Her eyes drifted from the redhead to Kade. Amusement glinted in his eyes as if he wanted to see what would happen between the two women vying for his attention. Wait…she wasn’t vying for his attention. She cut him a scathing glare of her own, which only increased the laughter in his eyes.
Before Presley did something silly like stick out her tongue at Kade, her phone buzzed inside her back pocket. Turning away, she glanced at the screen and quickly accepted the call. Zuri was finally calling her back. The only communication Presley had received from her agent was a text telling her to sit tight, asking Presley not to respond to her fans. Not that Presley had that many fans yet. At least not as many fans as her archenemy, Jolene Ivy, otherwise known as Poison Ivy, had. The three-year Ninja Champion veteran had a vendetta against Presley after she’d defeated her in the second tier of last season. Jolene was the reason why Presley accepted Zuri’s offer to help her increase her following. Zuri, Gus’s niece, had just graduated with a marketing degree with a focus on social media and digital marketing. Even with a degree, Zuri needed more experience to find a job. Poison Ivy had launched a social media campaign against the Princess Warrior, making it necessary for Presley to fight back. Only she didn’t really do social media. She didn’t have time for it. Presley had to admit that Zuri was doing a good job getting her name out there. Last year no one really knew who Presley Windsor was or cared whether she was engaged or had a boyfriend. Now thousands of followers wanted to know who Prince Charming was.
“Hey,” Presley said. “I’m glad you called.”
Zuri interrupted her before Presley could tell her about the pictures of the engagement she wanted to post online. “I have the best news ever!” Zuri said.
“You do?” Presley asked.
“Yes!” Zuri squealed. “Thanks to me, you are going to be one of the contestants featured on the pre-season Ninja Champion’s kickoff special!”
“Are you serious?” Presley said, letting out a tiny squeal of her own. “I thought they decided that I wasn’t going to be on the special?”
To be featured on the special meant the network considered her as a serious contender for the upcoming season. Last month, a cameraman had followed Presley around for a couple of days, getting footage of her daily training routine, where she worked, and what inspired her to become a Ninja Champion. Presley had been so disappointed when she’d learned she hadn’t made the cut for the network’s kickoff special scheduled to air on New Year’s Day.
“After talking to me, they changed their mind,” Zuri said with a hint of pride in her voice. “They’re very excited to reveal your Prince Charming on national television.”
“My what?” Presley asked, shaking her head as if to clear her hearing.
“You know,” Zuri said with a light laugh, “your fiancé.”
All the air in Presley’s lungs expelled in a whoosh, making her dizzy. She reached out for the door handle to Gus’s office and held on tightly. “I’m not engaged,” Presley choked out.
“Yes, you are,” Zuri said. “I’ve already confirmed it on Insta and Twitter. Didn’t you get my message?”
“Yes, you told me to sit tight while you took care of things!” Presley said in a loud voice. She winced, hoping nobody heard her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Kade wasn’t paying attention to her. She wanted to keep it that way until she figured out this mess. Testing the doorknob, she was grateful it wasn’t locked and stepped inside the office, closing the door for privacy.
“I did take care of things, and now you’ll be on the special,” Zuri said, sounding completely affronted. “You’re welcome.”
“Zuri.” Presley’s phone beeped, and her phone asked her how she could help her. She hit the button to clear the screen and started over. “You’re not listening to me. I’m not engaged. I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
“But the picture clearly showed you trying on an engagement ring.”
“Right, but the guy in the picture is my brother Travis.”
“You’re marrying your brother?”
“What? No, of course not.” Presley let out a frustrated breath. She couldn’t fire Zuri because she wasn’t paying her anything. “I was helping Travis pick out an engagement ring for his girlfriend. He just got engaged today.”
“Are you guys planning a double wedding?” Zuri asked. “Because that might be a cool angle too.”
“I. Am. Not. Getting. Married!” Presley said, enunciated each word for emphasis. “I told you this in my voicemail.”
