Never Be Her Hero

by Donna McDonald

  “No, I met with my dissertation committee yesterday. I stayed up late working on the changes they wanted, but I’ve still got tons more to do. I’d planned on a hot bath and a bottle of wine tonight after I did a few more changes.”

  A vision of a long-legged Della in a tub with only her head above the bubbles danced through his mind. He held the steering wheel steady, determined not to swerve again. “I’m sorry I ruined your plans for a quiet evening.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t really mind. It’s been a while since I did anything fun,” Della said, reaching over to pat his arm. She yawned and yanked her hand back to cover her mouth. “Sorry for the yawn. That was rude.”

  “No, that was honest… and you did warn me. Why don’t you take a nap? It’s a five-hour drive, but we gain an hour back eventually. I’ll wake you a bit before we get there.”

  “Okay,” Della agreed, getting comfortable. She grinned when Elliston reached into the back seat and handed her a travel pillow in its own soft case. “Wow. I thought only boy scouts were this prepared. You should know that when I sleep, I sleep hard. Listen to music or do whatever else you normally do. I promise you won’t bother me.”

  Elliston was trying to think of what to say back about his presence not bothering her when he realized Della was already sleeping. He chuckled softly at his lack of masculine appeal and glanced at his fake date’s amazing legs again. If the woman hadn’t always been hiding them behind that giant black desk at Mariah’s office, he might have noticed them before today.

  His eyes traveled up the skirt to breasts pushing against a matching top and sweater set. Della’s peaceful face with its ruby lips seemed to go perfectly with the rest of her.

  Reaching behind his seat once more, Elliston pulled out a rolled up blanket. He kept it and a whole slew of other things in the car for emergencies because his cop uncle insisted on him being prepared. He held the blanket over Della’s lap and shook it out letting it fall softly across and down her sleek legs.

  “Hmm… thank you,” Della said drowsily, rousing enough to tuck the cloth around her.

  Elliston snorted at his actions. He was glad Della didn’t realize it was self-preservation rather than thoughtfulness that had made him want to cover her up. His gaze straying to her legs every five seconds would be a definite threat to their safe arrival.

  Chapter Three

  Elliston had pushed his car to make the best time they could, but it was still after ten Tennessee time when they arrived at the resort. As she had warned she would, Della had slept for most of the trip. She slid stiffly from the car as he watched and wiggled her hips to stretch those incredible legs of hers. His gaze on her wiggling backside had him ignoring the valet speaking to him. The guy had to touch his arm to get his attention.

  Della turned and smiled at him in apology. “Sorry I slept the whole way. I should have helped with the driving.”

  Elliston grinned at her apology and focused on handing over his keys to the man waiting patiently. “You seem better rested now.”

  Della nodded. “I am much better. If we could find some food, I’d be a happy girl again.”

  “Let’s do that,” Elliston said agreeably. “I’m starved too.”

  “McElroy… about damn time you got here.”

  Elliston looked beyond the bellman loading up a luggage cart with their bags and walked to greet his host who was now staring with great interest at the woman he’d brought with him. He and Bert shook hands as they smiled at each other. The approval in Bert’s eyes was a man thing and something he doubted Dr. Livingston would have much patience for if she noticed it. He could practically feel Bert’s opinion of him shifting as he checked out Della from head to toe.

  “Hey Bert, how’s it going?”

  “Great. Great. Glad you two finally got here. All of us from the company are in the restaurant having a late dinner. I was heading to see if you’d checked in yet when I saw an incredible set of legs sliding out of your car.”

  When the flirty Bert turned and boldly checked out Della’s entire body again, Elliston stepped closer to her. “Right. I need to make introductions. Bert, this is Dr. Della Livingston. Della, this is Bertram Andrews, CEO of Proof Unlimited and our host for the next couple of days. He’s also my most brilliant client.”

  “Bet you say that to all your clients,” Bert joked.

  “I do, but in your case, I actually mean it,” Elliston joked back.

  Della put out her hand and smiled genuinely. “Hello, Mr. Andrews. Thank you so much for inviting me along, and please call me Della.”

