by Kira Blakely
“Like this?” Esme asked in heavily accented English.
Shawna shook her head and grabbed the silver bowl, explaining in rapid Spanish as she whipped the contents of the bowl. “See?”
Esme beamed a smile and took the bowl. “Si, senorita. Your Spanish is very good.”
Shawna blushed, giving a half-hearted shrug. “I used to babysit before I was old enough to work and most of the kids grew up in Spanish-speaking homes. I don’t speak it well, just enough to seem like it.” She laughed nervously.
“Oh no, it’s very good. Now we swirl?”
Shawna’s face lit up with another smile, auburn hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Yep, with the butter knife, just like that.”
“Good afternoon, ladies.” Gage hated to interrupt but standing on the periphery wasn’t his style.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Gage. You have a good day?” Esme finished her task and walked around the counter to pat his shoulder.
“Not as good as you,” he answered, glancing at the dish Shawna grabbed and slid into the oven. “How’s it going, Shawna?”
“It’s going fine, Gage,” she told him, still avoiding his gaze. “Thirty-five minutes, Esme, and no more. It’ll seem like it isn’t done, but it will be, I promise.”
“Oh, thank you, Shawna. You’re such a good girl.”
She blushed prettily, and Gage fought the urge to grab her and pull her to him. “It’s my pleasure, Esme. Have fun tonight.” She disappeared down the hall. A few moments later, he heard the telltale click of her bedroom door.
Gage tried not to wince at the clear as day sign she wanted nothing to do with him, but Esme saw it. “She’s fine. A nice girl. You could use a nice girl.” She patted his cheek before pulling several containers from the fridge. “I’ll make lunch; come back in thirty minutes.”
He smiled at the way Esme mothered him and nodded. He had business to deal with anyway, but first he had a woman to talk to. Enough was enough, dammit. His brother had hurt her feelings, not him, and he was sick of being treated like this.
“Shawna,” he knocked hard, “open up.” He continued to knock until the door whipped open.
“Yes?” She looked up at him, emotionless. Practically looking through him.
“We need to talk.”
“Now?”
His dark look did nothing to soften her demeanor. “Yes, now.” Gage pushed inside and dropped on the edge of her bed.
Shawna didn’t react at all. She walked over to the small desk in the corner and sat in the chair. “All right, talk.”
“You’re avoiding me.” He waited for her to respond, to deny it, but she only gave him a blank stare. “You have nothing to say?”
“That was a statement, not a question. Your mind is obviously made up, so why don’t you just tell me what sin I’ve committed so we can talk about it?”
The frustrated way she spoke to him and that underlying fire turned him on, and Gage knew he was losing his mind. “Why are you avoiding me?”
Her sigh managed to say about ten different things, the first of those being that she was annoyed and frustrated with him. “I have a full-time job and a full load of classes. I don’t have time to stroke your ego. Is there some part of our agreement I’m not adhering to?”
He couldn’t answer, not with the way her luscious tits jostled when she re-tied her ponytail. Her nipples hardened visibly under his stare and he grinned. She was affected, too. Good. “No. But obviously, I’ve done something to upset you.”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m just busy.”
He wasn’t buying it, but Gage also knew she wouldn’t admit anything to him that would put her in a vulnerable position. They were a lot alike in that way. “We’re going out tonight.” Why he blurted that out, he wasn’t quite sure. This woman made him crazy. He said things he didn’t mean to, acted out of character and made things worse. Completely different from his usual behavior.
“I can’t go out tonight; I have a lot of reading to do.” Turning away to the open books on the desk, she’d already dismissed him.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me, sweetheart. I’d like to go out and since you’re my doting girlfriend, you need to be there with me.”
Turning back to him, Shawna glared. “Yeah, well, as a loving boyfriend, I would think you’d support my education and career goals. If not, maybe we should rethink this whole situation.”
He frowned. “Because I want to go out?” She wasn’t making any sense.
