“Don’t worry about it,” Sully said, aiming directly at business as usual. If Sasha suspected that their encounter last night had been anything other than an honest-to-God test run for their fake-boyfriend act, she sure didn’t show it. “The jet lag is getting to me, too.”
“Ah. See, it’s the total dread that’s getting to me.” Sasha tried on a smile, knotting her hair at the nape of her neck before running her hands over her long black sweater. “I guess I should probably warn you that both of my parents are remarried.”
She sat on the edge of the bed, pausing to tug a pair of knee-high riding boots over her sleek black pants, and sweet Jesus, he was never going to lose this hard-on.
Sully cleared his throat while his conscience wrote a sternly-worded letter to his dick. “I take it that’s a bad thing.”
“In the grander scheme of the world, no. But the last time my whole family was face to face for a period of days was my college graduation, and let’s just say nobody got brownie points for good behavior. Jace and I usually try to keep them separated as best we can.”
Actually… “Divide and conquer sounds like a good strategy.”
“Right, I forgot.” A pop of laughter slipped free from her lips, and she wound a bright blue scarf around her neck as she tipped her head at the door in a wordless ready? “Your glass is half-full. You’re a man with a plan for everything.”
He stood to usher her into the hallway, unable to resist trying to get to her heart via her stomach. “I’m a man with a plan for breakfast. Don’t even try to tell me the baker in you isn’t dying for some good, old-fashioned Irish soda bread.” Hell, with her ambition and ability in the kitchen, there was no chance Sasha wouldn’t perk up at the mention of food.
Her stomach sounded off like a thunderstorm on the near horizon, and she covered it with one palm despite being clearly busted. “Uh-huh. Because you won’t be trying to finagle recipes for everything we eat while we’re here.”
“Are you kidding?” Sully jutted his chin toward the staircase at the end of the hall, where muffled voices and the delectably rich scent of just-brewed coffee floated upward. “I’m halfway to blackberry jam in my head. The brochure in our room says it’s a Willow Cove specialty.”
“The jam sounds great,” Sasha said, her deep breath audible as she gripped the banister and headed down the stairs. “Let’s just hope we survive long enough to try it.”
“Come on,” he teased. “It’s just a little continental breakfast before sightseeing. How bad can it be?”
“Oh my God!” came the shrill interruption from all the way across the dining room at the end of the lobby, and Sully took a startled half-step back. The dark-haired woman belonging to the voice honed in on Sasha from twenty-five feet away, but neither the distance nor the semi-crowded dining room stopped her from continuing her broadcast as she beelined past the wide-eyed breakfast-goers.
“Sweet baby girl, I thought your brother was pulling my leg. It’s about time you brought a man to a family event! We were beginning to think you’d passed your prime.”
Sasha plastered a too-tight smile to her face, looking up at Sully from their spot at the entryway as she whispered, “You were saying?”
Holy shit. What had they gotten themselves into?
“Ooookay,” he whispered back, although he was sure he looked anything but. “Let’s go meet the parents.”
“Hi, Mom,” Sasha said, taking a few steps into the cozy dining room to let the woman place noisy air kisses on each of her cheeks. “It’s good to see you.”
“You could see me more often if you came out to Tucson more than once a year, you know. There’s a new aesthetician at the spa. She’s amazing.” Sasha’s mother enunciated each syllable as if they were their own words, gesturing to her preternaturally smooth forehead and her frosted pink pout. “I bet she could fix up those dark circles under your eyes in a snap.”
Sasha’s spine went rigid, and hell if that didn’t make two of them. “I’m sure she could, but Tucson’s a bit of a trip from DC and I’ve got my hands pretty full with catering jobs and culinary school right now.”
Her mother lifted a flawlessly penciled black brow, transferring her cat-in-cream gaze from Sasha to Sully. “Not too full for some things, I see. Thank God.”
