“As long as I know she’s in capable hands.” Carter stood and chucked his coffee cup into the recycling. “I’m out of here.”
Tracy set down the pup. It made a beeline for Carter’s boot. He high-stepped, but the pooch went after the other. “Call your dog,” Carter said, holding his foot high. “Do something!”
Tracy erupted into laughter as Faith scooped the dog off Carter’s boot.
“Okay, okay,” she soothed. “I’ve got you now.”
“You’d be cute if you weren’t such a little humping freak.” Carter flattened the fur on the top of the dog’s head. “Humperdinck.” He met Faith’s eyes. “I think I’ve just named your dog.”
Chapter Seven
Carter ran up the steps to Faith’s cabin and knocked on the front door. He didn’t normally knock at her place, but he wasn’t normally picking her up for a date, either.
This isn’t a date, he reminded himself. It’s an arrangement.
Was this really going to work? Faith had become a great friend, but were they going to be able to pull off a ruse like this? Would the council believe they were a couple? Every member in attendance would be a werewolf with heightened senses and a keen nose for smelling bullshit. They could sense when a wolf had marked his mate, and when they’d completed the bonding process to seal their fates together. Lucky for him and Faith, they had a perfectly rational explanation for why they hadn’t completed the werewolf’s bonding process: he’d already found and lost his mate, and wolves only had one Luminary in each lifetime. Faith would be a wife, but never his Luminary.
He doubted anyone on the council would bring that up, but it would be the logical whisper in the back of their head if they started to doubt their relationship.
To really hit it home, Carter would have to create a spark with Faith where there was none. Remember to gaze at her from across the room all night. Whisper sweet things in her ear and palm the small of her back to guide her into the room.
They were friends, for Christ’s sake. This was going to be difficult.
As the door swung open, Carter stepped back. Tracy peeked her head between the screen and the door.
“You’re not going to believe what I did to our girl,” she whispered.
Hope she didn’t change too much.
“Can I come in?” He closed his coat as a chill swept across the porch. The moon was full tonight and a storm was closing in. It’d pour before the night was through.
Tracy backed into the living room, holding the door open wide. “Faith, he’s here!”
Faith didn’t need an announcement. With her heightened senses, she’d be able to pick up his scent the instant he stepped on her property.
Something was missing…ah, the tiny fluffy thing that should’ve been attached to his ankle.
“Where’s Humperdinck?”
A whimper escaped from the crate beside the couch.
“He couldn’t control his urges, so we locked him up for a bit.” Tracy fell into the corner of the couch and tucked her knees beneath her. “He took a liking to the TV remote.” She giggled, tossing her hair over her shoulder in an attempt to be flirtatious. “He went after the Roomba too, but yelped when it spun and tried to clean off his paw.”
“Humping prison.” He patted the top of the crate. “Feel bad for you, little guy.”
“Do you know who I feel bad for?” Tracy grabbed his arm and held him tight as she whispered, “You, if you hurt one hair on Faith’s head.”
His huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to hurt her.”
“Then don’t play games.” Tracy’s expression darkened. “Why’d you ask her out?”
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Because I want to go out with her. Why else?”
“But she’s not your type.”
“And you know my type?”
“I know that she’s the exact opposite of every single girl you’ve dated in the last year. She’s nice, she’s real, and she’s not some plastic bimbo looking for a fun time.”
“I know that.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Maybe my tastes have changed.”
Her lips twisted. “Maybe so, but consider yourself warned.”
“Warned about what?” Faith’s voice sang from the direction of her bedroom.
Carter turned and sucked in a clipped breath. She was a vision. A staggering beauty in an emerald-green dress that pinched together at her waist and emphasized curves he didn’t realize she had. The dress flared at her hips and covered her feet. The fabric over her chest was loose and scrunched into a few wispy layers that showed off an ample amount of milky-white cleavage.
“What’d you do to her?” he asked, his mouth going dry.
Tracy sighed. “Everything.”
