Colton’s head shot up as he glared over at his friend. “She didn’t do anything to me.”
Trent held his hands up. “Whatever. All I’m saying is, you’ve been acting weird ever since you took her out the other night.”
Not since he took her out…since she kissed him.
“Seriously, loser,” Trent said. “You’ve been stalking her from afar and having me and the other guys watching her like a hawk, but you’re dropping the ball and you know it. The old man wanted you to be by her side. In her life. Heck, he’d wanted you to be her best bud.”
Colton winced. Her father had wanted to buy her a friend. It seemed so obvious now in hindsight, now that he’d met her. Alexander Reginald was likely worried about her safety, too, but that didn’t explain why he’d want Colton to ingratiate himself into her life.
But now that he knew Addison—now that he knew her past—it made sense, in a weird sort of way. If her father really wanted to help her in a new town, he’d find her someone who’d not only look out for her, but who’d help her to adjust.
He scrubbed at his eyes, as if that would help relieve his exhaustion. He’d barely slept these past two days. Between working, watching Addison for this assignment, and agonizing over how to handle this new development—
Development? Try kiss.
Fine, how to handle the kiss. Between all that he’d barely gotten any sleep.
“If you can’t stand being around this chick, let me take over,” Trent said.
He glared over at his friend again. “It’s not that I can’t stand to be around her…” It was that he liked being around her too much.
Way, way too much.
He wanted to be with her all the time. Like right now.
But he’d messed everything up by pushing her away and running out of there like a jerk. He’d probably hurt her feelings, and he couldn’t explain why. Not without hurting her a whole heck of a lot more.
The only reason I’ve been hanging out with you is because your dad’s been paying me.
Somehow he didn’t think that would fly.
Besides, that wasn’t the truth anymore. He didn’t want to be getting paid to be with her. All he wanted was to tell her dad he quit, and then head over to her apartment and kiss her properly.
He wanted to kiss her without guilt and without shame. He wanted to hold her without fearing that he’d hurt her.
And she would get hurt if she knew. He groaned as his head dropped down into his hands. How had this gotten so out of control so quickly? This was just supposed to be a simple undercover assignment, nothing more.
“Ah.” Trent’s knowing sound was beyond annoying. “I think I see what’s going on here.”
“You see nothing,” he muttered.
“I thought Gina was off base last night when she told me you’d fallen for the new girl in town—”
He flinched. “Gina told you that?” He couldn’t stop his mind from replaying what else Gina had said. To Addison. He groaned again as he scrubbed a hand over his face as if he could wipe away the memories.
She’d looked so happy. And then she’d opened up to him, trusting him with her secrets. And then she’d kissed him…because she thought he felt the same way.
Which you do.
He shoved that thought to the side. What did it matter if he had a thing for her? It didn’t matter, because nothing could ever come of it. Unless…
Unless he quit.
The idea took hold and gave him hope. Temptation warred with guilt over what that would mean. “Here’s the thing, man,” he said slowly.
Before he could finish, Trent held up his hands to stop him. “Dude, before you go any further, let me just say—you do what you need to do.”
He stared at his friend in surprise. “What?”
Trent shrugged. “I’m not heartless. I might not have experience with the whole love thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see when my best friend is head over heels.”
“Wait, why—what?” Colton sputtered at that. “I’m not—I never said—I didn’t—”
Trent’s laughter had him clamping his mouth shut with a scowl. “You might not have said it, but it’s obvious to anyone that knows you. This girl has gotten under your skin.”
He kept his mouth shut because there was no use denying it. Ridiculous and far-fetched as it might seem, she’d gotten to him and he had no idea how or why. He couldn’t stop thinking about her no matter how much he tried. He couldn’t stop worrying about her, needing to protect her…even if that meant protecting her from himself.
His phone rang, and he stared at it, his gut sinking in misery. He didn’t need to see the screen to know who was calling. He and Addison’s father had a regular update call scheduled. He’d known this was coming, but he was no closer to knowing what to say now than he had been on Friday night after that epic kiss.
“Want me to take it?” Trent asked.
Colton sighed and reached for his phone. His friend might’ve been right—he might have fallen hard and fast for this girl—but that didn’t mean he’d lost his wits.
Not entirely, at least.
“I got this,” Colton said.
Do you?
He told that voice to shut it as he pushed the button to answer the call. “Colton here.”
That was about the only thing he said that he felt certain of. His name. He was fully aware of Trent’s eyes on him as he waded into the mire, cursing himself all the while. Of all the times to go and get distracted by a woman, it had to be now. And with her. His client’s daughter and the one woman he shouldn’t be thinking twice about.
He ran through the security update with relative ease—aside from their kiss, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in Addison’s routine. The fact that guilt was plaguing him as he discussed her private life behind her back was secondary to the churning thoughts on how he could broach this next topic.
“With all due respect, sir—” He hesitated, glancing over at Trent who gave him a thumbs up in return.