“Yes! Why does a man in a committed relationship need to be out shaking his ass at a Las Vegas nightclub?”
He folded his arms and stood, his stance meant to be intimidating. “So, a relationship means staying cooped up in the house every night?”
She growled her frustration. “No, it means understanding that I have something more important in my life than you and your ridiculous friends. If you need to go out tonight, go ahead. I don’t care. But I have homework to do.”
“This wasn’t part of our agreement.” Women never refused him. They leapt at the chance to go out with him and spend the evening in the VIP section of the hottest clubs in town.
With a patient sigh, she looked up at him with her serious green eyes. “We can end this whenever you want.”
Damn, she was stubborn and what was worse, he found it incredibly fucking hot. “No. You can have tonight, but tomorrow you’re mine and we are going out.”
She gave a terse nod and turned back to her books, highlighter and pen resting between long delicate fingers.
Angry at his own capitulation, Gage slammed her door and stomped down the hall to his office. Like a goddamn child throwing a temper tantrum.
His computer dinged with a message from Steve, and Gage smiled, a new plan already forming.
***
Her plan of avoiding Gage had been working fine. Until the jerk decided to come home in the middle of the day. But now his poor ego was bruised, and he was insisting they go out. Tonight. To another damn nightclub. Her mind still reeled from the last time they’d been dancing together and the wonderful night they’d spent pleasuring each other until they were both sated and exhausted. The night that had started this mess in the first place.
The good news was that avoiding Gage was good for her academic career. She’d made significant progress on the huge research paper due at the end of the term and was poised to ace her mid-term exams. And she hadn’t seen Pearce at all, not even on campus, over the past couple weeks. So, she would suck up her reluctance to go out tonight, slap on a dress and pretend to have a fabulous time. With Gage and his vapid, too-rich friends.
There’s no escape.
Not that she could escape the man if she tried, especially in his own house. Traces of him were everywhere, his scent lingering in the hall shared by their bedrooms, his empty coffee mug sitting in the sink, and of course, listening to the new crop of waitresses gush about their delectable boss. You can have him, she found herself grumbling when they all talked about how lucky she was. Rolling her eyes, she would walk away while they giggled and guessed how he rated in bed.
Yet another thing she refused to think about.
That, along with the harshly spoken accusations Gage’s twin brother had made. He thinks I’m a gold digger. What was it about rich guys who always thought their money was the only thing a woman could possibly want? Gage was handsome as hell, and when he wanted to be, he could charm the panties off a nun. And the way he moved in bed was enough to keep women coming back for more. And more. And more. Hell, he hadn’t even stood up for her against his brother and she was still horny as hell for his brand of loving.
And that was exactly why she was more determined than ever to get the hell out of Las Vegas. She’d already sent out transfer applications to almost a dozen East Coast universities.
But that was for another time. Right now, she had to find a dress to slap on for her night out with her fake billionaire boyfriend. Fun times, she mocked as she looked through her meager
dress collection because she refused to wear any of the sexy, barely-there dresses Gage had one of his assistants—probably Evie—buy for her. So, she opted for the short red dress with cap sleeves that gave her body an alluring hourglass shape. Not that she was trying to impress Gage or his friends, but it was a girl thing. The better she looked, the more prepared she would be to fake it like she meant it.
“Are you ready? We need to get going.” Gage pounded on the door, his voice harsh and demanding.
Apparently, we’re in a rush. She rolled her eyes. “Already? I’ll be out in ten minutes,” she yelled through the door, keeping a tight lid on her emotions.
“Fine.”
Whatever. Slipping on the red dress and matching lingerie, Shawna put her hair up with wispy tendrils to make her look less trashy. Nude heels and natural makeup completed her look and—seven minutes later, thank you very much—she was ready to do this. Well… as ready as she could possibly be, anyway. “All right, let’s go,” she said to the back of his head.
