“Your team is exceptional, Gage,” she said, skipping over a greeting. “Which is in no small part thanks to you being a dedicated, earnest leader.”
His eyebrows lifted at the compliment he wasn’t expecting. But then she spoke again and made it obvious that she’d come in here with an agenda.
“I have an itinerary, your plane ticket and a few other details to cover for this weekend’s wedding if you’re available for a quick rundown. I know it’s last-minute, but I’ve been busy.”
All business, he thought with a smile. He’d always enjoyed a challenge but, he was realizing, lately he’d pursued challenges professionally rather than personally. He hadn’t chased women who’d challenged him since Laura left. Then again, Andy had been the only one who’d tempted him to do so since.
“What are you doing right now?” he asked her.
“Now?” Her eyes widened slightly.
“Yeah. Now. Dinner?”
She shook her head like what he was saying didn’t compute.
“Are you hungry?” he pressed.
“Yes.”
“Are you busy right now?”
“I’m always busy.”
He waited.
She shrugged and affected an unaffected expression. “Fine.”
“Great. I’ll drive.”
“Where are we going?”
“Why? Are you picky? Have allergies?”
“No.” She frowned.
“Then don’t worry about it.” He winked, enjoying throwing her off-kilter.
He needed a little more fun in his life and Andy definitely needed a little more fun in her life. He liked that she seemed unused to a man strong enough or willing enough to take her on. He just liked her, dammit, though he wasn’t yet sure why he liked her this much.
* * *
In the immediate seconds following Gage’s invitation to dinner, Andy wanted to blurt out that she needed to change first. Thankfully she resisted that very female urge. Just because Gage was playing her date at the wedding didn’t mean he was one tonight. She would pretend they were an item, enjoy the reprieve from her family’s judgment, and relish showing up an old ex-boyfriend who thought she’d been carved from a block of ice. But she’d keep the boundary lines very clear in her head. Gage had agreed to be her date for one reason: because he’d needed her expertise at work.
Without something to gain, he wasn’t interested in her—he’d turned her down that night in the bar, after all.
Still, being around him was a rare exception she admitted she was tempted to enjoy. She was a hard sell to any man—even without the offer to pay him. A man who was both professional and not intimidated by her success was a rare commodity. Like finding a unicorn.
Even though her arrangement with Gage wouldn’t last any longer than her sister’s reception, Andy figured it’d be good to get to know him so that her family wouldn’t suspect she’d bribed him to come. The only thing more humiliating than showing up at her sister’s wedding with a fake date would be everyone learning that she was faking it.
But the stray thought about changing for dinner with Gage had rocked her. Why would she care what he thought of her appearance if they weren’t doing this for real? She’d long ago accepted that a forever-and-ever relationship wasn’t going to happen, and yet something about Gage—about his charm and kindness—made a small part of her wish this was real.
He wasn’t intimidated by her. If anything, the more prickly she was, the more laid-back he seemed to become. Laid-back and yet more than a little commanding.
It was an odd mix. She didn’t have him figured out yet.
Which was why she’d spent the weekend writing up the wedding itinerary and finalizing the details of their arrangement. She needed to get them on the same page, and fast, if they had any prayer of pulling this off.
At least she’d have Gage by her side when she inevitably bumped into her ex-boyfriend Matthew. The thought of him smugly pointing out that she was as frigid as she’d always been irritated her.
She wished she didn’t care. Wished she didn’t want to rub her ex’s nose in her business success—and her relationship success—in spite of the label he’d given her years ago. But she did.
She was only human, after all.
Gage chose a fairly high-end restaurant downtown for dinner. With its black tablecloths and dim lighting, candles in the center of the table and à la carte menu, it was a touch more romantic than she’d counted on. Maybe she should’ve insisted on going home to change rather than continue in her casual work attire—if only to fit in with the well-coiffed crowd.
The host pulled her chair out for her and she sat, lifting the menu to study the options.
“Wine, Andy?” Gage asked. “Or should I call you something else in public to protect your secret identity? Bruce Wayne, maybe.”
“Ha-ha.” She lowered the menu to give him a slow blink. “I’ll stick with sparkling water, but thank you.”
When their waiter came by, Gage ordered a bottle of Cabernet alongside her sparkling water.
“We never finished the first drink we had together,” he pointed out. “Tonight would feel stuffy if we didn’t indulge.”
She did indulge—one glass had the rigors of her workday melting off her shoulders like butter in the hot sun. There was something about Gage that brought out her relaxed side. Maybe it was his own casual attitude. How he could wear a suit in a fancy restaurant as well as he did and still smile as genially as if they were lounging on his sofa together...it was beyond her.
Andy had accepted that she simply wasn’t the fun, carefree type. Outside of this agreement with Gage, she couldn’t imagine snagging his attention. And yet being around him felt strangely comfortable—which was probably why she didn’t hang around him at work. She didn’t want to be unduly comfortable and slip up—she had a job to do. She couldn’t pretend to be able to live up to his fun, easy-going standards. That simply wasn’t who she was. Except that she needed to be really comfortable around him at Gwen’s wedding for this charade to work.