“I never check my voicemail,” Zuri said. “I just got your text that said you were engaged and somebody leaked it early.”
Presley pulled the phone away from her ear and wanted to smack herself in the head with the device. How had Zuri misread the text message? There was no way she had said any of that. Drawing in a fortifying breath, she put the cell to her ear and explained that she planned to post pictures of Travis and Brynlee’s engagement to clear up the misunderstanding. Calling it a misunderstanding at this point was an understatement bigger than the San Andreas Fault line, but she couldn’t focus on that right now.
“We can still post the pictures of their engagement,” Presley said. “It’s the only way to fix this mess.”
“You can’t do that!” Zuri said in a panic. “This will end my career as a PR agent.”
Presley bit her tongue, so she didn’t say how ending Zuri’s career as a PR agent would be a humanitarian service and worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. “We have to do something because I’m not engaged.”
“Have you looked at all the likes and comments on Instagram?” Zuri asked, ignoring the truth. “This is huge for you. The owner of Ground Zero even congratulated you.”
Weslee Steele commented on the post? That was a big deal. But the fact still remained that Presley wasn’t engaged. “We’ll just have to tell them that we broke up.”
“You can’t do that, either!” Zuri said. “I’ve been working out the deal with the producers all day long. They want to do a big reveal of who your fiancé is and asked if you and your boyfriend would do a reenactment of the proposal. I sent you an email with all of the information and the contract to sign.”
Presley wasn’t sure what to say because Zuri wasn’t listening. She needed to hang up and talk to Travis. Her big brother would know what to do. “Um, I need to go…but I’ll call you later.”
“Please don’t blow this, Presley,” Zuri begged. “Jolene is furious, by the way. She’s on the special too and is throwing a fit that they’ve added you to the lineup.”
Oh, man. Why did she have to go and tell her that? “I know, but I still don’t have a boyfriend. You get that, right?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a boyfriend?” Zuri asked. “Surely someone as gorgeous as you will have a man who is willing to help you out.”
Nope, but thank you so much for the reminder. “I’m not in a relationship right now, Zuri.” Presley massaged the side of her head. “Listen, before we try to figure this out, I need to talk to my brother.”
“Okay.” Zuri let out a noisy breath. “Just remember how big this is and what being on the special will do for your career.”
“Yep, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ending the call, Presley continued to rub the side of her head and thought about checking out the post so she could verify that Weslee Steele had truly liked and commented on her non-existent engagement. But first, she really needed to talk to her brother. Turning around, she startled at the three faces staring at her through the glass window.
Brynlee looked worried. Travis looked frustrated. And Kade looked sexy…er…curious.
Chapter 2
Kade wished he could hear the conversation Presley was having. He could tell she was upset. He almost opened the door to the office but stopped when Travis and Brynlee started coming his way. They’d just said goodbye to the final guest and realized that Presley had disappeared.
“Did you find her?” Travis asked.
&nbs
p; “Yeah, she’s in Gus’s office having a very heated conversation with someone.”
“Oh dear,” Brynlee said. “I’m sure this has something to do with her fiancé.”
All the muscles inside Kade’s gut tightened as he turned to look at Travis incredulously. “Presley’s engaged?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t reveal the strange feeling of jealousy surging through his bloodstream. What was his deal anyway? Travis’s little sister might be a gorgeous blonde goddess with a body meant to be worshipped, but she was off-limits.
Travis made sure every guy at the station understood that. Nobody dared look at Presley as anything but a little sister. Kade remembered the rookie firefighter who must have missed the memo as he vocalized his thoughts about what he’d like to do with Presley. The kid hadn’t even finished his lustful sentence before Travis laid him out flat. He moved to another city soon after.
“No,” Travis said irritably. “Someone got a pic of her helping me pick out Bryn’s ring and assumed she was getting engaged.”
