PRETEND BOYFRIEND (A Billionaire Romance)

by Mia Carson

  The walls closed in around her as she realized that if he talked with Jimmy, he knew everything about her sad, miserable life and how she’d never get out of it. “You know about Mickey?”

  He nodded, and his face reddened as his eyes flared. “I know, and from what you said coming in, I’m going down to that damn pub to rip him apart for touching you. You’re not his—not ever, Graceland.”

  “Oh no?” she spat. “Then whose am I, Chase? Yours? That’s rich. You threw me out the second you thought I was playing you! How am I supposed to let that go? You don’t trust me and clearly never did!”

  As every muscle continued to scream at her to run into his arms, she refused to move closer. He had humiliated her, called her a liar, threw money at her feet! She was not going to let him just waltz back into her life and act like nothing happened. Chase took a step closer, and she immediately backed away again.

  “Grace, please,” he begged, choking on his words.

  “Please what?” she repeated. “What do you want from me? You already stole my heart. I have nothing else to give you.”

  His lips twitched in a crooked smile. “I stole your heart?”

  “Yes,” she admitted heatedly. “You did.”

  “Then it’s a fair trade,” he said. When she didn’t smile back, he ran his hands through his hair and cursed. “Grace, I’m a broken man, alright? Before you, I didn’t want to trust anyone again, didn’t think I could. I get angry easily and I’m a mess, but when you were around, it was like Tiffany never happened. Like none of those failed relationships ever happened. It was just me and you.”

  She stilled, trying not to give in too easily.

  She didn’t try to get away as he slowly closed the distance between them. “I screwed up, and it almost cost me the best thing to happen in my life.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?” she asked, barely able to get the words out.

  “You,” he whispered, standing right in front of her. “The second I saw you on that stage, I knew there was something different about you. The first kiss we shared? You stripped away the walls I spent years building. One kiss, and you nearly brought me to my knees.”

  He tucked her curls behind her ears, and she closed her eyes, leaning into the touch she missed so much it tore her apart inside. “Chase, this is my life,” she told him, glancing around her place. “I live in a shitty apartment, and I’m never going to get out of it.”

  “Yes, you will,” he said, his face set. “Because I’m going to get you out of it, like I would have if you’d told me the truth.”

  He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed against his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to meet with Mickey and get you off the hook.”

  Panicked, Grace shoved away from him, shaking her head. “No… no, you can’t do that! This is why I didn’t tell you in the first place. Do you realize what he does to guys he doesn’t like?”

  “He wants money. That, I’m willing to give him, but you?” he said, stalking towards her, his need plain in his eyes, making her breath catch. “That is something he’ll never have. Not while I’m here.”

  “I can’t let you do this. I lied to protect you,” she argued, but his arms fell around her and she embraced him. “I won’t see you get hurt.”

  “You’re not the only one allowed to protect what she loves.”

  “You’re admitting you love me?” she said with a wry smile.

  His arms tightened. “I’ll say it every damn hour of every damn day if I have to.” His mouth captured hers, and Grace sighed, wanting to be surrounded by his warmth, his protection, and his love. Her toes curled, and he lifted her off the floor, swinging her around until she burst out laughing.

  When he set her on her feet again, she pulled up on his shoulders. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”

  “No,” he said, kissing her knuckles one by one. “No, I’m sorry I didn’t listen. But now I know, and I’m going to do something about it.”

  Her stomach clenched. “Chase, please, we’ll work something out.”

  “I already have something in mind. Set up a meeting with Mickey here, tomorrow.”

  “What? Oh no. No, you’re not doing this. It’s too much money.”

  He laughed deeply. “Grace, I’m a billionaire, and for your safety, to have you in my life? No amount is too great. Call him and tell him to come here. I can’t wait to rub it in his face that you are mine.”

  She frowned. “Did you meet him?”

  “By accident. He seems to think you are available. We’ll have to fix that,” he said and pulled something small from his pocket. Grace watched, wide-eyed, as he slipped the engagement ring that fit so perfectly on her finger. “If you’ll still have me, of course.”

