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For whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to give a shit.
She blinked up at him. “God, I should probably sell the gallery if I’m even remotely considering doing this.”
Triumph threatened to erupt in a shit-eating grin on his face, but he held himself in check. “You need money.”
Nodding, she sighed, her gaze skittering away from his. “Lots of it. Too much. But I don’t want your money.”
“We get married, my money is your money for the duration of the marriage.” He shrugged. Harvey would punch him in the face for saying such a thing.
Her jaw dropped open. “You’re crazy.”
“I am. For my career, I’ll do just about anything.” He couldn’t leave. It made his dad so damn happy, seeing him play. Telling everyone he worked with that Jared Quinn was his son. He had season tickets and he brought all his friends to every single game, bragging that he’d sacrificed everything to get Jared to the top. The thought of going somewhere else, of leaving his hometown, of leaving and disappointing his dad, was almost too much to bear.
“You’re that passionate about it?”
“I know nothing else.” He spread his arms wide. “I’ve played since I was in grade school for the junior leagues. I went to college but I hardly remember the courses I took. I was going through the motions while I played. Until the Hawks signed me and I came home to California where I belonged.”
She shuffled her feet, nibbled her lower lip. He was filled with the sudden urge to taste her again.
“I can’t believe I’m considering this. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. And I’ve heard of a lot of crazy things.” She shook her head.
“Really? From where?” He doubted her. She looked too young, too naïve to have experienced a few scams. Whereas he felt like he’d seen and done it all and he wasn’t even thirty.
“My best friend’s dad is Walter Cavanaugh, the entertainment lawyer. I’ve heard plenty from her.”
“This sort of thing happens more than you realize. I’d guess at least twenty-five percent of Hollywood marriages are fake, based on a binding contract that gets both parties involved by giving them whatever they want out of it, money and fame-wise.”
“Do you really believe that?” Her voice lowered. “Do you think Tom and Katie were fake?”
He tried not to roll his eyes. He sort of liked how she wanted to believe in Tom and Katie, that maybe she was a romantic at heart. No wonder Harvey thought she was a good choice. “I know this all sounds crazy but give it some thought. You want to grow your business. I need to fix my image. I think together, we could make a great team.”
“Really?” She sounded incredulous.
He nodded, dead ass serious. “Really. You’re my only hope.” And now he sounded straight out of Star Wars.
What was this woman doing to him?
“The terms are rather stringent, so we’d need you t
o readily agree in a rather rushed manner,” Harvey explained when they returned.
“How rushed?” Sheridan asked.
Jared watched her. She looked nervous. He felt nervous. This was it—his last chance. He still didn’t quite get why he was so fixated on her.
Great sex messed with your head, jackass.
“Within a week type rushed,” Harvey said smoothly.
“And how long would the terms be in effect?” She lifted her chin, her lips pursed.
Jared studied her mouth, fascinated with the lush curve of her bottom lip. His mouth still tingled from that searing kiss.
“A year.”
Sheridan burst out laughing, shaking her head. “A freaking year? That’s a long time for me to pretend to be married.”
“Oh, there won’t be any pretend going on. You two will really be married.”
