“Oh, the body matched,” Nina said as she carefully put the charm back into the velvet-lined case. “Better than Beckham’s. That tall, lean-but-muscled type.”
“Jeans?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Nina straightened another of the beads that had slipped in the display tray.
“Dark hair? Dangerous smile? Foreign air? Gray tee?”
“Yeah,” Nina said. She frowned over her tray, amazed at the detail in Stella’s guesswork. “How’d you know that?”
“I was wrong about the likelihood.” Stella laughed.
Nina turned to look at her crazy customer and found her standing in the middle of the shop, a foot away from—
Oh hell.
Her vital organs froze in mid-vital movement—her heart held just above a beat, her half-inflated lungs seized, and her useless brain just blanked completely.
He was in her store. Right in the middle of it, facing Stella and her foxy-eyes. Tall and gorgeous and watching her and from the roguish expression on his face, he’d heard every incriminating word.
Wince, wince, wince.
“Oh, yes,” Stella said. She winked as she walked out of the shop. “That blue would be perfect. Blue, silver, and steel.”
Nina forced herself to swallow, hoping to kick-start the rest of her system.
“Have I cost you a sale?” he asked with concern that was far, far too kind and eyes that were far, far too amused.
She drew a sharp breath. “It’s fine.” Nina quickly shut the drawer of beads and locked them away. “I’m sure she’ll be back.” Stella came in with wicked regularity. “How can I help you?”
She welded on her best Shop Assistant Smile, determined not to be disappointed, but he looked too at home in this haven for romantics. “I’m used to helping men with their purchases for their girlfriends, wives, lovers, mothers…” she trailed off and sucked up some more stoicism to get through. “Some buy for all those women at once.” Yeah, some of the guys even admitted they were there buying for both wife and girlfriend. They were the ones who asked for a bulk discount.
“I only have the mother and she’s not in England at the moment,” he answered, his attention riveted to her, that breathtaking half-smile not fading any.
Nina had to clear her throat from the army of frogs threatening to invade. “So you wanted to get her a bracelet?”
“No.”
Right. Nina’s heart clattered as her brain began to work overtime on reasons why he was here. But the one she most wanted to believe just couldn’t be real. Maybe she was hallucinating? Was he really walking toward her with that smile and those stunning, sparkling eyes?
“So what did you want?” Ugh, the frogs had attacked and she was all raspy.
“I was thinking about tonight.” He calmly walked over to the cabinet where she still stood frozen—her limbs had yet to recover muscle-power.
She gnawed on her lower lip, holding back the nervous questions so near the surface. Couldn’t she fake some cool?
“Do you think you can get out of your prior engagement?” he asked.
Nina breathed out a shard of old, cold pain. She already was out of her prior engagement. She’d called it off with Corey’s friends the moment she’d found out. What she had tonight was the face-saving social situation. “I really need to show up. Dignity.” She reminded herself as well as him. “And don’t you have a duty to fulfill?”
“What if I have a solution for our problems?” he said, his voice lowering the nearer he got to her. “We could face them together.” He leaned closer. “You could be mine.”
“Your… what?” Her voice went girlishly high as goosebumps rippled over her skin.
“My girlfriend—for the night.” His eyes glittered wickedly as he laughed. “Come with me to the dinner and make it fun.”
Her heart skipped too many beats, sending her brain into a dizzy spin—because lord, wouldn’t that be good? “That’s ridiculous. We don’t know the first thing about each other.”
Girlfriend? Had the guy really said that?
“I have to dine with my aunt this evening.” He looked woeful, but she was sure it was a put-on.
“That’s your duty date?” His aunt?
“It’s tougher than it sounds.” He rested his hand on the glass cabinet between them. “I don’t want to have to deal with questions and pressure.”
She didn’t believe him, his eyes had that twinkle. “You’re afraid of a little old lady?”
“She’s a lot more than little and old. Having a girlfriend to distract her would deflect a lot of heat for me.”
What, like he needed some kind of bodyguard? As if. She had no doubt that a guy like him could handle dozens of little old ladies—he’d charm them in a second with a simple smile. But she couldn’t help but be curious. “Would she be expecting you to have a girlfriend?” she asked cautiously.
He laughed, but to her amazement he gave a guilty wince at the same time. “I’ve told my family I’m involved with someone and that it’s serious.” He pulled his lips in as he waited for her reaction.
Good grief. He’d “told” them that—but it actually wasn’t true? “But you’re not?” Not involved with anyone? Really?
“I’m not.”
Oh. She breathed. Hoped her pulse would settle after its happy skip. “So why tell them that?” Curiosity chained her now.
“To stop them asking all the time.” After a long pause, he sighed and gave her more. “Because my family would like me to return to Spain and I want them to understand that my home is here in London. I’m settled here and not moving. If they thought I was seriously involved with someone here, they might accept that.”
So he wasn’t usually “seriously involved”? She shouldn’t feel so joyous about that—but man, she so did. “What were you going to tell her when you turned up alone tonight?”