Never in his life had he been so grateful for his best friend. It was Trent’s future he was messing with too if he handled this all wrong, and for the life of him he didn’t know how to make it right.
But he had to try.
He might want to leave his day job, but not at Addison’s expense. He couldn’t live with himself if she got hurt in all this, and right now it felt like there was no way she wouldn’t get hurt. He had this sensation that he was careening toward a brick wall and he didn’t know how to stop it.
“Yes, Parker?” Alexander’s voice was brisk and impatient on the other end of the line.
Colton cleared his throat and started again, lowering his voice a notch in what he hoped was a professional tone. “In my opinion, there are no imminent threats to your daughter’s safety in this town, and—”
And…what? I’d like to date your daughter, sir.
Yeah, no. He had to be more tactful than that.
“This isn’t just about an outside danger,” her father said, his tone gruff. Colton got the impression this man wasn’t used to justifying himself or his actions—to anyone, let alone a lowly deputy from Podunk, Wyoming.
“Oh?” Colton found himself frowning over at Trent who’d edged closer but shrugged helplessly since he couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. Colton switched it to speaker so his friend would stop hovering.
“It’s not just outside threats I’m worried about,” he said. “I’m concerned about her being there on her own. I thought you understood that.”
Colton cleared his throat, the impatience in her father’s voice was starting to turn to annoyance. “Yes, sir, I do understand that but—”
“She’s never been on her own before,” he continued. “She’s led a very sheltered life—”
“I understand that, sir, but—”
“She wants her independence.” Her father let out a huff that sounded like exasperation mixed with pride. “And I want her to have that.”
“You want her to have the illusion of independence.” The words slipped out before he could stop them, and there was no mistaking the simmering anger in his voice.
The stunned silence on the other end of the line was nothing compared to the horror blooming in his chest…or the wide-eyed shock on Trent’s face.
Oh man, what had he done?
“Pardon me?” her father barked over the line. But he’d heard. Oh, he’d definitely heard. “I’m not paying you to cast judgments on my family.”
“No, of course not—” he started.
“My daughter is my business—”
“Yes, but if perhaps we were upfront with her—”
“No.”
Colton drew in a sharp breath at her father’s stubborn, categorical denial. Colton was scrambling and he knew it. He’d gone about this all wrong, and he had no idea how to set things right.
Trent was no help—he was watching Colton now with that same wide-eyed surprise, but he didn’t seem angry. If anything, he seemed…amused. He was staring at Colton like he’d never seen him before.
Maybe he hadn’t…not this side of him, at least. Heck, he didn’t even recognize this side of himself. This new version was desperate and needy, and willing to do whatever it would take to make sure that Addison never got hurt…by him or by anyone.
But the next words that tumbled out of his mouth weren’t entirely selfless and he knew it. He wanted her…at any cost. He might not have known her long, but he couldn’t deny this draw, the unrelenting pull that she had on him.
On his heart.
“I think if I could just talk to her, tell her that I’m looking after her for her own safety, that she’d appreciate—”
“I didn’t hire you to think, Parker,” her father snapped. “I hired you to take care of my daughter, to befriend her and help her. If that’s too much for you I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
And have some other man try to weasel his way into her life?
Colton’s nostrils flared as he struggled for some semblance of calm. Her father couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t.
And why not? Hadn’t her father sent him to do the very same thing? What was the difference?
The difference was, her father had no way of knowing if some stranger would try and take advantage of her.
How? By flirting with her? Kissing her? Letting her believe that he had genuine feelings for her without telling her the truth?
Guilt ripped through him so fast and fierce it left him breathless and took away all of his anger. How could he fault her father when he was the one who’d abused her trust? Her father hadn’t asked him to take her on a date…or kiss her.
That had been him.
The silence grew heavy, and Colton couldn’t bring himself to look at Trent, though he could feel his friend’s eyes on him.
“Can I count on you, Parker?” her father asked. “Or do I need to look elsewhere?”
That was what he said…what he didn’t say was even more important. He dragged his eyes up from the phone to meet Trent’s. If he walked away, her father would be angry.
If her father was angry…well, not getting the big payday they’d expected could very well be the least of their problems. Alexander Reginald was one of the most influential men in the country, and one negative word from him could cost them future business. And they hadn’t even opened their doors yet. Their new business could flatline before they even started.
Trent’s eyes were serious, his expression grim. He knew exactly what this could mean for them if Colton followed his heart—and Addison—rather than her father.
“Parker?” her father snapped, clearly waiting for his response.
Trent arched his brows. He was waiting too.
Colton could potentially ruin everything for himself and Trent…and for what? Because he had a crush on a girl? It was way too soon to call it anything more than attraction or infatuation. His sister might have been a romantic, but he wasn’t. He knew better.
Besides, if Addison did learn about his involvement in this, she would never forgive him. She’d hate him, and his attempt to…what? Be noble? It would all be for nothing.
