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I needed to be careful. If I wasn’t, I would start wishing someone would do this for me without me paying for it. This wasn’t something to get used to.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Isolde.
Everyone piled into the car, and Rowan pulled away. Suddenly hands were around me, and I startled at Vaughn’s closeness. “Seatbelt,” he murmured before fastening it for me.
“Right.”
One side of his mouth curved into a smile. Fuck, he had dimples.
“I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. “I know this is weird.”
“Nothing weird about not wanting to face family alone at an event like this,” Rowan said. “It’s perfectly normal.”
“But,” Joel said, turning in his seat. “We do need to talk about a few things on the way. So it can all go smoothly.”
I nodded, squeezing my hands between my knees. Talking I could do. Answering or asking questions I could do. I needed a direction, not to flounder around like a fish out of water. “Sure.”
“Starting with the basics. We know you have boundaries as far as our physical relationship.” Did I imagine some hesitance in his voice there? Was I making it up? “However, there will need to be some contact if you want everyone to believe we’re together. What’s okay and what’s not? Are we allowed to kiss you?”
My entire body exploded into embarrassed flames. So much heat so quickly that I felt sweat prick at my temples and neck. Kissing them?
It was hard not to get caught up in the image of Vaughn sliding across the small space between us, cupping the back of my head, and kissing me like my life depended on it.
A small sound from behind me drew my eyes to the back seat, but Hawk and Cade looked normal.
“Yeah,” I said, voice rasping. “That’s okay. I’m not exactly good at it or anything. But you can touch me. Whatever you need to make it look real. Just no sex.”
Rowan’s eyes locked on mine in the rear-view mirror. I read the question there. What was making me so adamant about that?
Surely every other client was trying to tear their clothes off the minute they got them alone. So why not?
But I wasn’t about to go into the horror that was Beau and me. They didn’t need to hear it, and I didn’t want to relive it. Once we were at the estate, they were sure to get the picture after everyone and their mother treated me like I was a diseased member of the herd that should be put down out of pity.
Vaughn took my hand, and I jumped. He smiled. “Just practicing. If you startle every time one of us takes your hand, it won’t look real.” Slowly, he ran his thumb over the back of my hand.
“Oh.”
It was a wholly inadequate response to the way his hand made me feel. Shaky, heart pounding, the whole nine yards.
Damn it, I should have made sure to use my vibrator before this trip to take the edge off. One thing I didn’t bring with me. Go fucking figure.
“You mentioned you were a graphic designer but are now a bartender?”
“I’m not exactly sure what I am now,” I told them. “I bartended when I moved to the east coast, but everyone’s trying to get me to move back. And I kind of miss it. But I don’t know what I’d do if I moved back.”
“Fair enough,” Cade said. “But is there anything you’d like us to tell people if they ask?”
I shook my head. “No. If anything, I’m in between jobs. Locations. I don’t know.”
“For the next few weeks, we’re consultants with our own firm.” Joel turned and handed me a tablet. It showed the consulting firm that held the same name as the charge on my bank account.
“You can do almost anything as a consultant,” Hawk said, grinning when I looked back at him. “People generally don’t ask questions. And if they do, it’s our real company, so it’s not a lie.”
Anxiety welled up in my chest. What was I going to do when this was all over? Pretend like I’d been broken up with a second time? Hope nobody would ask questions when they weren’t around anymore?
I really didn’t think this through.
“So that’s what I say? Cause they’ll ask.” I glance back at Hawk. “Not sure they’ll believe it with the tattoos.”