“What do you think?” Faith crossed her hands shyly in front of her. “Too much?”
“No.” He took a step closer. Stopped as his knees wobbled. “You’ll wow everyone at the party.”
She turned her espresso-colored eyes downward as if he’d said something wrong. Didn’t every woman want to turn heads when they went out?
“Are you ready?” he asked, extending his hand.
“Let me get my clutch.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Tracy snapped for Carter’s attention. “Remember what I did to Humperdinck when he couldn’t control himself. Next stop is the surgeon.” She made cutting motions with her hands. “Snip, snip, if you get my drift. Let that be a lesson to you.”
Suppressing a shiver, Carter stepped outside and waited on the porch for Faith to join him. The pull to the moon made the blood chug through his veins at a normal pace again.
His reaction to seeing Faith was bizarre. So not like him. Must be the full moon…
…
Faith couldn’t stop her knees from shaking. They knocked together all the way down I-90 to Mercer Island, no matter how she pressed her hands against her thighs to make them chill out. She didn’t feel right in this dress. It was too tight. Too much like the dresses that Carter’s other girlfriends wore. Her heels—the black stilettos that Tracy had let her borrow—were too high. She was going to fall right off and sprain her ankle.
This wasn’t her.
But this was who Carter wanted, needed, for tonight.
“You’ll do great,” Carter said, his hands gripping the steering wheel hard as he turned off the freeway. “All you’ve got to do is pretend you’re madly in love with me.”
Shouldn’t be too difficult considering she wasn’t far off.
“I told you, I’ve got this.” She took a deep breath and stared out the window at the full moon.
She could feel its pull tugging on something deep within her. Being a turned wolf, this was the only time of the month when she had the ability to shift. Carter had it easy. As a born wolf, he could shift when he wanted. Although he felt the pull to the moon, his shifts were mostly driven by extreme emotions, such as anger or grief. Did he date both born and turned wolves?
“I remember how Vixienne used to act when you went out with her,” she said. “If that’s what you want, that’s who I’ll be.”
He looked at her, his light eyes piercing her through the dark. “If I wanted Vixienne at my side, I would’ve asked her to marry me.”
“That’s sweet of you to say.”
He’d probably lost her number.
As he turned down Faben Drive, rows of cars appeared on either side of the road. He parallel-parked his Tahoe between two Porsches, killed the engine, and turned to her.
He was so breathtakingly handsome, it nearly pained her to look at him. His dark hair was cut short, but the nearby streetlight still managed to pick up shades of chestnut and auburn in the strands. His cheekbones were high and defined, his jaw a thick length of bone that supported a set of plush lips that she’d dreamed of kissing on more than one occasion. Those lips were too sensual, too enticing. He was probably an amazing kisser. It was his eyes, though, that held her captive. They were ice blue, the colo
r of the purest glacier, yet they weren’t cold. They radiated warmth straight to her core.
“There’s only one thing left to do,” he said, and dug into the pocket inside his tuxedo jacket. “It would look funny if I’d asked you to marry me without giving you a ring.”
Her breath hitched as he pulled out a small velvet box and handed it to her. Holding it in her palm, Faith got the feeling that this was it. She was standing on a precipice, looking out over the vast span of her future with Carter. They’d be married. She’d be a wife and have a husband who worked for the Enforcement Bureau. The future looked bright, when painted that way.
Only as soon as he got the promotion and established himself, she’d be divorced. And alone.
Her heart stuttered as she flipped open the lid. The ring was white gold or maybe platinum. Simple band with a small square diamond in the center. It was cute. Modest.
“Didn’t want anything too extravagant,” he said. “Do you like it?”
“Sure. Of course.”
Absentmindedly, Faith wondered what kind of ring Carter had bought his ex-wife. Was he the excessive, shower-your-woman-with-jewels kind of guy? Or was he the subtle, sweet kind of boyfriend who didn’t think the depth of his love equated to the size of the diamond sitting on his woman’s finger? He talked about his girlfriends on Friday nights, but the conversations usually hovered around their clinginess or desire to settle down. He never really talked about how he treated them.
