapid rise and fall of her spectacular chest.
“So how about it, Jordan. Are you up for the challenge? A favor in exchange for some fantasies?”
Although bright spots of color appeared on her face, he knew that she wasn’t choking this time, just battling her good-girl conscience.
“We have a Fridays After Five behind-the-scenes tour of the National Aquarium tomorrow.”
He felt a grin split his face. It wasn’t, “Okay, Danny. I can’t wait to get you back in bed.” But it was an agreement just the same.
She continued as if she didn’t notice his triumphant smile. “Saturday is the barbecue at my parents’ house in Annapolis. Monday night we’re going to Obrycki’s for crabs and on Wednesday, the Orioles play the New York Yankees. And, of course, my grandparent’s golden anniversary party is the night of the eighteenth.”
“I work the night shift on Monday, so I can’t join you for crabs. I can probably leave a little early on Wednesday, though, to go to the baseball game.”
Jordan cleared her throat and folded her hands on the table. “That’s only four events so you only get four…encounters.”
“Encounters? Do you have to talk like a lawyer?”