  “Oh my, she’s charming and intelligent too.” He turned to Elliston. “My opinion of your good judgment just quadrupled, McElroy.” He turned back to Della. “It’s my great pleasure to meet you, Dr. Della Livingston. For a while there, I thought you were a figment of Elliston’s imagination. Now I can see why he’s been so secretive.”

  “Not secretive really. More like we’ve both been incredibly busy for the last couple months,” Della said, defending Elliston to his client.

  Elliston shifted on his feet. Della’s soft laugh was an echo of what she’d done when he picked her up. His gaze narrowed when Bert took Della’s outstretched hand and clasped it in both of his. Bert stared at Della for what seemed like… well, for far too long to be polite, Elliston decided, tempted to pull Della’s hand from Bert’s.

  Shaking his head over his odd reaction, Elliston looked to the registration desk. Bert’s gaze followed his.

  “Oh, you don’t have to do anything to check in. I have your key cards already,” Bert dropped Della’s hand and fished them out of his pocket to hand them over. “Here you go. The room number is written inside the little folder. Freshen up and then join us. My wife, Joyce, is anxious to meet you both.”

  Elliston nodded and put a possessive hand on the curve of Della’s skirted hips. Her eyebrow raised at his action, but it was her knowing smile that had him leaving his hand in place as they entered the resort. Without a word of complaint, she accepted his public claim to her. It pleased him on a variety of levels, but mostly because she was letting him set a boundary that maybe—if he got lucky—Bert and the other men who met her wouldn’t cross.

  “I’m sorry, Della. I should have been more clear with Bert that we needed two rooms.”

  “It’s fine, Elliston. This is a double queen suite. It’s not like there’s only one place to sleep,” Della said, going over to toss her purse on one of the beds. “Besides, this is much better for your cover story.”

  Elliston ran a hand through his hair and stared. Did she honestly not care that they were now forced to share a space for days? “I’m starting to regret accepting Bert’s invitation.”

  Della giggled as she sagged in tiredness against the comfortable mattress. “Elliston, relax. We’re adults… and luckily not complete strangers. I can handle the close quarters for a couple days if you can. We’ll get along fine unless you’re one of those men who leave the toilet seat up.”

  Elliston made a face as he considered how much more awkward this would have been with a person he’d never seen before. His sigh was long and loud. “You’re being an awfully good sport.”

  Della snorted. “Your annoying client doesn’t bother me. Now my family… I promise any one of them is capable of driving you insane. If Bert is my only challenge this weekend, I’m getting off easy.”

  Elliston laughed at her joking, but it faded when Della lay back on the bed and stretched her arms over her head. Her skirt slid a couple inches higher on a set of very beautiful thighs. His physical reaction to the sight was not a big surprise, especially given how nice she was being. That didn’t mean it was safe for him to keep having it.

  “Okay. I’m done whining about this situation I got us into. Ready to go to dinner?” he asked before he did something incredibly stupid—like jump on top of her.

  Della elbowed her way back to an upright position. “Yes, I am. A deal is a deal.”

  Elliston walked over and
held out a hand, pulling a groaning Della to her feet. “I’m glad you told Mariah yes. Thank you for being here with me. You’re a great fake girlfriend.”

  “Flattery is nice, Mr. McElroy, but all the sweet talk in the world will not get you out of paying for that massage you promised me,” Della said, laughing as she slid her hand from Elliston’s and grabbed her purse. She fit it across her body, letting the thin strap rest between her breasts.

  “Your positive attitude is worth as many spa services as they’ll let you charge to the room. My bank account is temporarily at your disposal,” Elliston promised, holding open the door as she smiled at him. He was working hard to push away thoughts of volunteering to run his hands over Della’s body himself. Her pleased laugh at his teasing compliment had him smiling wide.

  “My research was in the area of human mating rituals. Lots of men don’t understand boundaries.”

  “I promise you that I’m not one of them. Just try not to hate me when this is all over,” Elliston said, pressing the elevator call button.

