by Abby Brooks
James wobbled on his feet and his descent into the chair was less than graceful. How much alcohol was in his system?
“I take it you’re considering my proposition?” He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. His eyes met Ellie’s and sent a jolt of electricity through her body.
“I’m considering it. Weighing the pros and cons.” She made a serious face and shrugged, hoping to pull off nonchalant while she figured out how to stop her heart from leaping out of her chest and tap dancing on the table.
“Pros and cons, huh? How’s that going?”
Ellie caught Tessa’s eye and tried to ask her a question through eye contact alone. Should I do it?
Tessa widened her eyes and shrugged, nodding slightly. Message received and returned. Yes. Do it.
Ellie’s mouth went dry and she took a drink before answering. “I think you heard a good portion of the pros.”
“I’m hot. I’m rich. A little dangerous.” James counted off the list on his fingers, letting his gaze smolder into Ellie’s. She had to take another drink to cover up the flare of heat across her cheeks.
“Yep. All great reasons to fake date you.” She pretended to consider some more. “But is it enough?” Using her thumb and forefinger, she pinched her chin as if she was a wise old man stroking a beard.
James feigned surprise. “Wow. Who’d have thought getting propositioned by your eighth-grade crush would be such a hard sell.” He gave her a wicked smile.
Ellie could have just about died then and there. She dropped her head to the table and groaned while Tessa shrieked then covered her mouth, giggling into her hand.
Ellie turned; her forehead still pressed to the table as she peeked up at him. “You heard that part too, huh?” She sat up with a chuckle, shaking her head. “I’m not sure if that goes in the pros or cons column, but there it is. Out in the open.”
“I say put it in with the pros.”
“Of course you do. I say we take this to a third party. Tess? Is this a pro or con?”
“Me? You want me to decide?” Tess dissolved into a mess of embarrassed blushing and hit Ellie with her best please don’t put me on the spot look. “You know what I think,” she finally murmured before she excused herself and bolted for the restroom, leaving Ellie alone with a baffled James.
Chapter Nine
Ellie
“And what does your friend think about you fake dating me?” James watched Tessa scurry off to the bathroom, then turned an inquisitive eye to Ellie.
“It doesn’t matter what she thinks. It matters what I think.”
“Okay. What do you think?”
I think my best friend is a traitor, is what I think. Ellie glanced after Tessa, then turned her attention back to the hunk at her table. She leaned forward and tried not to lose herself in James' dark eyes. How was it even close to fair that he had such luscious eyelashes? “I think you need to do a little more convincing.”
“Ask me how many times I’ve had to convince women to go out with me in the last few months.”
“The first thing you need to learn is that I’m not like most women.”
James gave her a wry smile. “That’s growing more clear by the minute.”
He sat back in his chair and broke eye contact while he took a drink, licking his lips afterwards. Ellie’s stomach did a couple back handsprings while worry flooded her thoughts. Had she played too hard to get? Did it matter? Did she even want to get got? She stared into her margarita and picked a piece of salt off the rim, crunching it between her teeth. When she looked up, James was watching, a smile playing across his face and lust burning in his eyes.
“I’d get to kiss you again,” he said.
“Well that’s definitely a pro,” she answered without thinking.
His smile blazed into a wide grin. “Yeah? You think so?”
Ellie nodded. She enjoyed kissing James too much. Way too much. Because she liked it so much, she had no doubt she’d end up attached if they went through with the whole fake relationship thing. That sounded like a whole lot of trouble she didn’t need. She studied him. His handsome face. His sexy mouth. The bulge of his muscles and the fine lines of his tattoos. The whole predatory, razor-sharp focus he had trained on her.
“What exactly do you have in mind?” she asked, thinking of how tired she was of working and sleeping and doing nothing but worrying about money in between.
James smiled triumphantly. “I thought we’d go out a couple times a week. Make sure we hit all the public places. Let people see us being lovey-dovey together. Hold hands. Kiss. Whisper sweet nothings. All that stuff.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“It won’t be. I promise.”
Ellie swirled her glass, fighting back a laugh. His confidence was refreshing. Hilarious, but refreshing. “Easy, tiger. A little ego goes a long way.”
“I like that about you. You just say what’s in your head, don’t you?”
“Gets me into more trouble than you’d think.” Ellie watched James drain the rest of his whiskey and worried about the unfocused look in his eyes. Please don’t tell me he rode his bike here again, she thought. “How long will our relationship last?”
“Long enough for me to bring you as a date to my brother’s wedding.”
“And when is that?”
“December second.”
That shocked Ellie. “Wow. They’re really moving fast.”
Disdain twisted James’ lips. “They’re so sure they’ve found true love.”
“And you don’t think they have?”
He snorted and stared into his empty glass. “Love is a lie.”
“Okay, then. We’ll just put bitter in the con column.” When James looked up, Ellie instantly regretted her joke. She saw his soul behind his eyes, and it twisted with pain. “See,” she said, and flared her hands. “There goes my mouth, getting me into trouble.”
