by Anne Rainey
Dedication
For my wonderful husband. You will always be my best friend. I love you!
Chapter One
Leo pushed open the door to The Book Attic and said, “I have sweet and sour pork, hot and sour soup and egg rolls. I really hope you’re hungry.” He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Amanda, the owner of the bookstore and his best friend for the past three and a half years, chatting with a customer. A male customer. And the guy was flirting big time. He looked like something out of a magazine with his crisp navy blue suit and neatly trimmed dark hair. Amanda always did go for the corporate types. He looked down at his own worn jeans and black work boots and cringed. He’d forgotten to pound the dirt off. Amanda hated it when he tracked dirt through her store.
He started to head back out the door when he noticed Amanda stepping closer to the guy. She took the book he was holding and held it close to her chest, laughing at something the other man said. Damn, it wasn’t any of his business if Amanda flirted. She could flirt all she wanted, and it still wouldn’t matter. She was a friend, nothing more.
Clutching the bag of food, Leo quickly nixed the idea of cleaning off his boots. He’d run the vacuum later. Instead, he closed the distance between them. Neither of them looked over at him, too wrapped up in their conversation apparently. He rattled the bag of food for good measure, but after a few minutes of listening to Amanda talk about how fabulous some author’s books were, Leo cleared his throat—really loud. The customer looked over the top of Amanda’s head and shot him an angry get lost glare. Amanda turned and smiled, then sniffed the air.
“Mmm, is that sweet and sour pork I smell?”
Leo grinned. Mr. GQ might know books, but Leo knew Amanda. Nothing and no one took precedence over sweet and sour pork. “Yep, your favorite. Want me to take it to the back?”
Amanda headed toward the cash register. “That’d be great, thanks.”
Leo watched out of the corner of his eye as she rang up the man’s purchase. It was tempting to stay and see if the guy slipped her his phone number. Leo reminded himself, again, that it wasn’t any of his business if the pair made out right here in the store.
As he went through the doorway leading to the backroom, he shoved thoughts of Amanda and Mr. GQ out of his head and started setting out their lunch. They had a standing lunch date every Wednesday and Friday. It’d been that way since Leo had first met Amanda. He smiled as he remembered that day. It’d been at the grocery store. She’d grabbed the last box of caramel corn. He’d been miffed because his taste buds had been all set to dig in. Halfheartedly he’d offered up the possibility that they have lunch together and share the box. She’d smiled up at him, and they’d been friends ever since. These days, Leo either brought lunch to her bookstore and they ate in the back, or she came and picked him up at the office of the construction company he owned. Either way, they never missed a date.
As he set out the last of the food, Leo heard footsteps. He looked up just in time to see Amanda coming into the room, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. “He gave you his number?” And why exactly did Leo have the urge to grab it and toss it in the trash?
She blushed and clutched the paper tighter. “Maybe.”
He rolled his eyes. “No maybes about it, the guy was staring at you like you were an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
She laughed and waved the compliment away. Why did she find it so impossible for a guy to look at her with hunger? After all these years spent telling the hardheaded woman that she had it going on, Amanda still wouldn’t listen.
He took her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “How many times do I have to say it, sweetheart? You’re a hottie. Men are always going to hit on you.”
She pushed out of his arms and sat at the old, scarred wood table. “I’m slightly overweight, and I have zero fashion sense. Hardly a hottie, Leo.”
Leo straddled the chair across from her and waited until she dug into her pork before saying, “It’s like when a dog spies a juicy hamburger on the edge of the counter. I don’t care how well behaved the dog is. He’s going to try and get a taste. And you, sweetheart, are juicy.”
She stopped chewing and frowned up at him. Swallowing back a bite, she said, “Are you saying I’m a hamburger? If you’re going to compare me to beef at least make it a steak.”
He chuckled and dug into his own food. “You’re a filet mignon and don’t you forget it.”