  She twirled the ring on her finger for a moment, grinned, and leapt up to kiss him again. “You’re mine, Chase Valentine, don’t ever forget it.”

  “And you, Graceland, will always have my trust,” he replied, kissing her back. “Now, call Mickey and tell him no guns and to come alone. Let’s see how he likes to play against someone twice his size.”

  Chapter 14

  The clock hit nine, and Chase waited for a knock at the door. Grace stood in the doorway to her bedroom, ready to duck out of sight the second Mickey arrived. Chase was not going to have her anywhere near the man who thought he could control or take the woman he loved. She was his, and he’d prove it tonight.

  The briefcase filled with the payoff sat on the kitchen counter, and Chase smirked. It was definitely more than the measly eighty grand plus ever growing interest she owed the man. The minutes ticked by and finally, at ten after, a fist pounded on the door. Chase waved Grace into her bedroom, and after one long look, telling him to be careful, she closed herself in. Chase took his time answering the door, swinging it open wide and grinning when he saw the surprise on Mickey’s smug face.

  “Mickey, please come in,” Chase said and stepped aside.

  Mickey scratched his chin and readjusted his jacket. “What’s going on? Where’s Graceland?”

  It grated against his nerves to hear another man call her that, but he let it slide, for now. “Not home. You and I have some business to take care of. Please, shut the door.”

  “No, I’m not talking to you. I only have business with her.”

  “You have business with me. From here on out, you will no longer be dealing with Graceland because she is my fiancée and I will not have her talking to the likes of you,” Chase growled. “Shut the door and we can get started.”

  Mickey raised a brow and kicked the door closed. “Fiancée, is it? I thought that was all an act.”

  “Was being the operative word. I understand my fiancée owes you a debt because of her mother. What is the amount?”

  “Eh, let’s call it an even seventy-five grand,” Mickey leered.

  Chase stared him down and nudged the briefcase towards him. “I think that should cover it,” he said, but when Mickey reached for it, he slapped his hand on top of the case. “However, there are conditions you must uphold in order to get this payoff.”

  “You don’t get to set conditions, boyo,” Mickey warned and reached into his jacket, but he pulled out an empty hand with a frown. “Damn.”

  “You see, Mickey,” Chase continued, “if I’m going to marry the woman I love, I don’t want you to hound her or anyone she knows ever again. Take this money, and that’s what you’re swearing to me. You won’t call her, talk to her, see her ever again.”

  Mickey didn’t nod or speak, but Chase removed his hand from the case. “You think you can threaten me?” he snapped, flipping open the case. “You don’t know who... I am… That’s more than what she owes me,” he muttered quietly in disbelief, pulling out a stack of bills. “How much is this?”

  “That? That is fifty million dollars,” Chase explained. “You can count it at home. Do we have a deal?”

  “Oh, aye, we have a deal,” Mickey said cheerfully and slammed the case shut.

&
nbsp; “Good, that’s good.” Chase smiled with Mickey, but the second the man took a step towards the door, he grabbed the front of his jacket, lifted him off his feet, and slammed him into the nearest wall. “If you ever lay a hand on her again—and I mean ever, Mickey,” he growled, “I will make what you do to your late paying clients look like a day at the carnival. Understand me?”

  Mickey cursed and flailed, trying to get down, but Chase was easily twice his size. “Alright! Alright, damn you. Put me down!”

  Chase let him slide to his feet then decked him so hard he broke the man’s nose. “Get out, Mickey. Now. I’ll give Graceland your heartfelt farewell.”

  Mickey held tight to the briefcase with one hand, his other busy trying to sop up the blood streaming out of his nose. “If I ever see you again, mate, you’re dead.”

  “You won’t, trust me,” Chase promised. He waited until Mickey was a step out the door then slammed it shut in his face. Barely a second later, Grace sprinted out of her bedroom and straight into his arms. He kissed her fiercely until she pinched his arm. “Ow! What was that for?”