James gave her a weak smile then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Like I said. I like it. There aren’t many people in my life who call it like they see it.”
“That’s one thing I can promise. I’ll always be honest with you, most of the time before I’ve even finished deciding if that’s the right way to go about it.”
James put his empty glass to his lips and tilted his head back, waited for one more drop to roll into his mouth before he set the glass down and slid it away. “I take it we have a deal?”
“For better or for worse, we have a deal. I will pretend to date you and fall in love with you until after Ian’s wedding, at which time we can stage a breakup of your choice.”
Tessa pulled her chair back and Ellie jumped as the legs scraped against the wood floors. “You’re doing it?” Tess looked from Ellie to James, a broad grin making her face beautiful.
“Looks like it. And you are henceforth sworn to secrecy.”
Tess gave a quick thumbs up then looked embarrassed and dropped her hands to her lap. “Cross my heart and hope to die,” she said, looking appalled as she said it. “Or something like that.”
James stood and staggered when his chair didn’t slide back as easily as he thought it would. “Whoa,” he murmured and clutched at the table. His gaze swam for a second and Ellie was afraid he was about to eat it right there in front of everyone.
“How many drinks did you have tonight?” she asked.
“Enough.” James straightened and took a deep breath. “I’m good. It just hits extra hard after you’ve been sitting a while, you know?”
“I do know.” Ellie stood. “But I also know that if you can’t stand without wobbling, you’re too drunk to drive. I’ll take you home again.” She glanced down to see Tessa looking confused.
“Again?” Tessa mouthed.
Ellie shook her head. “Tell you later,” she mouthed back. “You good to get yourself home?” she asked out loud.
“You know it.” Tessa smiled and slid her half full glass out of reach. “You?”
“Yep. One an
d a half margaritas can’t get me down.”
She led James out of the bar, glad he didn’t put up a big, macho fight about letting her drive him home. The ride to his house was quiet, the flirty, talkative James from the bar stolen by whatever thoughts trudged through his mind. Ellie tried not to think about the last time she’d driven him home. The way his lips had claimed hers. The way his hands had traced her body, leaving burning trails of contact in their wake.
When she pulled into his driveway, he undid his seatbelt and climbed out of the car without a problem, but just in case, she followed him up the front steps to the door. He didn’t even fumble with his keys. Not even a little bit. Just pulled them out of his pocket and slipped them into the lock.
“Ellie?” he asked as he turned the knob, pausing with the door only slightly open.
“Yeah, James?” Her heart did its best impersonation of him wobbling to his feet and she pressed her hands into her thighs.
“Will you come in?” His eyes searched hers and that burnt part of his soul was back. “Please.”
It wasn’t a question.
It was a statement of need.
She only hesitated for a moment. How could she turn him down when he looked like that? How could she walk away when it was so clear he needed her to stay?
“Sure.” She shrugged and he took her hand, pulled her inside the still dirty house, and led her upstairs to his bedroom. Confusion and excitement tapped out a thunderous duet in her head.
What the hell was happening? What was she doing? She couldn’t sleep with him. Shouldn’t sleep with him. That would make the whole pretend relationship thing extra messy.
Halfway up the stairs, she pulled her hand out of his. “James…” He paused but didn’t turn around. “I can’t…”
He turned his head over his shoulder so she could see his profile. “We don’t have to do anything. I just…I don’t want to be alone. Please, Ellie. Just stay.”
She didn’t respond and he didn’t wait. He took her hand and continued up the stairs. James kicked off his shoes and threw back the covers before he curled up in a ball on the bed. Ellie stared at him for a few seconds, lost, confused, half-certain she should turn around before she kicked off her own shoes and climbed into bed with him. Against her better judgement, she laid down beside him, curling her small body around his and wrapping an arm over him, offering him the comfort he desperately needed.
He sighed, his body relaxing as he tucked her arm beneath his. As his breathing deepened, he quickly drifted to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Ellie
It took a while, but Ellie finally fell asleep too, only to wake a few hours later when her phone blared to life in her purse near the door. For a second, she had no idea where she was, only that she was tucked into someone’s arms, feeling warm and safe, and had been in the middle of a fantastic dream. It wasn’t until James shifted and groaned that she remembered where she was and why she was there. Not wanting to disturb him more than she already had, she slipped out of bed, silenced her phone, and grabbed her shoes before padding downstairs.
There wasn’t time to run home for a shower before opening Good Beginnings. She scribbled a note to James, telling him to meet her at the café when he woke and felt decent enough to drive, then hurried out the door. She might not have time to shower, but there was no way in hell she would show up to work in the same clothes she’d worn the day before. She’d much rather deal with a little extra rushing if it meant avoiding the questioning looks and rumors that would swirl around town if someone found out she didn’t go home the night before. By the time the story made the rounds and finally got back to her, people would believe she was pregnant twice over and sleeping with half of Bliss.