She ate a few more bites of her pork before saying, “Right now I just feel desperate. My mother called earlier.”
Leo scowled. He’d never met Amanda’s parents, but he hated them for the way they treated their only daughter. They acted as if there was something flawed about her just because she wasn’t married and knocked up. It pissed him off to think anyone could possibly consider Amanda flawed. “Did she give you the We’re Not Going To Live Forever speech?”
She picked up her egg roll and swirled it around in the sweet and sour sauce, but he noticed she didn’t take a bite. “No, this time it was to tell me the annual family reunion is coming up, and she wants to know if I plan to attend. Alone. Again.”
Leo had forgotten about the Harding family reunion. Shit. Last year when Amanda had returned from that crappy trip, he’d had a hell of a time getting her out of the depression the event had put her in. Her parents had lectured her the entire damn time. When was she going to marry? When was she going to give them grandchildren? Why did she have live clear across the United States and work in that dreadful little bookstore?
Leo opened the lid on the hot and sour soup and picked up a white plastic spoon. “Don’t go. Skip it this year.” He couldn’t handle seeing them tear down her self-esteem yet again.
She shook her head as she pushed the egg roll through the orange sauce. “I can’t. She’s expecting me to be there. It would be so much easier if I could’ve brought a guy along, but I haven’t dated anyone since Roger and he was such a horrible dud.”
Oh, Leo remembered Roger. “The nose picker.”
She grimaced. “It was so gross watching him eat too. The man had no manners at all.”
Leo dropped the spoon and reached across the table. He plucked the egg roll out of her hand. “Stop drowning the thing and eat it.” He held it to her lips, somewhat mesmerized as she closed them around it and took a bite. She moaned a little, her eyes drifting shut. Watching Amanda eat had turned into one of his favorite hobbies. She did it with such obvious pleasure. Each bite received special attention.
Leo cleared his throat and let her take the deep-fried roll out of his hand. He dug into his soup and they ate in silence for a while. His soup finished, Leo pushed the Styrofoam cup aside and said, “We’ll figure something out about the reunion.”
She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and sat back in her chair. “What’s there to figure out? I’m going to have to attend this blasted thing. Alone. I’m going to have to sit there and listen to them go on and on about how disappointing I am.”
Leo shrugged. “Take someone with you. It’s just a weekend, Amanda. It’s not like you have to make a big commitment to a guy just to spend the weekend with him.”
Amanda bit her bottom lip and stared at him, as if thinking over his words. “I had thought maybe T.J. would like to go with me,” she said, her voice low, a little unsure.
Leo stiffened. Was she dating someone and he didn’t know about it? “Who’s T.J.?”
“That customer I was talking to earlier. He comes in a lot. He’s asked me out a few times. Today was the first time he gave me his number.” She shook her head. “No, it’d be too bold to ask him to spend the weekend with me in Lake Tahoe. Much too bold.”
Mr. GQ with Amanda for the entire weekend. Now why did the thought
of that make him queasy? She took a sip of her cola, and an idea struck Leo. He smiled.
She cocked her head to the side. “Why are you grinning like that?”
“Like what?”
She narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him. “You have that look. The one that tells me I’m not going to like what you’re thinking.”
Leo leaned forward, grabbed her finger, and brought her hand to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles before releasing her. “What would you say if I told you I have a way for you to attend the reunion with a man and not have to worry about the guy expecting a single thing from you except a nice little vacation?”
“You do?”
He bobbed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yep.”
Amanda leaned forward. “How? Who?”
“You’re going to take me, and I’m going to be your soon-to-be fiancé.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and stood. “Have you lost your mind?”
She started to clear away their food, but Leo wouldn’t be deterred. The more he thought of it, the more he liked the idea. “Think about it for a second. It’s the perfect plan. We’ll play it up. Do the whole we’re so in love thing and your parents will be so thrilled they’ll leave you alone for once.”