  “Oh, I won’t hate you,” Della said silkily, smiling as they stepped in together. “I’m just going to get even next month. You’ll see.”

  Elliston chuckled. “Dr. Livingston, are you trying to warn me you have an evil side?”

  When they stepped out into the lobby, Della slipped her arm through Elliston’s. “Everyone has an evil side, Mr. McElroy. By the way, your obnoxious client just spotted us,” she whispered, leaning against his arm as he groaned.

  Elliston’s gaze stayed on the woman pressed against his side, even when Bert yelled their names. “Apologizing again for Bert would just be redundant, wouldn't it? But that’s exactly what I want to do. I promise you won’t have to deal with this crap all weekend. We’ll find a way to make sure of it.”

  “Stop. Upstairs you said you were done whining. Just make sure you put your arm around me when we sit. It will keep other men from staring. Trust me… I meant it when I said I was an expert on dating rituals,” Della said, dragging her fake boyfriend across the floor.

  “Expert? How much dating have you done?” Elliston demanded, and then chuckled when Bert winked at him behind Della’s back. Geez, the guy was incorrigible. What kind of wife would put up with a guy like Bert? He dreaded finding out.

  Della stopped walking, tugged him close, and stretched to her toes to whisper in his ear. “Be your best geek self, Elliston, but be a hot geek. For some reason, Good Old Bert seems to want to see you as some stud with women. We can confirm that in a non-icky way. Trust me.”

  Elliston turned slightly and put his arm around Della, using it to pull her tight to the front of him. She felt really good pressed against his body and it had him wondering what Della was feeling. “Hot geek? Is that how you see me?”

  Della grinned and nodded. “Yes. Hot and Geek both apply. Nice cologne, by the way. The scent suits you and makes this hugging stuff way easier for me.”

  “Glad you approve.” Elliston stared into dancing eyes and realized that once again he had no real idea what to say to her. Della’s unusual thought processes skipped ahead of his, but she didn’t seem to mind doubling back to bring him up to speed.

  “Looks like I made the right call giving you guys one room,” Bert teased. “Come on. I want you to meet everyone. Dinner’s on me. Joyce will help you order. My wife’s the tall blonde with the sexy short hair. You can’t miss her.”

  Elliston heard Della’s giggle over Bert’s description of his wife and almost dug his heels in when she started steering them in the direction of the restaurant. They’d barely arrived and he already wanted to go home. There had to be a better way to drum up new business than this.

  Della listened to Joyce’s fifth story about Bert, but her real attention was on Elliston. He was managing to make conversation but hadn’t relaxed at all. His gaze kept returning to hers, full of apology and trepidation. It said a lot about what kind of man he was, but he was worried for nothing. These people were strangers to her. She wasn’t offended by their quirks or eccentricities.

  And as she suspected, Bert was just one of those obnoxious guys who didn’t know what the word sensitive meant. It was obvious that he adored his manicured, well-maintained, bubbly wife who was still telling her story after story about her husband.

  Her nervous fake boyfriend, on the other hand, wore his masculinity in the stiffness of his back and the set of his jaw. In fact, at the moment Elliston looked a lot like his Uncle John. Mariah would have been so proud of him. Della had to admit it made him even more attractive. She could look at him all day and never grow tired of the sight.

  “Honey, you must be all kinds of tired after your trip, and here I am going on and on,” Joyce said.

  Della pulled her attention away from Elliston and back to their hostess. “I am tired. I was just thinking Elliston probably was too. He drove the whole way while I napped.”

  “You got a real catch there, girlfriend. That young man is a keeper. He’s worth worrying about, not all men are.”

  Della laughed. “Tell me about it. I’ve dated some real duds.”

  “How did you meet Elliston?”

  “Through a dating service,” Della said, keeping close to the truth. It made the lies easier to keep straight.

  “I guess that happens a lot these days,” Joyce drawled in her unidentified southern dialect. “It’s obvious the boy adores you. He can’t keep his attention on anyone else for more than two minutes.”