She flew around her apartment, pulling on clothes and brushing teeth while questions about just what the hell she was doing with James filled her head. As quick as she was able, she left her apartment in a whirlwind of thoughts and activity. If their plan was going to work—if she was going to make it all the way to December in a fake relationship with the James Moore without winding up attached and being hurt when it was over—she was going to have to lay down some ground rules. It wasn’t her job to mend his broken heart and it wasn’t fair of him to ask.
She had to be strong enough to withstand the hurt in his eyes. Strong enough to say no when he asked her to stay. Strong enough to keep her lips away from his. She couldn’t let another man use her to prop himself up. No more parasites.
Ben was waiting for her at the front door of the café when she arrived, cupping his hands to the glass and peering into the darkened interior.
“Sorry,” she said as she juggled her keys in her hand. “Running late today.”
Ben jumped and bumped his forehead on the door. “Whoa,” he said, rubbing a hand into his sandy hair. “Scared me.”
Ellie laughed. “I see that.” She waited for him to move aside before unlocking the door. “Sorry again.”
They lost themselves in a flurry of work, trying to ready the place to open in time. And then, as if everyone in town felt bad for not coming the day before, the café was absolutely slammed from the moment she flipped the sign in the door until just after noon. She didn’t have time to think about James and that was perfectly fine with her. She lost herself in casual conversation with customers and keeping up with orders and restocking the counter and whatever else came up.
These were the good days.
The kind of days she—and her ever-dwindling checking account—needed.
Another surge of customers after lunch kept her busy until she flipped the closed sign over at three. As she walked around, wiping down tables and gathering bits of trash, she finally started to wonder what the hell happened to James. Surely, he wasn’t still sleeping. And surely, he wasn’t going to stand her up.
And if he did stand her up?
Well, he had another thing coming. He might be used to people letting him get his way, but she wasn’t one of those people. Their deal was a partnership. Her needs mattered every bit as much as his, regardless how much money she had.
Or didn't have, as the case may be.
Ben left just after three and Ellie stayed behind to tackle some paperwork then stuck around, pretending to be busy for the next twenty minutes, killing time in case James showed up. She gave up waiting for him as the hour hand crept past four o’clock.
And there goes another item on the con list, she thought as she flicked off the lights in the office and kitchen, gathered her purse, and headed toward the exit, digging for her keys. She looked up and jumped, startled to find James waiting at the door.
“Sorry,” he mouthed and pulled on the door. “Can I come in?”
She put her hands on her hips and stared. He held his helmet in one hand and ran the other through his hair. Ellie watched the muscles in his chest and shoulders flex with the movement and tried not to let him see her shiver with delight.
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nope.”
James pouted and stepped forward. “Please?”
Ellie shook her head again and pushed open the door. “Nope,” she repeated and stepped outside. “But you can follow me home. We need to talk. If this is going to work, we’re gonna need some boundaries.”
“And you want to set boundaries by inviting me into your home?”
“You’re the one who slept all day and took the time to shower before leaving the house. Probably had a leisurely breakfast, too. Maybe even lunch. Me?” Ellie shook her head. “Not so much. My day started at the crack of dawn and I’m ready to kick my feet up and turn off. But we really need to have a discussion about our little arrangement. So, with that in mind, will you please follow me home so I can sit down before I fall down?”
Chapter Eleven
Ellie
James looked horrified as Ellie laid out the difference in their days. “Of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Lead on.”
She climbed into her car and waited for him to
strap on his helmet and back the bike out of the space before leading him through Bliss on the short drive to her apartment. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him in her rearview. His strong forearms gripping the handles of the motorcycle, the tendons standing out like cords when he rolled back on the throttle.
She watched him lean into the curves, swooping and dipping like seabirds over the ocean. When she pulled into the lot of her apartment complex, James parked in the spot beside her. The expensive Italian motorcycle looked as out of place in that lot as James would if he’d walked into McDonald's wearing a tuxedo.
She led him up to her apartment and unlocked the front door, swinging it open and gesturing for him to enter. “Welcome to my humble abode. If you sit really quiet, you can even pretend you hear the ocean.”
He looked around; judgment written all over his face. The place was small. Clean, but small. Threadbare carpet. Peeling linoleum in the kitchen. Old furniture in the living room—which also doubled as the dining room—all of which would easily fit in James’ bedroom.
“There’s not as much money in running a small business as you’d think,” she explained and pointed at the couch. “The American dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Of course, that was only half the problem. Parasite Steve was the other half. She’d be living way more comfortably if she wasn’t paying off all the debt he’d racked up in her name.
She plopped down on the couch beside James and kicked off her shoes before propping her heels on the coffee table and wiggling her toes. “I’d offer you a drink,” she said, “but that’s kind of what I want to talk to you about.”
James’ brows pursed together, and he stared at her through narrowed eyes. “Come again?”