Gage stood and turned and, swear to god, her knees wobbled. The man wore dark jeans and blue shirts like nobody’s business. How can I still be so attracted to him? Shawna didn’t know the answer, but dammit she was frustrated as hell by it all the same.
“You look fucking hot.” He didn’t sound all that happy about it, but being told she looked fucking hot worked for any woman.
“Uh, thanks,” she replied. “Are we still in a hurry?”
He flashed a knowing smirk. “Depends on what you’ve got in mind.”
Shawna laughed. “You were in a mad rush ten, no seven, minutes ago.”
Gage glanced at his watch and growled a curse. “Yes, we need to get going. Come on.” He grabbed her arm, virtually pulling her out the door and down the steps, where he practically tossed her in the car.
“Is your favorite band playing or something, because I have never seen you in such a hurry to get anywhere.”
He gave her an odd look but it was too quick to decipher as he wove through traffic. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Just don’t kill us trying to get wherever we’re going, yeah?” It was the absolute wrong thing to say to a man like Gage. He flashed that melt your panties off because I’m so sexy smile and gunned the gas, sending her hurtling against the back of her seat and holding on to the ‘oh shit’ bar with all her might.
“Not funny!” She had to yell over the sound of the engine, but he was totally unfazed by her tone. Eyes closed tight because she didn’t want to witness her impending death, Shawna listened to the whir of the engine until the car came to a stop.
“We’re here,” he told her, voice as calm as could be. Not at all sounding like a man who’d just done 120 down the strip.
“That’s just great, Gage. I hope this was worth… why are we at the airport?”
“Because we’re going out tonight,” he answered, as though she were the crazy one, and hopped from the car. He circled the front and opened her door. “I believe I said that.”
“Where are we going?”
“Dinner?”
Now it was Shawna’s turn for a show of irritation. “Where, as in geographically, Gage?”
He smiled and grabbed her hand, tossing his keys to a valet she hadn’t even seen until she looked over her shoulder. “That is a surprise.”
A little thrill shot through her at his words. Fake girlfriends didn’t warrant surprise dinner trips… did they? “Why?”
He laughed as he helped her up the steps of his private jet. “Most women don’t care why they’re hopping a private jet for dinner, Shawna.”
“Yeah, and those women are gold diggers, right?” She held up her hands to stop his… well, she didn’t know what it would be, but Shawna knew he’d planned to say something. “I get it, he was just being protective. My point is you don’t need to surprise me. Save your money.” She glared as he laughed and laughed.
All through takeoff, the handsome jerk laughed. “You’re funny, Shawna,” he finally said, twenty minutes into the flight.
“Thanks. I’m a real frickin’ Louis C.K.” And that sent him into another fit of laughter she found equally annoying. And somehow, infinitely appealing. His face transformed when he laughed from ragged and utterly masculine to… breathtaking. “You should laugh more,” she blurted and promptly turned her head to face the window.
“I laugh plenty,” he told her, a bit defensively.
“No, you smirk and grin in a way that’s meant to show off your gorgeous face and those ridiculous dimples.”
Gage frowned at her words. “Ridiculous? Most women find them sexy as hell.” He knew because they never failed to let him know it.
Shawna brushed aside his words with her hand. “Oh, they are, and we both know it, which is exactly why they are ridiculous. You use them effectively, but you don’t laugh. Just give them to someone else who needs ‘em. You certainly don’t.”
She sounded genuinely annoyed. Gage found himself already enjoying this night and they hadn’t landed yet. “Would it make you feel better if I was ugly with dimples?”
“Yes,” she answered quickly. Surely.
He barked out another laugh. “Well, I’m sorry my good looks offend your sense of fair play.”
“It’s fine,” she answered, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ve already gotten used to them.”
Frustration still tinted her words but she was no longer looking at him, her attention focused on the setting sun. “You know Ryker didn’t mean anything by it, Shawna. He would’ve said that about any woman, but since you’re in my home, he’s extra concerned.”