“That my girlfriend was working.” His shoulders lifted easily. “But it would be better if she was there. If you were there.”
Stunned, Nina took a moment to digest the idea.
“Do you think I ought to get one of these bracelets for my aunt?” He’d moved closer—to glance into the cabinets.
“Possibly,” she said warily.
“You’re paid on commission?”
What was he implying? Nina straightened her spine. “I’m not sure what kind of woman you usually keep company with, but my company cannot be bought.”
“And you only window shop yourself, is that right?” He was smiling again, drat him. It made certain things irresistible—namely, the way her body, and will, melted before him.
“Very occasionally,” she answered with as much dignity as possible. Because she so didn’t do any kind of shopping.
“And you don’t wear one of these bracelets.” He looked at her arms.
“I don’t want to be burdened by bling baggage.” No baggage at all—certainly not boy baggage. The plan was to travel and have that “solo girl abroad” fun.
“You’d prefer something simpler?” He gazed at the picture of the cords of silver strung with colored rings—jewels, glass, plaited gold.
She too looked at the display pictures and the gleaming cabinets filled with hundreds of shimmering beads. “Yes,” she admitted.
“Something less heavy?”
She nodded.
“Mmm,” he said. “I don’t think my aunt would wear these either.”
“And clearly your aunt matters,” Nina said dryly. “Given you’re too scared to spend time alone with her.”
He chuckled, his shoulders lifting. “I’m tired,” he said. “If I didn’t tell her there was someone, she’d parade a string of suitable senoritas before me.”
He had to be kidding. “And would that be so bad?” Nina asked sarcastically.
“Si.” He snapped back the blunt answer.
Nina laughed, not believing him at all. “She wants to see you happy—isn’t that nice?”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not about me.
It’s about me providing an heir.”
Really? That was even more unbelievable. “And you’re not willing to oblige?”
He shook his head and the momentary stark expression told her it all—this was one “No commitment/no kids” man.
Nina narrowed her eyes. “Do you need the fake girlfriend because you’re actually gay? It’s okay to be gay, you know.”
“I do know. But I’m not. You know I’m not.”
He met her eyes with a heated look—a look that had her thinking of big beds and long nights.
Awareness didn’t shiver through her, but steamrolled its way over every cell, smashing her feeble resistance to his mad plan. But she still couldn’t believe he really wanted this.
“You can get any woman you want as your date. You don’t need me,” she said, her voice stupidly raspy again. No way would a man this fine have an aunt hunting down suitable dates—he’d have his pick already.
“It’s nice of you to say that, but I don’t want any woman as my date tonight. I want you.”
She couldn’t be flattered by that. Because the fact was, if this guy got her in his bed, he’d be so disappointed. She didn’t need her soul destroyed any more than it had been already. “And you’re used to getting what you want.” She crossed her arms, hiding the way her boobs had switched on their “take me” signal.
He cocked his head, his gaze sharpening. “You think I am?”
“Yes. You have a car come collect you every morning. Your life is easy.”
“Easy?” He laughed in amazement. “Not that easy.”
“You don’t get stuck on a train every morning,” she pointed out.
“No, but I’m glad I did this morning.”
He might have some smooth talk, but something he’d said bothered Nina and she couldn’t let it go. “Can you lie to your family that easily?” Did she want to spend time with someone who could deceive those closest to him without any conscience? Hard lesson learned, that one—so she’d learned it well.
His expression sobered. “I deal in painful truth every day. I can tell a white lie to protect someone. Yes.”
Not good enough. “If they’re so uncaring, who are you protecting?”
His brows lifted in surprise, as though he thought it was obvious. “Myself.”
She assessed him through narrowed eyes—was he truly admitting to vulnerability? In what way?
“Isn’t that what we all do?” he asked quietly. “Who is it you don’t want to see?”
“They’re university friends.” She stepped back from the cabinet and moved behind the large counter. “But they’re more my ex-fiancé’s friends than mine.”
He drew in a breath, comprehension dawning. “Is he going to be there too?”
“No. But it’ll be the first time I’m seeing them since…” She shrugged and let him figure it out.
“How long were you with him?”
“Three years.”
His brows lifted. “And how long ago did it end?”
“Four months.”
“So we could have met a week later.”
A half-laugh escaped before she could stop it. That’s all he was interested in? Concocting his crazy story? As if she’d go from one serious relationship straight into another.
“You want to show them you’re over him?” He abruptly fired the question at her.
Of course. She nodded, suddenly feeling like a defense witness being interrogated by the prosecution.
“Then I’m your guy.”
It was so wrong that her heart warmed at those words. “I don’t need a guy,” she said defiantly. “I don’t need a crutch to get me through an awkward moment. I’m going alone tonight to prove I’m all good on my own.”
His chuckle was mildly insulting. “I’m sure you are and that’s great, but do you think they’ll really believe you?”
Silently, she glared at him as he continued pointing out the problem with her plan.
“Won’t they be thinking—oh, there she is, putting a brave face on it, but underneath she’s still hurting. She must be devastated to have lost him.”
