“All depends on the audience.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
I shake my head with mock disappointment. “You’re too much.”
He tugs me close, and I can’t miss the bulge pressing against my stomach. “That’s not what you said last night. If I recall, you screamed you wanted a lot more.”
He nuzzles his face in my neck, and goosebumps explode over my body. I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough of him. It’s a shameour time together will end soon. I can’t stay here forever. My life has been put on hold long enough. As much as I’d love to stay in this bliss bubble, it’s time to put a pin in it. And that means making some calls.
I pull away, and Lucas narrows his eyes. “Come back here. I have a fantasy of fucking you on this desk. First, I have to carefully remove the photographs, then you’re getting sprawled out on it.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “So you’re not sweeping everything off like they do in the movies?”
“They’re important photos.” His tone is serious, yet his eyes sparkle with mirth.
“As hot and tempting as that sounds, I have calls to make. If I don’t, my mother will send a search-and-rescue party out for me.” I float my finger over the fly of his jeans, pulling a hiss from his lips. “When I’m done, I’ll wait for you right here.” I point at the desk.
“With the photographs carefully removed.” His lips twitch.
“Of course.”
“I’m holding you to that.” He pierces me with a long, lustful stare.
Oh, I won’t change my mind. Not when he looks at me like that. “I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m going to make the most of tonight.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “You’re leaving tomorrow? I thought you needed somewhere private to stay?”
“I can’t rely on your generosity indefinitely. If I don’t show my face, things might get worse.”
“Be my girlfriend,” Lucas fires. His eyes widen, and he looks as shocked as I feel at his outburst. He clears his throat. “I mean, be myfakegirlfriend.”
Confused, I ask, “What are you talking about?”
Lucas shuffles his feet. “Finn seems to think if we pretend we’re in a relationship, people will forget about Darren and what he’s saying. He thinks if we’re seen together, everyone will fall in love with us as a couple, and our reputations will be restored.”
Needing to take this information in, I walk to a plush, caramel settee free of photographs in the corner of the room and drop down. “Do you think it will work?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It might.”
“Are you seriously considering doing it?” Hasn’t he done enough for me already? Surely he wants to get back to his life.
“It’s worth trying.”
“And then what? Wepretendto break up?”
“After things settle down, we wait until the media has moved on to something bigger and better and we amicably part ways.”
“You’ve already done so much for me. I can’t ask you to put your life on hold,” I say.
He has a reputation of regularly being with different women. Doesn’t he want to get back to that? Jealousy wells up inside me at the thought. Oh, that’s not good. This is going to end. He will move on.
Lucas sits next to me. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. I’m involved in this too. My photos are plastered online along with yours. Being in a relationship might fix my reputation of being an Alessi playboy.” He gives me a cheeky grin.
I nudge his shoulder. “Oh, I’m sure that’s a reputation you pride yourself on. Ourfakerelationship might ruin that for you.”
“I’ll risk it.” He chuckles.
With seriousness, I say, “Thank you for trying to fix my life. I should deal with this myself. Hopefully things aren’t as bad as I think. After I speak with Claudia and my mother, I’m sure they’ll have a plan on how I move forward from here.”
Lines crease between his brows. “Are you sure?”