“Great idea. There’s just one little problem here. What happens when we get back and they realize there’s no wedding on the horizon?”
Leo stood and moved around the table, helping clean their mess. “So what? People break up all the time. You can tell them I turned out to be a loser.”
After tossing napkins and plastic forks in the trash Amanda stopped and turned toward him. “This could go terribly wrong, Leo.”
Leo closed the few feet separating them and took her by the shoulders. “A weekend in Lake Tahoe with your best friend,” he whispered. “How is that wrong?”
She placed her hand on his chest and looked away. “It’s a lie though. It feels wrong to pretend we’re in love when we aren’t. Besides, I don’t think we can pull it off. They’ll see right through us, then it’ll be even more of a mess. Not to mention embarrassing.”
“See through us, huh?” She nodded and looked up at him. Their gazes caught, held. Leo cupped her chin in his palm. “Let’s see if we can’t make this look like the real deal,” he growled, as he placed his lips on hers. He tasted the sweet sauce from their lunch and something else. Something warm and spicy. He tasted Amanda. Angling his head, Leo pressed a little harder. Her plump lower lip tempted him to lick and nibble. He held back, barely. She whimpered and swayed forward, pushing her ample breasts against his ribcage. Ah, hell, that felt good. Too damn good.
Slowly, Leo lifted his head and stared down at her. Her eyes were closed and her lips, those succulent pink lips, were open a few millimeters. Enough that he could slip his tongue between them and take another, deeper, taste of her. Bad idea, he told himself. Christ, this was Amanda. His best friend. The kiss was supposed to be a way of showing her they could make it look real. Under no circumstances was he supposed to get a hard-on. Unfortunately his cock had other plans.
He cleared his throat. “So, still think we can’t pull this off?”
Amanda’s eyes opened. Awareness settled over her delicate features. She blushed and pushed out of his arms. “Um, yeah, this might actually work.”
To give himself something to do, Leo went back to clearing away their lunch clutter. “Good. When is the reunion?”
“This weekend. It’s short notice, I know.”
“It’s not a problem. I just finished up that remodeling job downtown so it’s good timing actually.”
Amanda brushed at her skirt, and Leo saw it for the nervous gesture it was. The kiss had gotten to both of them. “Oh, okay then. I’ll book the flight.”
Leo stiffened. “Uh-uh. I’m paying for this trip.”
Her eyes widened. “But why? It’s my family reunion, Leo. There’s no reason you should pay.”
This was one point he wouldn’t bend on. “I’m paying, Amanda.”
She frowned and smacked him on the arm. “I hate when you take that tone. Pay for your half then if you must, but I’m paying for mine.” He started to protest, but she held a hand in the air. “Or you can just stay home and I’ll go alone. Or with T.J.”
No way in hell was she going anywhere with Mr. G fucking Q. Not after that kiss. Leo wasn’t letting this woman anywhere near another man, not until he figured out what the hell was going on between them. “Fine. Just remember I’m staying with you in your cabin. We’re lovers, after all.”
“Pretend lovers, and I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. How do I let you talk me into these things, Leo?”
He heard the vulnerability and Leo couldn’t stand it. He closed the distance and wrapped his arms around her. “It’ll be fine, sweetheart. Trust me.”
She nodded, and Leo let out a breath. He prayed he was right. Because losing Amanda’s friendship would be like using a butter knife to cut off his arm. Not a pleasant thought.
Chapter Two
Amanda couldn’t get the kiss out of her head. She’d been thinking about it day and night. Leo had kissed her. It’d been fake, of course, but then why had it affected her so? They were friends, and he was going to help her out. He wasn’t actually attracted to her. If that were the case then why had he had an erection? She’d felt it. Heck, there’d been no way she couldn’t feel it. The man was huge.