Some of the tension ebbed out of Kade’s shoulders. “I didn’t think she was dating anyone.” He slugged Travis in the shoulder. “Not with Big Brother watching.”
“You make me sound like a psycho,” Travis said, rubbing his shoulder. “I’m just protective.”
“Dude, you knocked a rookie firefighter out cold.”
“Travis!” Brynlee said with shock. “When did you do this?”
“Thanks a lot,” Travis said to Kade. Then he put an arm around his fiancée. “Honey, it was last year, and the guy was saying vile things about Presley.”
“Did he know you were her brother?”
Travis shrugged. “I didn’t bother asking.”
“Violence isn’t the answer, Travis,” Brynlee said in her sweet, grade-school teacher voice. “Just so we’re clear, I love you, but if you ever get thrown in jail, I won’t be visiting.”
“So, that’s a no to conjugal visits?” Travis asked with a teasing smile.
“You are very tempting.” Brynlee kissed him on the mouth. “But it’s a definite no.”
“Stop,” Kade groaned. “You guys are killing me.”
Travis grinned and leaned in for another kiss. Kade rolled his eyes and turned away from the couple. His friend had fallen into the marriage trap. Once he made his vows, the only way out of it was death or divorce. Both options weren’t very good, so Kade planned on avoiding the institution for as long as possible. Maybe after he was in his mid-thirties, he’d think about finding a wife. Kade did love kids and wanted a couple of his own. For now, he was content being the most awesome uncle to his nieces and nephews. With three younger sisters all married and procreating, he didn’t need to rush into anything.
He returned his attention to Presley. She had her back turned to them and was rubbing the side of her head. “Hey, she’s off the phone,” he said when he saw Presley end the call.
Travis stepped forward and lifted his hand to knock on the door when Presley spun around and noticed them. Her hazel colored eyes widened with shock as she looked at Travis and Brynlee for a few seconds before settling her gaze on Kade. Something hot flared in her eyes before she blinked and looked away from him.
Suddenly the air felt as combustible as a building engulfed in flames. Just like he’d learned in the fire academy, Kade wanted to get out before it was too late. But a firefighter never left another firefighter alone, and Travis wasn’t going anywhere, so neither was Kade.
“What’s up?” Travis asked when Presley opened the door and stepped out of the office.
“Oh, nothing much.” Presley tossed a lock of her honey-blonde hair over her shoulder. “Just that my public relations agent is completely crazy and announced to the world that I’m engaged.”
Kade kept his mouth shut as Travis and Brynlee bombarded Presley with questions. She answered them with her usual snark. Something Kade couldn’t help but like. Presley, the Princess Warrior, was sexy and sassy. A deadly combination for any man but especially Kade. He had to keep reminding himself that Presley was off-limits. Travis was his best friend, and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin their friendship. That, and he wasn’t into long-term commitments. Not until he knew for sure the woman he fell in love with was the one he meant just for him. How he’d ever know that was beyond him.
“I don’t know what to do,” Presley said. “She thinks I can just go out and snag myself a man in the next twenty-four hours.”
“Maybe you can,” Brynlee said, tapping a finger to her smiling lips.
“Not likely,” Presley said.
“I have an idea,” Brynlee said, her grin widening. “You need a fake fiancé!”
“A what?” Travis and Presley asked at the same time.
“You know, a fake fiancé.”
“Fake as in he doesn’t exist?” Presley asked.
“No, fake as in temporary or short-term.” Apparently, the first-grade teacher was also an avid reader of romance novels. Kade stifled a laugh while she explained where she’d gotten the idea. “I just read this whole romance series about fake fiancés. It’s the perfect answer.”
“No, it isn’t,” Presley said.
“Yeah, Bryn,” Travis said in a hesitant voice as if he didn’t want to offend his girlfriend. “I’m not sure finding her a fill-in boyfriend is the best idea.”