“Okay!” Sasha chirped, turning toward Sully just as he stepped forward to save her. “Mom, this is my, ah, boyfriend, James Sullivan. Sully, this is my mom, Gigi Arrington-Taylor-Macklemore-Roberts.”
Sully extended his hand, testing out his most easygoing smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs....”
“Just Gigi, sugar. Mrs. is for old ladies,” she gushed, batting her too-long-for-reality eyelashes. Her gaze traveled slowly down his arm, ending at their handshake with an overdone grin. “Oooh, someone goes to the gym.”
Sasha’s cheeks flushed bright red as her mother gave him another obvious once-over, but he countered it with a reassuring nod. He’d promised to be Sasha’s wingman, and right now that meant taking the spotlight for the team.
“You got me, Gigi. I only get to exercise in between classes at culinary school, though. Sasha’s not kidding about our schedule being pretty rigorous.”
Gigi’s toothpaste-commercial smile brightened by another twenty watts. “And he cooks, too? Oh, aren’t you just a keeper. Phil!” She turned to bark over the shoulder of her hot pink blouse, causing both him and Sasha to jump. “Come meet Sasha’s man.”
“Her what?” A man in his sixties sporting a too-tight T-shirt and a spray tan the color of Florida citrus appeared at Gigi’s side, smoothing his silver-blond hair with a manicured hand. “I thought Jace was…huh. No shit, kiddo. Guess you’re not quite on the shelf after all.”
“Guess not,” Sasha replied, the delicate line of her jaw pulling tight. “Phil, this is my boyfriend, Sully.”
“He’s a keeper,” Gigi added, and man, this was going to take all the dodge-and-deflect Sully could drum up.
“So are Jace and Delaney downstairs yet?” He swiveled his gaze around the dining room before Gigi took another stab at making the wedding a two-for-one. “I’d love to congratulate the happy couple.”
Gigi’s saccharine smile slipped, and she picked at some invisible lint on her sleeve. “They’re out front, finalizing today’s sightseeing tour with the driver.” She turned toward Sasha, frown firmly in place. “Of course, your father has to have his nose in everything right down to the timing of the bathroom breaks, so he and Ellen are out there too. Not a spontaneous bone between them. I swear they’re more frigid than a polar bear’s ass in the snow.”
“Mom.” Sasha’s sigh competed with Phil’s voice-over laughter, and yep. It was officially time to break up this reunion before she blew a gasket.
“I’m sure the tour will be great,” Sully said, tipping his head toward the buffet table laid out at the other side of the room. “But Sasha and I should probably grab some breakfast before things get started. A day’s worth of airline food leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Oh. Of course, of course. You must be starving, you handsome thing.” Gigi leaned in to air kiss both of them before mouthing an exaggerated keeper! in Sasha’s direction. “We’ll just see you two love birds out front in a bit. We’ve got all day to catch up together! And I can give you some tips to get rid of those frown lines, too, Sasha. It’s never too early to banish your wrinkles.”
“Mmm hmm! Gotta get some breakfast. Right now. Bye, Mom!” Sasha turned toward the buffet table, her feet already in motion, and even at six-two, Sully had to work to keep up with her.
“God, Sully. I’m so sorry,” she moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.
“Guess you weren’t embellishing, huh?” He slid two empty cups from the coffee station at his hip, filling them both to the brim before gesturing to a nearby breakfast table. “Anyway, don’t apologize. Let’s have a toast.”
“To what?” Sasha slumped into her chair, eyeing him with suspicion. “The
fact that this weekend will probably never end?”
“No,” Sully said, his resolve cementing into place in his chest. He might have underestimated Sasha’s family dynamic, but strategy was his specialty, damn it.
He’d come here to put her at ease, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.
“Let’s drink to the fact that we’ve got fifteen minutes and a killer breakfast in front of us. I’ve come up with ironclad plans on a whole lot less.”
Sully leaned in toward her, close enough to see her knockout-blue eyes go round and wide as he added, “So trust me, sweetheart. No matter what your parents dish up today, we’re going to be just fine.”