She plucked the ring from its velvet bed and slipped it on her finger. It was loose, but wouldn’t fall off. It felt odd. Misplaced. Probably because the engagement was fake. Better get used to this feeling. She’d probably feel odd and misplaced at Carter’s side all night.
“If it needs to be resized,” Carter said, “I can take it in later.”
“I think it’s fine.” She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. This was all too awkward. Couldn’t they go back to being friends? On impulse, she leaned over and gave him an elbow to the gut. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you for doing this. I would’ve been up shit creek without you.” He smirked, revealing a tiny dimple on his left cheek. “We should probably get in there. Ready?”
After taking a deep breath, Faith willed confidence to fill her. She spun the ring on her finger and glanced at Carter out of the corner of her eye. He looked as nervous as she felt.
Be someone else. Play the part.
“You’re going to get the job,” she said, channeling the sexy-cool confidence of someone she wasn’t. “I’ll make sure of it.”
He pulled back his shoulders. “Then let’s do this.”
Chapter Eight
Carter took Faith’s arm, aware of the heat her body emanated as she pressed against him, and led her through the Owenses’ home. It was a mansion of glass, with an open floor plan and a lap pool stretching through the center of the home. Bridges spanned the pool, connecting the kitchen and living room to the bedrooms and office. It was the most amazing home he’d ever seen.
In this environment, surrounded by fifty or so high-ranking members of the Enforcement Bureau, Carter expected Faith to stumble or freeze up.
Surprisingly, she didn’t do either.
She introduced herself to the captain and members of the council as Carter’s fiancée, smiling and talking effortlessly. It actually felt comfortable to have her arm snaked through his. Although they could’ve remained indoors, where a few members were gathering around the hearth, the party was centralized in the backyard. A large, tri-level patio lit with tiny white lights ended at a small section of beach. Looking out, a private dock stretched into Lake Washington.
“You’re doing great,” he said, escorting her onto the patio.
“I’m so nervous, I’m sweating.”
Pressing his hand against the small of her back, he leaned in close and whispered, “I can’t tell.”
She smelled sweet. Soft. Like she’d just gotten out of the shower. He thought making the switch from friend to girlfriend was going to be uncomfortable, but he was wrong. Touching her back was easy. He didn’t hesitate or question whether it looked right. And he breathed in the rose-scented fragrance in her hair, like a lover would do to his partner, without even realizing it.
“I could use a drink.” She brushed her hands up and down her arms. “Or two.”
Hadn’t she just said she was sweating? If he wasn’t mistaken, goose bumps were blooming over her skin.
He escorted her to a bar situated in front of a line of trees. The home wasn’t adjacent to a forest, but there were enough trees to provide shadow and cover from the homes next door.
“Vodka cranberry for the lady,” he ordered. “I’ll take a Crown and Coke.”
The bartender mixed quickly and slid them over.
“Carter Griffin, there you are,” a male voice said from behind him.
He turned. Nate looked presentable, as he always did. Black suit and skinny tie. Hair buzzed short. They shook hands as Nate gave Carter a wide, pompous grin.
“Good to see you,” Carter said. “This is my fiancée, Faith Hamilton.”
“So you’re the worthy competition,” she said, extending her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s mine.” Instead of shaking, Nate turned her hand over and kissed her knuckles.
Carter had the uncanny urge to growl in disapproval. He dismissed the reaction as ridiculous and shoved his hands in his pockets to stop from hauling Faith against him.
“Carter,” Nate said. “I think you’ve met my fiancée.”
“I have?”
“Pumpkin?” Nate called to a woman in red silk standing a few feet away, her back to them. A waterfall of blond hair cascaded down her back. And where her hair ended, the fabric of the dress was cut away, revealing a wolf paw-print tattoo.
When she turned, Carter froze.
Nate draped his arm over her shoulder. “Paisely Brooks.”