  Della laughed softly, thinking how funny it was that people assumed Elliston’s actions were inspired by his infatuation with her. She smiled at Joyce. “Sorry if we’re being obvious. We haven’t seen each other in a couple months.” And they hadn’t. Elliston had been on a dating hiatus. There was a dating hold on his account.

  “Months? Good lord. Come on, girl. I’ll help you drag him away from Bert. You need to take that man of yours to bed and put a smile on his face.”

  Giggling at Joyce’s comments, and hoping Elliston hadn’t heard them, she did her usual butt wiggle as she stood. It got the kinks out but also drew Elliston’s eyelids down to half-mast. It was the sexiest reaction she’d ever seen a man have to her actions, but not one she could take advantage of feeling. It wouldn’t be fair to Elliston or her.

  When she stood behind her fake boyfriend, she clamped a hand on Elliston’s shoulder, marveling at the firmness of it inside the soft shirt. “Ready to go up? I’m fading fast. You must be tired after driving the whole way here.”

  Relieved to have a reason to stop talking to Bert, Elliston turned his face up to Della’s. “Yeah, I’m beat,” he said, wondering what had made her wicked eyes start dancing again.

  “Well, don’t just stare at her all moon-eyed, McElroy. Go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Bert said.

  Della laughed and held out a hand, giving Elliston no choice but to take it. She linked her fingers with his and dragged her fake boyfriend to the elevators. She didn’t drop his hand until the doors had closed behind them.

  In the room, they stared at each other for a full minute, and then Della laughed to break the tension. Elliston looked so distressed she wanted to hug him and tell him again that everything was fine, but that might give him the wrong idea. So she settled on smiling. “Tomorrow should be much easier. We’re accepted as a couple now. I think you passed Bert’s man test.”

  Elliston snorted. “If you can tell that, you’re a better judge of people than I am.”

  Della shrugged, digging through her bag. She was glad now she’d packed one of her favorite oversized t-shirts. That would cover her up much better than the skimpy tank and panties she’d originally intended to sleep in. Nudity might crank that low-level lust they had going on between them up to a level that would ruin the weekend. It served a good purpose in playing her role, but she couldn’t give in to it so she’d just as soon ignore it.

  “Give me ten minutes in the bathroom and I’ll be ready for bed. I just have to get my makeup off,” Della said, trying to sou
nd like his sister instead of his fake girlfriend.

  “Don’t rush on my account,” Elliston told her. “I’ll change out here.”

  “Perfect,” Della said. “Do you care if I work a little? Talking to Joyce inspired me. My laptop has a backlit keyboard so you can turn out the lights to sleep.”

  “No. Of course not.”

  Elliston ran a hand over his shorter hair. He missed his old style. He wasn’t feeling like himself. Sharing a room with Della wasn’t helping.

  He looked at Della and suddenly wished they were doing what Bert thought they were. That was not good—well, it probably would be good—but was definitely not a good idea. He’d wanted to kiss her since he’d covered her with a blanket in the car. Kissing her with two available beds nearby was more temptation than he could handle at the moment.

  “Great. I’ll be out in a few minutes. I come from a family with five females. I learned to be fast with my bathroom time.”

  Elliston grinned slightly and nodded. “Thanks for everything, Della.”

  “You’re welcome, Geek Boy. Now stop worrying. Everything’s going to work out.”

  He watched her cute skirted hips sway as she walked barefoot into the bathroom and closed the door.

  When water started running, Elliston sat on the side of his bed and scrubbed his face with both hands to keep from thinking about what Della might be doing in there.

  Chapter Four

  Elliston woke before Della and rolled until he could stare at her sleeping form in the other bed. She’d emerged from the bathroom last evening in some butt-ugly man’s t-shirt and a baggy pair of men’s boxers?. He struggled not to think about how she’d come to own such clothing.

  He’d emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes after she had to find Della propped against the headboard wearing red-framed, bejeweled computer glasses and a serious expression as she stared at her work. She’d briefly looked up from her laptop, smiled a little at his shirtless state, and then gone right back to typing.