  “You punched him! Why did you do that? Do you realize he could’ve lied about coming unarmed?” she snapped and pinched him again. “God, I was waiting for the gunshot!”

  “But you didn’t hear one, did you?” he argued and laughed when she clamped her mouth shut. “Graceland, you’re free of him. Does it matter how it happened?”

  She glowered at him. “Yes. Never ever punch a man who could have his goons waiting just outside again. Please?”

  “As long as you don’t get wrapped up with them again, I think we’ll be alright,” he said and kissed her hard and slow. “God, I can never get enough of you, and as much as I’d like to celebrate, there’s something I want to show you.”

  “Now?”

  “Yep, grab your shoes! Come on, we’ll be late!”

  “Late? Chase, where are we going?” she asked, struggling to slip on her flats while laughing as he grabbed her coat and purse. “Chase!”

  He only laughed harder as he rushed out of her apartment, down the stairs, still carrying her purse, hearing her curse all the way down behind him. When they reached the street, he stepped aside so she could get into the limo, the door held open by a smiling Dexter.

  “Ah, Ms. Summers, so good to see you again,” he said. A little out of breath, she thanked him and asked where they were headed. “Sorry, but I’m afraid that’s a surprise,” he said and waved her into the backseat.

  Chase slid in behind her and smirked when she muttered about the blacked out windows. “Didn’t want you peeking and ruining the surprise. Oh, and you’ll have to put this on,” he said, holding up the blindfold.

  She sidled closer and turned so he could tie it around her eyes. “Can we use it later?”

  Chase choked back a curse and the urge to tear her clothes off in the back of the limo. “I think I can arrange that,” he muttered and squeezed her shoulders.

  The entire ride was spent with her asking questions and him telling her “no” over and over again. When they stopped, she tried to pry up the blindfold to peek out, but he tugged it back down, took her hand, and guided her out of the limo.

  “Almost there, just watch your step,” he told her, guiding her up the steps towards the theater, still being renovated, but thankfully, the main stage was intact. “Just a few more steps, then there’s the door.”

  She gripped his hand harder and reached her other up to try and see again, but he took it and held it at her side. “Seriously, Chase? What are we doing?”

  “Don’t you trust me?” he teased.

  “I’m not the one who has trust issues.”

  “Had,” he argued gently. “Had trust issues. Come on, just a bit further. Promise, it’ll be worth it.”

  When he pushed open the door that led to the actual theater, he waved at Theodore and the man standing on the stage waiting for them to arrive. His heart raced, hoping Grace wouldn’t hate him for what he was about to do, but paying off Mickey wasn’t to get her back. That was to keep her safe and give her the freedom she needed. What he did now… This was to make up for everything.

  “Alright, you can take off the blindfold now,” he told her and stepped to the side.

  She pulled it off and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the lighting. “The theater? Why are we—oh my God,” she whispered and grabbed his arm when she spotted the men on stage. “Chase, do you know who that is? Oh my God!”

  He chuckled and pulled her towards the stage. “Yes, I know who he is because he is also my new business partner.”

  “That’s Frankie Cole!” she squealed. “He’s the hottest theater director in the city! You know him?”

  “Yeah, I do, and he’s looking for some new talent for his company once the theaters are rebuilt,” Chase told her. “I told him I had the perfect actress for him. So, what do you say? Want to talk to him?”

  Grace glanced from him to the smiling man on stage and nodded. “Chase, thank you for this—really.”

  He embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “It’s just a start,” he told her. “After today, we have a wedding to plan. Still on for the holidays?”

  “With you, I’m game for anything.”

  They kissed until Frankie cat-called and Theodore cleared his throat loudly. Chase reluctantly pulled away and led his real fiancée onto the stage to meet his friend and change her life forever. Again.