And he was her best friend. She so shouldn’t be thinking about the size of his cock. Right? It was Friday, and she was on her way to his office to take him to lunch. For the first time since first meeting Leo, Amanda was nervous. They’d talked since the kiss and he’d texted her a few times, but tomorrow they would be on their way to Lake Tahoe and he’d be treating her like a lover. A make-believe lover. The notion sent her heart racing.
Pulling into the parking lot of Prentice Construction, Amanda looked around for Leo’s black four-wheel drive truck. She noticed it close to the back and pulled her white VW bug into the spot next to it. She shut off the engine and checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. She retouched her pale pink lipstick and glanced at her hair. She’d pulled the long, blonde, unruly mess into a ponytail. It was too hot out to wear any other way. And she’d gone without her suit jacket, opting to only wear the peach silk sleeveless blouse and dark gray skirt. The skirt was nice, a little tight through the hips and a touch shorter than most of her other skirts, but she always thought her legs looked long whenever she wore it. Considering she stood all of five foot one, long legs were a big deal.
Stop it, she chided herself. She should not be worried about her looks. It’s lunch with your best friend, not your boyfriend. Amanda stoutly ignored the little voice in the back of her head that reminded her of the hard erection Leo had gotten while kissing her Wednesday and shoved open her car door. As she made her way to the front entrance, Jordan Lane came striding out. Jordan was a nice guy, a little too flirtatious but still sweet.
He held the door for her and grinned. “Hey, pretty lady. Picking up the boss?”
She smiled. “Yep.”
He leaned closer and whispered, “Be warned, he’s been a real grump lately.”
Amanda clutched her purse tighter. “Oh?”
Jordan shoved a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Not sure what’s got him riled but something’s been eating at him.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll see if I can’t get him in a better mood.”
He chuckled. “Lunch with you always puts the boss in a good mood.”
“You planning on talking to my employees all day or are we going to eat?” Leo stood a few feet inside the room, staring at Jordan as if he wanted to commit murder. She’d never seen Leo so short-tempered. Well, there was the one time when he’d had to go to the dentist. The root canal that followed had put him in a very sour mood. She’d ended up playing nursemaid until she’d gotten so fed up with his lousy attitude that she’d threatened to leave him to his own devi
ces. If she remembered correctly, he’d straightened up pretty quick.
Jordan winked. “See what I mean?”
Leo moved closer and took hold of the door. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, Lane?”
Jordan held up both hands as if in surrender. “I’m already gone.”
Amanda watched Jordan head toward his work truck. With his six-foot-plus muscular frame, hazel eyes and dark hair, Jordan was a good-looking man but not really her type. She heard Leo clear his throat. She swiveled around only to be glared at. It set her on edge.
“If you’d rather skip lunch, that’s fine with me. I’ve got some things to take care of anyway before I can leave the store to Robin for the weekend.”
“I don’t want to skip lunch,” he bit out. “I’m starving.”
Her temper got the better of her. “Fine, but if you plan on snapping at me the whole time then I’d just as soon you eat alone.”
His gaze darkened. “I’m not snapping.”
She poked him in the chest. “Yes, you are.”
Leo started to speak, then paused and let out a huge breath. “Sorry. Damn, I’m just having one of those days.”
Amanda smiled and patted his cheek. “You can tell me all about it over a bowl of fettuccine.”
Finally she was graced with his smile. She loved Leo’s smiles. He was handsome no matter what with his dark tousled hair and sun-darkened skin. It didn’t hurt that he had a workingman’s body either. He was truly the stuff of fantasies. But when he smiled it brightened up a room.
“Sounds like a plan.” He grabbed keys from his front jeans pocket and locked up. “Have you, uh, talked to your mom yet?” he asked as they headed for his truck. Leo always insisted on driving, claiming her little Bug made him feel like he was trapped in a sardine can. Since he was six-foot-three, she supposed he had a point.
“About bringing my boyfriend along, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
He held the truck door for her. “I did. She can’t wait to meet you.” When she made an attempt to step up, her skirt hindered her progress.