“It is a good idea,” Brynlee insisted. She reached out and took both of Presley’s hands in hers. “You said yourself that getting on that special would be an amazing boost and will help you get sponsors like Ground Zero. Just think of the fake fiancé thing more like having a plus one for your interview.”
“I guess that could work,” Travis said when Brynlee looked at him for backup.
Presley pulled her hands free and started pacing in front of them. Then she stopped and stared at her brother with wide eyes. “Are you being serious right now?” she asked.
Kade wanted to ask Travis the same thing. Obviously, falling in love was making the man stupid. This was precisely why Kade steered clear of relationships that went beyond a couple of dates.
“Well, yeah.” Travis shifted on his feet and rubbed a hand across his jaw. “You want to win this, right?” he asked.
“Yes.” Presley licked her lips and darted a glance at Kade.
He lifted a questioning brow and shook his head. “Don’t do it,” Kade whispered in an ominous voice. “They’re crazy,” he added while twirling a finger around his head.
“Just hear me out,” Travis said, cutting Kade a glare before focusing back on his sister. “It seems like every contestant featured on the kick-off special acquires some kind of magical powers. Almost all of them have made it to the final tier.”
Kade couldn’t believe Presley was actually considering doing this. But as Travis and Brynlee continued talking about her getting noticed by Ground Zero and the potential of becoming the brand ambassador for their new clothing line, he knew she was warming to the idea. He started to shake his head, but Presley wasn’t looking at him. She stared steadily at her brother and his fiancée, soaking in every word coming out of their mouths.
“Okay,” Presley said, still avoiding looking at Kade, “even if I agree to this insane idea, who is crazy enough to be my fake fiancé?”
“You’ll do it?” Travis and Brynlee asked at the same time.
Kade was too stunned to chime in with his opinion. It wasn’t like he had a say in what Presley did or didn’t do. He certainly knew better than to question Travis when it came to his sister.
“I don’t want to.” Presley worried her bottom lip. “But I also don’t want to lose out on this opportunity.”
“Yay,” Brynlee said, clapping her hands. “Now we have to find you a fake fiancé.”
All the color drained from Presley’s pretty face. “Nope, I can’t do this,” she said, shaking her head. “We have to come up with another plan other than me marrying some random guy.”
“You’re not actually getting married,” Brynlee sai
d. “Remember, he’s your plus one, and this is short term.”
Just when Kade thought Presley was coming to her senses, she considered Brynlee’s words. “Okay, but again, where are you going to find a guy willing to do this?” Presley held out her hands in front of her. “For free,” she added. “Because even if we pooled our money together, we wouldn’t have enough to hire someone.”
“What about Damion?” Brynlee asked. “He’s not too bad and would love to help you.”
Kade wanted to know who Damion was but kept his mouth shut. Judging from the look on Presley’s face, he guessed she wasn’t into him.
“First, eww. I can’t even—just yuck,” Presley said with a shudder. “Second, he’s not available.” She pressed her palms together and looked heavenward. “Thank heaven for small miracles.”
“Yeah, we might want to steer clear of obsessive fans,” Travis said. “I think we need someone Presley already knows and is comfortable around.”
“What about one of the single guys at the station?” Brynlee asked, glancing up at Travis.
“Um, no.” Presley shook her head, making her blonde curls ripple across her shoulders. “Absolutely not.” She shot Kade a look he couldn’t quite read before adding, “Most of the guys are all like brothers to me.”
Kade wasn’t sure why that statement bothered him so much. He might treat Presley like a little sister but he noticed things about Presley that no brother should ever notice about a sibling. Looking at her sidelong, he studied her profile, appreciating the curve of her cheek and her full bottom lip that had him thinking about what it might feel like to kiss her. See…not brotherly thoughts. Wait a sec…she’d said, “most of the guys.” Did that include him?
“That’s not a bad thing,” Travis said as a slow smile spread across his face. “Speaking of brothers,” he said, shifting his focus on Kade. “I think I know the perfect guy.”
Her Stand-In Fake Fiancé Page 2