  Epilogue

  Two Months Later

  Grace paced around the backstage area, cracking her knuckles until Jimmy rolled his eyes and told her to sit still so he could finish her makeup. “This is the biggest day of my life! What if I forget my lines? What if I trip and fall?”

  Laughing, Jimmy guided her back to her chair and touched up her face. “You won’t, Grace, just take a few deep breaths. Everything’s going to be perfect.”

  “How do you know?” she asked, desperate.

  “Because I’m your best friend and best friends know these things,” he told her. “There. What do you think?”

  He stepped to the side, and Grace gasped at her face. “Why are you always better at putting makeup on than me?” she asked, admiring his artwork. “Amazing, thanks, Jimmy.”

  “For you, hon, anything. Now, let’s get you in position. It’s almost time.”

  Piano music played from the other side of the curtain, and Grace sucked in another deep breath to steady her nerves. This was it, the moment she’d been dreaming about for weeks, and she still couldn’t believe it was here. Jimmy tucked her free hand into the crook of his elbow, and together, they left the backstage, walked along the wall of the theater seats, blocked off by white and silver curtains, and reached the end of the main aisle.

  The music shifted when they appeared, and they strode down the aisle towards the stage. Grace’s eyes brimmed with tears when she spotted the man on stage, wearing a perfectly fitted tux, a rose on his lapel, his eyes shining with happiness. She laughed when he reached up to wipe at them but kept his green gaze on hers the entire walk down the aisle. Her white dress flowed behind her, its long train trailing down the aisle as the lights set off the shimmering fabric of her gown.

  When they reached the steps at the bottom, Jimmy kissed Grace’s cheek, and she slipped her hand from his elbow to slide it into Chase’s waiting one as he helped her onto the stage.

  She heard quiet crying and glanced into the seats to see Margot Valentine smiling brightly, clutching a Kleenex in her hand. Grace didn’t want to cry, not yet, but her hands shook with anticipation. As she stood firmly before Chase, the tears slipped from her eyes anyway. Theodore, who had become an officiant so he could have the honor of marrying off his star actress, cleared his throat and began the ceremony.

  “You look beautiful,” Chase whispered, squeezing her hand.

  “Right back at you, handsome.”

  His long hair was pulled back in a braid, and he’d let a dark beard grow in over the past few months, whi
ch Grace found extremely attractive, especially when he tackled her to the bed and drove her to screaming his name. Cheeks flushed, she smothered a laugh. Her wedding. This was her and Chase’s wedding, yet it wasn’t even the best part about the day.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly, watching her closely as Theodore went on about love.

  “I can’t wait to give you your present later.”

  Theodore glanced at them both, but she’d said it too soon. Chase politely asked Theodore to wait a moment. Hushed murmurs went through the small crowd gathered. “What present, Graceland?”

  She grinned, knowing he wouldn’t let it go until she told him. “What, you don’t trust us?”

  “Of course I do, but we agreed no—wait, did you say us?” His eyes widened as they went from her face to her belly and back again. “Us?”

  She took his hands and placed them on her slightly rounded belly, hidden by the empire waist of her dress. “Surprise. This counts as your Christmas present, too,” she teased, laughing until he cupped her face and kissed her. Those in the audience laughed and cheered as Theodore said they skipped a few steps, laughed, and made the pronouncement anyway.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Chase Valentine, the third,” Theodore said. “And I think there may another one on the way if I overheard them correctly.”

  Chase broke away from the kiss. “We’re having a baby!”

  The cheering grew louder, and Margot and Jimmy hurried to the stage, with everyone else following, to congratulate them and hug them. Grace had never been happier in her life, surrounded by people she loved who loved her back for the woman she was finally able to unmask, all because of Chase. He pushed the crowd aside gently so he could hold her again, picking her up off her feet and whispering how much he loved her.

  “Does that mean you’re up for strip Halo later? Best two out of three?” she asked.

  “You’re on, woman,” he growled and held her close. “Never letting you go.”

  “Good,” she whispered back. “Because there’s no way in hell I’m playing your fake wife.”