After they’d eaten their dinners, they settled in to finish off the wine, Gage resting one masculine hand on the rim of his glass. He lifted it the same way and gestured to her with the stem.
“Let’s hear the plan.”
Was it any wonder he was fantastic at his job? He exuded confidence and charm, and if she were a twitchy CEO in search of a consulting firm, she’d buy an air conditioner from Gage in the wintertime. Just to urge forth that sincere, pleased smile.
To please him in general.
That thought brought forth another, one of pleasing him in a physical way. With her touch, with her kiss.
Alarming, since Andy had just tasked herself with keeping things between them strictly professional. Why did he have to be so damned attractive? Why did he have to be so damned likeable? Why did he act as if he liked her so much in return? That was the real lure. He seemed to like her just as she was—prickly and unapproachable, rigid and serious. She really wished he’d have let her pay him so the lines weren’t so blurry.
“I emailed you an itinerary,” she told him, firmly setting the conversation back on solid ground.
“When?”
“In the car on the drive over. Do you want to cue it up so we can review it together? It covers the schedule in detail, including what time each event starts and where we’ll be staying. I left your airline ticket at my apartment but I can bring it to Monarch tomorrow.”
“Those aren’t the kinds of details I need from you, Andy.”
“No?” She wasn’t sure what else there was. Unless... “I did type up a detailed family member list, but that seemed like overpreparing. If you and I were really dating, you wouldn’t necessarily remember all their names.”
“Those aren’t the details I need, either.” He shook his head, took a sip from his
wine and swallowed.
When his tongue stroked his lip to catch a wayward crimson drop, she pressed her knees together under the table. His mouth might be the most distracting part about him.
“I need to know,” that mouth said, lazily pronouncing each syllable, “how much physical affection you’d like from me.”
Six
“Hold your hand. Put my palm on your lower back. Those are both givens. But what about kissing? How much? How often? How deep?”
Gage watched Andy carefully as he doled out each option as if on a menu like the one they’d ordered from tonight. He enjoyed the surprise rounding her wide blue eyes as much as the flush creeping along her fair skin. “When we’re at dinner, would you like me to feed you a bite, kiss your hand, gaze longingly into your eyes?”
“Is any of that necessary?” She sounded worried that it might be.
“Not unless we’re trying to make someone jealous. In which case—very necessary. But if you have a fairly reserved family, I’ll keep the touching to a minimum.”
Clearly befuddled, she shakily lifted her wine and polished off the glass. He smoothly refilled it, happy to ply her with enough alcohol to have her tell him the truth. He ignored the frisson of discomfort at pursuing Andy so doggedly. She’d caught his attention. She had his admiration. Why not pursue something physical with her? It wasn’t as if he’d allow himself to get in as deeply as he had with Laura. That situation had been one and done, and he’d learned not to tempt fate.
He’d recommitted to the bachelor pact with Flynn and Reid for a reason: Gage would never again consider marriage.
Flynn had backed out of the pact after he and Sabrina had obliterated the just-friends boundary, but Sabrina was the ultimate exception. She was one of their own—who better to settle down with Flynn than the one woman who would never, ever betray him?
Gage’s motivation was different. He’d been thoroughly blinded by his love for Laura. He’d felt like a complete jackass for overlooking her cold-hearted demeanor, and had assumed their physical attraction and professional goals were enough to sustain a life together. He’d been young, and stupid, and all along she’d been more concerned about his financial potential than a stable marriage. After they imploded, he’d set out to make ten times as much money as she’d earn in her lifetime just to prove her wrong.
Over the years his drive became less and less about proving Laura wrong. Gage had grown to love success, and was a damn good leader. His strengths had served him well and he’d helped his best friend build a company and a sales team they could all be proud of.
Gage was a different person now than he was when he’d been engaged to Laura. Just because Andy had a similar passion for achievement was no reason to ignore the ninety-foot flames between them whenever she was near. That siren’s wail he’d heard in his head was nothing more than a false alarm, concocted by the former version of himself.
“Why do you need a date for the wedding?” he asked, curious. “Why not go alone?”
“I’ve caught three bouquets and I don’t want to catch a fourth,” she answered. Strangely.
“Pardon?”
“I have four sisters. Three of them are happily married and the fourth is about to be. I don’t want to catch Gwen’s bouquet. If I go alone and am called to the dance floor, then Gwen will inevitably aim that bouquet right for me...” She shuddered like this was the worst fate that could befall her.
“I’m guessing not because you have an aversion to flowers?”
Andy shook her head.
“You don’t want the attention?”
“I don’t want the attention for being single. It’s a running joke in my family.”
He couldn’t believe she’d admitted that much. The wine must be working. He didn’t dare interrupt in case she had more to say. Turned out she did.
“I have a reputation as a hard-ass. Shocking, I know.” She added a self-deprecating eye roll that he’d have found adorable if he didn’t believe she was sincere. “I’ve never had a date to one of my sister’s weddings. I’m pretty sure they think I live this lonely, pathetic existence married to my work or whatever.”