Yeah, Carter had more than met the model-turned-actress. They went out a few months back, and had a few bouts between the sheets before he’d called it quits.
She pursed her bright red lips before pulling them back into a smile. “Good to see you, Carter. I haven’t seen you since that night at Cosmo’s. I was at the bar for a few minutes, turned around, and you’d just disappeared on me. I didn’t know what happened.”
He wasn’t about to sit around and watch her flirt with every other man in the bar. That’s what happened.
“I realized I had a better deal waiting for me somewhere else.” Giving in to the urge surging through his veins, he tugged Faith against him. “This is my fiancée, Faith.”
“Oh.” Paisely set her martini on the bar and extended her hand. “Lovely to meet you.”
“Same here.” Faith smiled, though Carter could feel tension ratcheting through her shoulders. “How do you and Carter know each other?”
“We used to date,” Paisely practically purred. And then she beamed. “Didn’t he tell you?”
Yeah, he had.
Faith took a hard drink. “No need to dig up old things from the past.”
Carter buried his face in his glass to hide the grin stretching across his face. Faith had her claws out. Paisely smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes, and Nate ordered a scotch on the rocks.
“Aren’t you a darling?” Paisely said tightly. “Where has Carter been hiding you?”
“In his bed.” Faith pushed her drink across the bar. “Carter, what do you say we thank the Owenses for welcoming us into their home tonight?”
“Lead the way.”
They traipsed around a sparkling pool and across a wooden dance floor, to where the Owenses were seated and talking to the captain.
Carter couldn’t help but notice that Faith walked with an elegant kind of grace. Was it the shoes? The dress? The expectations of the night? He’d never seen her look more regal than this moment.
She was putting on one hell of a show.
This fake engage
ment of theirs just might work…
As they stepped off the raised dance floor, her ankle twisted. She pitched forward, gasping as she fell. He reached out to catch her, but it was too late. Everyone on the patio let out a collective moan as her knees hit the concrete.
“Are you all right?” Cradling her beneath his arm, he helped her up. “Faith, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she bit out, but she wouldn’t stand up straight. She flattened out the front of her dress. Re-strapped her heel, using his arm for balance. “I tore my dress. Look, it’s—”
“Don’t worry about the dress. Come on, let’s sit you down.”
When she nodded, Carter finally got a look at her face. Tears hung to her lashes and threatened to fall. The sight panged his stomach.
“Dear, how are your knees?” Mrs. Owens asked, coming to help. “I’ve told Manny to put an easement against the edges of that dance floor, but getting a man to do anything is a pain in the behind. Are you hurt badly?”
Faith hobbled to a chair at their table. “I think I just need to get off my feet for a moment.”
“Do you want ice?” Carter asked.
“Ice! Yes!” Mrs. Owens hollered. “Manny, get some ice!”
“No, no, really. Don’t trouble yourselves.” Faith sat down and tried to hide the rip that sliced from her knee to the floor. “Just give me a minute.”
“Sweetheart,” Carter said, with so much ease that it shocked him, “take all the time you need.”
…
He’d called her sweetheart.
Don’t get used to this feeling.
Faith had repeated those words to herself over and over again throughout the party, but they didn’t seem to be working.
The more time she and Carter spent together this way, the more difficult it was for Faith to separate the act from reality. Carter looked at her as if she was his fiancée. As if he truly cared for her. His touch was soft, the gleam in his light eyes gentle.
Don’t get used to this.
They’d spent the next hour at a private table with the captain and the Owenses. When dinner was served, Mrs. Owens insisted that Faith and Carter stay and join them at their table. They talked over herb-crusted salmon and asparagus, and laughed heartily after a few glasses of wine. After getting over the initial embarrassment, Faith realized tripping over the dance floor lip was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to them: they got to sit at the table with influential people, while Nate and Carter’s ex—the freaking actress—had to sit near the pool.
So I Married a Werewolf (Entangled Covet) Page 5