“It’s fine,” she said, but her voice said it was anything but fine. She was still hurt by his words. “I should have expected it, because of course that’s what people will think. Now I’m prepared.”
“I said I would protect you, Shawna, and I will.”
She turned with a sad smile. “Our deal was that you’d protect me from Pearce, and that’s all I’m holding you to.”
Of course, because she really wasn’t like his other women. She’d yet to make use of the clothes he’d bought her, aside from a few pairs of jeans and shirts, which she’d tried to reimburse him for several times. He just wired the money right back to her account and waited for her to notice. Instead of confronting him as he’d hoped, he found out she’d given the cash to Esme for groceries and household items. “I keep my word, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She groaned and smacked his stomach. “Oh, hell, Gage, don’t go being a good guy, too. I can’t take it.”
He smiled, letting her words sink in. She wanted him. Even if she didn’t want to, she did. And that was really good news. Damn good news. “Do you like Japanese food?”
She shrugged. “I like sushi and teriyaki but that’s the extent of my knowledge of Japanese cuisine.”
“Then you’re in for a treat, because we’re going to the best Japanese restaurant in the country.” He spent the remainder of the flight telling her all about his trip to Japan.
She listened closely, asking questions about monuments and culture as they departed the plane and got into a stretch limo. “Did you stay in one of those little cubicle rooms? I know you can afford not to, but it seems like something you’d do.”
He gave her a slow and amused smile. “I did. For two nights. I had to listen to Ryker and Rafe bitch about it.”
The sound of her laughter wrapped around him in the back of the limo. “Well, even your brother has about forty pounds on you and Rafe is a giant. You’re an evil man, Gage.”
He shrugged. “It was so worth it, but those fuckers are small. Maybe for tiny people like you they’re spacious, but I was just as miserable as they were. I pretended it was as good as our next hotel, which was the best hotel in Tokyo.”
“That sounds amazing.” She looked around when the limo came to a stop. “Of course, the best Japanese restaurant is in Los Angeles.” A Mona Lisa smile ghosted her lips. “Nice distraction tec
hnique, using my love of travel against me.”
Later though, Gage was regretting his decision as she moaned erotically over every dish brought out. “God, the sounds you make,” he growled.
Her green eyes popped open in shock. “Sorry, but it really is seriously good. Who knew fish could be so buttery and silky and delicious? And this sauce is… here, taste it.” She held a slice of tuna between the chopsticks and dipped it into the dark sauce before holding it out to him. “Go on, I’m cootie free.”
He glared at her but opened his mouth. “Damn, that is good.” His body responded at the heat in her gaze. “Feed me more, girlfriend.”
She rolled her eyes, but surprised the hell out of him when she held another piece out to him. “This one goes into the red ginger sauce, and it’s kind of spicy,” she warned.
Gage tried not to feel affected by her words. Any other woman would be trying to turn this into foreplay but Shawna genuinely appreciated—and ate—the food. It was foreplay, but he didn’t think she realized it.
He chewed, watching her repeat the steps and placing it on her tongue. “Mmm, so damn good! Thank you for bringing me here. This place is incredible. Even if it is too much.”
“The look on your face when you try something new is worth twice what the night cost. At least.” She blushed and masculine pride swelled in his chest. Shawna wasn’t a woman easily impressed by pretty words and big gestures, so making her blush felt like a win. “More sake?”
“Hell, yeah! Tomoki said the next dishes are warm.”
It went that way all night. Shawna was more excited over the dishes than the celebrities sitting around them, more interested in how he got his start than his net worth and famous clientele. She was grateful and fun, playful and flirtatious without being coy. By the time they were back in the limo, after a long walk on the beach, Gage wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman he’d already had.
On the tarmac, she stopped and turned to him with a stunning smile that affected him in a way he couldn’t describe. “Seriously, Gage, thank you for tonight. You didn’t have to do it, but I had a great time.”