“Did you date much when you lived in Ohio?”
“A few serious relationships that fizzled out. They didn’t last and when we split I mostly felt relieved. One of them will be there, by the way.” She chucked back the last inch of wine and waved her glass for a refill.
Gage obliged her.
“His name’s Matthew,” she snarled. “When we broke up he told me I’d die alone. I don’t want him to know he was right.”
“You’re far from death’s door, Andy.”
“I’m not interested in permanence,” she stated, a flicker of challenge in her eyes. He wouldn’t argue.
“On that we agree.” He clinked his glass with hers. Unbeknownst to her, she’d given him an angle to work with. “Aside from my being your arm candy—” her impish smile emerged and brought forth an answering one of his own “—you’d like to show up this Matthew guy.”
“I don’t need to show him up.” Bright eyes pegged him, truth in their cobalt depths. “I just don’t want him to know he’s won.”
Gage didn’t like that the bastard had coldly stated that Andy would spend her life alone any more than he liked the idea of her believing that her ex was right.
“We’ll play it by ear.” He reached across the table and offered a hand—handshake-style since he wasn’t sure how she’d react to a more intimate touch. But when she placed her palm against his, he held onto her hand gently and made a promise he knew he’d keep. “You asked the right guy to be your wedding date, Andy. I won’t let you down.”
Gage had admitted during the flight that he didn’t know much about Ohio. He’d told her that he knew there was a lot of corn, and that it was in the Midwest. Ohio wasn’t all corn but there was a lot of it there.
The flight was uneventful and a straight shot to Cincinnati, but they did have to drive another hour to reach Crown from the airport. It gave them a chance to learn about music preferences—the rental car had a top-of-the-line satellite radio option—and talk about the wedding as conversationally as possible.
She didn’t expect him to memorize her great-aunt’s name or which grandmother, maternal or paternal, had the cane, but it made sense if they’d been dating for a while that he’d at least know her parents’ and sisters’ names.
“Kelli is the oldest by six years—”
“Seven,” she corrected as Gage turned left onto Pinegrove Road.
“Seven. And then comes Vanessa, Carroll, you, and Gwen is the baby.”
“Very good,” she praised.
Gage flashed her a smile that made her tummy tighten. He really was ridiculously good-looking. She was looking forward to showing him off.
“Mom Estelle, dad Abe, but he had to work so he’s coming in the day before.”
“And here I sit without my gold star stickers.”
“A joke. Andrea Payne, we’ll loosen you up yet.”
She turned to watch out the window, her lips pressed together. Gage’s hand landed lightly on her leg.
“Hey. I was kidding.”
“Oh, I know.” She gave him what felt like an uncomfortable smile. So much for hiding her true feelings. It seemed like he could read her mind.
“Good.” He turned left and drove past the wooden fence surrounding the entrance to Crown Vineyard Resort. The resort had both a man-made lake about four miles wide as well as a vineyard on-site. It made for a beautiful backdrop in the hot summer sun, the vines draped over the hills like garlands and the water sparkling under an azure sky.
Andy had secured two suites at the resort, one next to the other. She figured she could tell everyone it was a mistake made by the front desk in case it drew attention. She couldn’t very well ask Gage to stay in the same room as her.
He’d already been so great about not accepting payment for being here and genuinely helping her out by remembering the main branches of her family tree.
At least that’d been her reasoning until they stood at the check-in desk at the resort and she learned that there’d been an actual mistake at the front desk. The suite she’d reserved for Gage, paid in full, had been given to someone else.
“Unacceptable,” she said, ready to fight for what was rightfully hers.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Payne. The system must’ve kicked that reservation out since he wasn’t on the guest list. Your reservation is still in here though,” the woman said brightly. “On the ground floor, king-sized bed, and a pullout sofa if separate sleeping quarters were your main concern.” The woman at the counter flashed a look from Andy to Gage, probably deciding it was terribly old-fashioned to insist on separate rooms.
Gage palmed her lower back, his hand warm, and touched his mouth to her temple. “Ground floor sounds nice,” he murmured, sending droves of goose bumps down her arms. “We can have coffee on the patio in the morning, and I can always sleep on the sofa if you’re uncomfortable with me in your bed.”
She swallowed thickly, the visual of Gage Fleming in her bed an inviting one indeed. She shifted away from him slightly. Not because he made her uncomfortable to have him near, but because whenever he was this close she was tempted to nuzzle him like a needy cat. Physical attraction to him would be helpful to convince her family and friends at this event, but she hadn’t expected it in the “off” time they had together. No one was watching them, save the inept woman who couldn’t provide the additional room Andy had paid for, and yet Andy had responded to him as if she had the option to have him in her bed.
She wouldn’t entertain that thought. No matter how tempting it was...
He ran his hand up her back and rested it on the back of her neck, tickling her nape with his fingers and sending chills down both of her arms.
“Honey?” He smiled down at her and she forced herself to relax. He was her boyfriend for the weekend. Might as well act like it.
Temporary To Tempted (The Bachelor Pact Book 2) Page 4