#
Sasha shielded her eyes from the mid-morning sunlight, pretending to take in the breathtaking view of the rolling Irish countryside in front of her. But rather than focusing on Willow Cove’s emerald-green hills or the old-world stone houses nestled among them, her attention was locked in on one thing and one thing only.
When Sully had pinned her with that smoky green stare and promised they’d be just fine together, Sasha had felt it all the way to her toes.
What’s more, he’d actually been right.
While the beginning of their outing hadn’t been without thinly veiled barbs from both of her parents as they’d all congregated to board the ten-person tour bus, Sully’s plan to reframe and re-direct had been nothing short of brilliant. In the hour her family had already spent exploring the historic grounds of Willow Cove’s church, she and Sully had perfected the series of hand signals and diversionary topics he’d come up with over breakfast, to the point where she’d not only handled her overbearing mother with relative ease, but they’d been able to take in some of the charming town with Jace and Delaney. Maybe—just maybe—there might be a glimmer of truth to the whole glass-half-full thing.
“Hello, Sasha.”
She whirled around, landing face to frown with her father for the first time all morning, and yeah. Maybe not.
“Jeez, Dad! You startled me.” Sasha steeled herself against her hammering heartbeat, leaning into her father’s cool hug.
“You were always one to daydream,” he said, pulling back to gesture to the semi-secluded spot where she stood on the scenic path. “I haven’t seen you other than to say hello as we got started this morning. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me.” He put just enough accusation to the words to keep them from being playful, and Sasha did her level best not to crack a molar as she smiled.
“It’s been a busy morning. Sully and I spent a little time catching up with Jace and Delaney, and then I decided to walk the trails here to enjoy the view.” Step number one in Sully’s strategy had been to stick to neutral subjects, and finding something to complain about in their gorgeous surroundings would be tough even for her stickler-serious dad.
“Well, I’m glad you and your brother are close, despite our family circumstances.” Her father’s scowl went for broke as he leveled a cold, blue stare at the entryway to the church gardens, where Gigi stood talking with Sully and Delaney. “Although Jace came to visit Chicago twice last year, and Ellen and I didn’t see you at all.”
Sasha scraped in a breath, double-dipping her patience in titanium. “I already went through this with Mom. My schedule at culinary school is really tight, and I’ve been working a lot to get experience with different catering companies.”
Okay, so her career might not exactly be neutral territory where her father was concerned, but just because she’d taken a little longer than most people to figure out her path didn’t mean she wasn’t serious about becoming a chef, or smart enough to do it.
“I suppose that’s a good enough reason for you not to come and visit,” her father said, although his tone of voice suggested he didn’t really think so. “I have to admit, I’m a bit shocked you’re still in culinary school.”
“It’s a two-year degree program,” she countered. Sasha still had six months until graduation. With how carefully her father micromanaged everything from rest stops to retirement, surely he knew she’d still be in school.
He crossed his arms over his perfectly pressed button-down shirt. “I’m aware of the time required for the degree program. I just thought you might’ve channeled your energy into something else by now.”
Realization sank into Sasha’s chest, kicking her heart against her ribs. “You think I’m going to quit and move on to something different.”
“You do tend to make career changes without much planning or foresight, Sasha. I wish you’d at least sit down with an advisor to discuss some smarter long-term options. I can set up a phone conference with someone from our business team…”
This conversation was hitting the skids, and fast. How could she have possibly thought that some postcard-perfect scenery and a handful of tactical maneuvers would pull her from the clutches of her parents’ disdain?
Sasha opened her mouth to launch into the nine-hundredth version of her least favorite argument, when she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the path behind her.
“Hey, there you two are,” Sully said, and oh God, she could kiss him right now. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Nope! Not at all.” Sasha’s arm shot out, connecting with the sleeve of Sully’s leather jacket as she hauled him in to her side. “You have fantastic timing, actually. My dad and I were just talking about culinary school.”