His words cut because that’s exactly what they would think. Corey had been the life and soul, she’d been the boring girlfriend. She was the to-be-pitied party.
He glanced sideways. “Does he have a new girlfriend?”
Of course—despite coming from that solid “society” stock that Corey had sought, she had been too boring—as a travel companion and in bed and he’d had no compunction in telling her so when she’d confronted him about the horrible rumors someone had finally bothered to tell her.
“I believe he’s had more than one,” Nina said quietly. “He ‘played fast and loose.’” She reverted back to her old friend Shakespeare to help her out.
His mouth firmed, and he stood taller as he moved closer to her again. “So wouldn’t it be good to turn up with someone better than him?”
She bridled at the explicit arrogance. Not short on confidence, was he? “What makes you sure you’re better than him?” Even if he so totally was. But that he knew how gorgeous he was sent alarm bells ringing.
“I never have more than one girlfriend at a time.” He paused. “That matters.”
Honor mattered. Fidelity. Truth. It mattered to her more than anything now. “It would be worse than going alone if they sense we’re faking it,” she said vehemently.
Silence. He inclined his head, bending so he was even closer to her—his face solemn as he looked straight into her eyes, wordlessly insisting she look right back at him.
“Then we’ll do a really good job of acting into each other,” he said softly.
It was like that moment on the train, when she’d looked into his eyes and the rest of the world went to blazes. She didn’t know how long they stood there—how long she studied the pale blue, almost silvery swirls in his eyes and felt drawn nearer and nearer as something new and exciting bubbled in her blood and sent anticipation sizzling into parts of her body that had been dormant so long.
But then she squared her shoulders—blinking to break the moment and deny the intensity of the attraction. This wouldn’t be good for her—she wasn’t in his league.
“I’ve got great plans for the next few weeks that I can tell them about…” And that was true. She’d designed them specifically for that purpose. She breathed in deep. “It seems you need me, more than I need you.”
“Maybe that’s true,” he agreed easily. “So let me appeal to your humanity. Take pity on a poor male.”
As if he were that. “Who can’t cope with his aunt?” Never. “You don’t look like you need help.”
“Which proves that appearances can be deceptive.”
That was true too, but not in this case. This guy was so clearly used to being in control and getting what he wanted. And being independent. But she couldn’t help thinking about it—being tempted. He was right, no matter how relaxed she acted on her own tonight, those others would still offer pity, still search for any hint of vulnerability to pick up on.
To be honest, she didn’t think it would matter if she turned up with him either—they’d still doubt and debate. But not going wasn’t an option. Nina looked at him again—and he knew, didn’t he—just how tempted she was.
“Don’t forget the three Michelin stars.” He grinned, fingering one of the silver cords on the display next to the register.
It wasn’t for the food that she was about to say yes to this crazy scheme. She wanted more time in his company—she might be gun-shy, but she wasn’t a complete idiot and knowing this wasn’t “real” might actually make it safer, right? When else was she going to get to spend an evening with someone so handsome? Someone who’d made her laugh and feel alive for the first time in ages? And at some fancy restaurant?
They’d play-act for the night. Help each other through situations neither much wanted to be in. And yeah, it would be more fun to have him to talk to through the dreaded pub catch-up.
“I have to war
n you that despite appearances on the train this morning, I’m not an extrovert,” she confessed. “I’m not going to be the life and soul of your dinner party.” It was the criticism Corey had always leveled—that she wasn’t party-girl enough, that her conversation was too geeky.
“I know that already. If you were an extrovert, you would have joined in on the second rendition. It took you until the eighth. It will be perfect. We can sit and talk.”
“What if we run out of conversation?”
“We won’t. But if we did…” That slow smile.
“I’m leaving in a week and I’m not interested in…” she trailed off, lifting her hand in a small gesture.
It was a total lie—of course she was interested. But she didn’t really believe he would be—and even if he were, could she handle the performance anxiety? She’d be too aware to enjoy it.
“It’s just drinks, just dinner. Nothing heavy.”
“No dancing?” She teased, remembering his stumbling movement on the train, liking the way it made him that bit more human and less Greek god-like.
A rueful look crossed his face as he shook his head.
Then common sense hit, scuppering any idea they could pull this off. “But we don’t know each other and what if your aunt asks things I should know but of course I won’t?”
“Here’s the beautiful thing,” he said. “You speak no Spanish, right?”
“Right.”
“And obviously no Catalan either. My aunt speaks very little English. It doesn’t matter what you say. She can’t ask difficult questions.”
“So we met…”
“On a train.” He shrugged. “We got stuck between stations, our eyes met and it was so amazing the world started singing. We started talking. It went from there.”
Oh, my. That was what had happened in Nina’s mind. It cemented her decision—and with that certainty came confidence. “If I’m going to be your girlfriend, I’m going to act like it. I spent almost a year as someone’s fiancée and was never treated like it.”
His lips firmed, his customary serious, impassive expression returning. “What do you want me to do?”
Bargain in Bronze Page 11