He opened his mouth, ready to agree with her father. Yes, sir. You can count on me, sir.
Logic and reason told him this was a time to fall in line.
His mouth didn’t listen. “With all due respect, sir—”
The old man made a sound that could only be described as a growl and Trent flinched. Perhaps he ought to stop using that particular phrase.
Colton took a deep breath and started again. “You hired me to protect your daughter, and that’s exactly what I mean to do.”
Her father was quiet for a moment. “Well, good. Then you agree.”
“Not exactly.” He flashed Trent an apologetic grimace before continuing. “You see, Mr. Reginald, there are factors here that you’re not fully aware of.”
Before her father could protest or ask for particulars, he hurried on. “I’m not trying to be cryptic, just honest.” He thought back to his conversations with Addison, about how she hadn’t told her father that she planned to stay. Or how she’s working so hard to be financially independent. Those weren’t his secrets to tell, but they mattered. Her father didn’t realize yet just how strong she was. How brave. “There are factors here that I can’t ignore, and with all due respect—” Trent groaned but Colton ignored him as he hurried on. “I’m going to have to ask that you give me the leeway to handle this how I see fit.”
Her father’s silence was impossible to read. “I see,” he finally said slowly. “You think you know my daughter better than me, is that it?”
“No,” he said quickly. “That’s not what I was implying. I just know her in a different way. I think she…” He stopped to swallow. “She trusts me, and I’d rather lose your business than do anything to betray that trust.”
Trent’s smile was small, smug, and more than a little patronizing. He gave Colton two thumbs up to boot before placing a hand over his heart in a melodramatic move.
Colton shook his head. Don’t be an idiot. There was every chance her father was just rearing up to ream him out.
“Fine,” her father finally said, the one word a grudging grunt.
Colton’s brows shot up in surprise and Trent’s expression matched.
“If she trusts you and you…” Her father cleared his voice. “If you care about her this much then you can handle this as you see fit. But—” he added loudly, his tone hardening. “If you bungle this, I’m not only pulling my business—I’ll make sure you never work in security again. Got it?”
Colton’s mouth was dry, his throat sandpaper.
What had he done?
It was too late to worry about that now. Even though he feared for his future, he felt the first flicker of hope since he’d run out of Addison’s apartment.
If he could just talk to her…if he could just explain…
He shoved back his chair as her father ended the call. “Cover for me?” he shouted out to his friend.
“Good luck, loser!”
Trent’s words followed him out the door.
Luck? He’d need it.
He could also use a healthy dose of courage.
13
Colton knew where to find Addison, but finding her wasn’t the hard part.
He hovered in the doorway to the pediatrics ward and watched her with one of the younger kids, patiently and gently guiding the child’s hand as he traced a stencil of some sort.
She looked beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail like the first time he’d seen her, and she still wore those glasses. She had a pretty, fitted cardigan over her T-shirt rather than the bulky monstrosity, but other than that, not much had changed about her appearance.
Not much had changed and yet everything had changed. How could he have ever found her plain when she was so unutterably lovely? Shy, yes, but never meek. Timid, perhaps, but never weak. He looked around at
the kids surrounding her, the little ones who’d never asked to be sick, who should by all rights be out playing in the sun. He noticed the way they warmed to her, and she to them.
She was so easy around them—and now he understood why. She’d spent so much time in hospitals, he supposed it made sense that she was comfortable here, surrounded by patients. To think her father thought her weak after all she’d been through. She’d always been brave, and Colton had been an idiot to judge her based on a first impression.
The thing was, once he got past the shyness, she was truly incredible. Funny and smart, genuine and kind. She was more open and honest than anyone he’d ever met. Maybe that was why she’d hidden behind her clothes and her shy demeanor—without that she had no shield against the world. She didn’t have Colton’s cynical flirtatiousness or his sister’s sarcasm or Trent’s easy charm which kept people at bay as much as it drew them in. Colton and everyone else he knew had some sort of mask—some façade that they hid behind.
Maybe him most of all. Because for all his flirting, and for all the trouble he got into as a teen…he’d never let himself get close enough to care about a woman. Not to this extent. Nowhere near this extent. But Addison was different…she was so sincere, so genuine. She just was…and who she was was gorgeous.
He watched her with them for countless minutes. She and the kids were so absorbed in their art that they hadn’t noticed him and for that he was glad. Even with the drive over to sort out what he needed to say, he hadn’t managed to figure out the right words. But right now, he couldn’t bring himself to worry over the words, because he had to believe that they would come. They would, right? Somehow he’d find a way to come clean…a way that didn’t involve her slapping him, preferably.
He cleared his throat and she glanced up in surprise, her eyes widening and her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink as their gazes clashed. Her lips parted but she didn’t say anything.
He couldn’t say anything.
He was struck dumb by the look in her eyes—surprise, yes, but a million other emotions too. Hurt, excitement, pain, confusion…wariness.
Fake Dating the Unsuspecting Heiress Page 11