“Oh?” His inflection loaded the word with interest, although the split-second flash in his gaze told her he’d received her coded hint loud and clear. “It’s getting pretty grueling now that we’re down to the last six months. But Sasha’s really dedicated.”
“Is that so?” Her father’s brows-up expression oscillated between doubt and surprise, but Sully didn’t even skip a beat.
“Sure. She puts in more time than anyone I know, and our pastry instructor even said her chocolate ganache is flawless. Between you and me, I think any catering company would be lucky to have her after graduation.”
After a beat of stunned silence, Sasha’s father rocked back on the heels of his loafers. “Well, that’s certainly nice to hear.” His eyes crinkled at the edges for a fleeting second before his expression returned to his usual stalwart reserve. “At any rate, it’s getting late in the morning. I’ve got to check in with the tour guide regarding our lunch schedule, so I’ll leave you both to the view. We can catch up later, Sasha. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
Sasha waited until her father was out of earshot on the grassy path back to the church before picking her jaw up from the ground. “How on earth did you do that?”
“All I did was tell the truth,” Sully said, starting to walk on the side of the trail leading away from the church. “Your ganache is practically a work of art.”
“That’s not what I meant. Although thank you,” she added, her feet keeping time alongside his. “How did you know I needed a bail out?”
One corner of his mouth lifted into the unnervingly sexy half-smile that kept threatening to undo her. “You mean aside from the fact that you looked like you’d rather have a tax audit than a conversation with your dad?”
Ugh, he probably had her there. “That obvious, huh?”
“Just a little. Maybe we should come up with a special signal in case one of us needs an immediate bail out. You know, for Code Red situations.”
“That’s a great idea,” Sasha said, threading her arm through the crook of Sully’s elbow a little bit tighter. Damn, her mother hadn’t been kidding about him working out. “Kind of like a fake emergency call for a bad first date?”
“Kind of.” He squeezed her back, sending a shot or warmth all the way up to her shoulder. “But our cell phones don’t work over here, remember? We should probably stick with a hand signal.”
Crap. She had that fake emergency down to an Oscar nomination. “So what do you think we should use?”
“Hmm.” Sully’s brow tugged in thought. “Something natural, that we c
an manage without being too obvious.”
“How about a cough?”
He led her to a secluded spot just off the path, unlinking their arms as he turned to face her. “You’re on the right track. But we need something that will work if we’re out of earshot.”
Sasha’s pulse quickened, her breath holding tight to her lungs as the lack of space between them registered. “So more like pulling on a strand of hair?”
The breeze wound around their bodies, rustling the overhead leaves and stirring a few loose tendrils that had worked free from the knot at her neck. Sully captured one in a gentle grasp, sliding his thumb and forefinger to the very end before tucking the hair back behind her ear.
“Closer. But I think my hair might be a little short for that, so it won’t work both ways.”
Her eyes zeroed in on the sandy brown hair curling just behind his ears, tousled loosely enough that no one would notice if she ran her fingers through it, and oh God. Between this and their slow, seductive practice session last night, her just-friends resolve was waning by the second.
“Okay,” Sasha breathed, blinking past the desire sparking low and hot in her belly even though it took effort. “What should we use then?”
He tilted his head, his gaze traveling the length of her neck before stopping at her ear. “How about a quick tug right here? That ought to be perfect.”
“I’m really sorry I got you into this mess,” she said, her cheeks going hot from both his stare and the situation. “It’s pretty bad when your survival plan has to include a signal for a Code Red.”
But Sully didn’t hesitate, and the serious-as-sin glint in his eyes turned her willpower into dust.
“I signed on to be your wingman, and I’m good at strategy, remember? In fact, let’s make a deal. You and I get through the rest of today with this divide and conquer scheme, and I promise tonight will be the most relaxing night of your life.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Sully tossed his room key to the dresser with a clatter, turning to give Sasha a half-grin, half-grimace as he reached up to loosen his tie.
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