AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I frown and snap, “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t they believe it?” I think she’s doubting the caliber of my undercover work, which is fucking top-notch. I might not do it often, since I can complete most jobs with surveillance and research, but I can certainly pull off a fake boyfriend appearance.
And if I had any concerns, which I don’t, I’d call my brother, Carter. He once had his best friend’s sister act like his wife for a business deal. It worked out in the long run, given that she’s my sister-in-law now, but it was pretty iffy for a while. But a little poke here and a small prod there, and he’d tell me the whole story of how that went down, which I could use as research for my own role.
Janey lifts her eyes to mine, and I can see the shine of tears there. Shit, she’s gonna start crying again and I’m trying to help so she doesn’t cry. At least about this. Her crying about dipshit Henry is her own business.
“You’re gonna make me say it?” She sounds a little choked, but eventually, she grits her teeth and says, “Look at you, Cole, and look at me. Nobody’d believe you would date me.”
“What?!” I’m louder than I intend to be, and Janey recoils as if I slapped her instead of only shouting. I force my voice back down and look at her intently. “The hell are you talking about? You’re fucking beautiful.”
Her eyes fall again, and quietly, she says, “You don’t have to say that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” I lift her chin with a finger, forcing her eyes to mine. I stare deep into her gray gaze, wanting to make sure she hears me and hears me good. “Because it’s the damn honest truth.”
I could say more—like that her hair makes my hands itch to grab handfuls, I want to bite her lower lip, and her ass is the stuff of my dreams as of late—but I don’t. That’d probably scare the shit out of her, especially when she’s so tender after last night’s call.
Her lips lift like she’s trying to smile but doesn’t really feel it. I let my declaration sit with her, giving her time to process and find the silver lining I’m offering in the midst of her rain cloud. It’s nearly three silent minutes later, which in Janey time is at least fifteen, maybe twenty, when I feel a shift in her mood.
“It would be nice to not go alone,” she murmurs, more to herself than me. “And having a guy who looks like he walked off a book cover at my side wouldn’t hurt.” She crunches on a piece of bacon, chewing noisily as she thoughtfully looks me up and down, measuring and appraising my very existence. Straight-faced, she twirls a finger in the air, telling me to spin.
Amused, I stand and turn in a circle with my hands held out to the side.
After what feels like an eternity of her eyes tracing every inch of my body, her lips lift into a pleased smile. A real smile this time. One that I cherish because I’m a greedy bastard who feels like I had something to do with it.
“Will I do?” I taunt. She doesn’t have any other options, and let’s face it, we both know I look good.
“Are you sure? Like positively, undoubtedly certain?” she asks, her nose crinkled up apprehensively. “You’re volunteering to go into a den of wolves while slathered in meat juice. And all of the predators are hidden in cute little doggie costumes that make them seem harmless and fun.”
She doesn’t want to believe me. Trust must feel like a dangerous option after Henry’s betrayal. I get that. I nod, surer than I’ve ever been. She needs this.
“Just one question, then. Do you have a suit, or do we need to go into town to buy one?”
“That’s your only question?” I echo with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve got that covered.”
I can see the acceptance dawning on her face as her smile grows by degrees and her eyes brighten. “Oh, my God! Thank you so much,” she exclaims in relief as she jumps into my arms for the hug I halfway expected. “I can’t believe you’re willing to do this for me. You’re so sweet, and I really appreciate it. Anything you ever need, I’m your girl. I can be like a helper-spy and go into a women’s locker room or spa for you. Something like that, where you can’t go.” She points at herself like she’s the one to call on for that very specific, never-before-happened situation.
I have never been called sweet. Not a single time in my entire life, not even as a kid. But Janey thinks I am, and I’ve no desire to disavow her of the erroneous judgment, so to keep up appearances, I shift my hips, hoping she won’t notice what her innocent touch has done to me.
Pulling back, she drops to her flat feet and confesses, “I have to warn you, though, I wasn’t exaggerating. The wedding is going to be awful. I’m a positive Pollyanna type to a fault, but this is so bad that even I can’t find a single good thing about it. And I’ve tried hard. Like so bad that not even good cake will make up for it, and there’s a fair to good chance the cake will be gluten-free, organic cardboard too, so there’s not even that to look forward to.” She sticks her tongue out like she’s tasting the gross cake right now. “And, I can’t emphasize this enough, Paisley is horrible. I never know what to say to her, and on her wedding day? It’s not like I can say anything. So I’m glad you’ll be there. Maybe you can do that stone-cold glare you do?” She mimics a narrow-eyed scowl that looks remarkably hilarious on her usually smiling face.
I seamlessly drop into the expression she’s talking about, and she plants her hands on my cheeks and stares into my eyes, first right then left. “Yes! Like that! How do you do that? I need you to teach me your ways. That’d come in so handy with patients’ families when they get rowdy.”
She releases me and falls back to the stool, practicing a few glares. Unsuccessfully, I might add. The closest she comes to a scowl looks more like a pouty kitten.
“I think you have other talents,” I say gently as I sit beside her again.
Rolling her eyes, she steals a piece of bacon from my plate, having finished her own. Focusing quickly, she says, “Okay, if you’re gonna be my fake boyfriend—that sounds crazy, right?—we need to have our stories straight. Maybe we say you’re a doctor and we met at work? Or a fighter pilot? I’m sure they’ve seenTop Gun 2.0and would eat that up. Or go with the obvious and say you’re a model.”
I choke on my coffee, and she flashes a momentary grin, proud of herself.
“Why don’t we stick with the truth? Cleaner that way. I’m a consultant—that’s my usual cover story because it can mean anything—and you’re a nurse. We met over dinners that were supposed to be solo, but instead, we got to know each other.” I pause to see if she’s in agreement, and when she nods, I continue. “What have you told your family or any of the people at the wedding about yourself, your relationship, and dipshit? I don’t want to get anything wrong if it can be helped.”
She starts to speak but then goes silent. Her brows furrow, and she looks down at her plate. “Uhm, actually... not much. Just that I’m dating someone and he works a lot.” She lifts her face to meet my gaze. “That’s sad, huh? I talk to my parents regularly, but I never shared much about Henry... I mean, dipshit. Probably a sign I should’ve noticed.”
Her correction to calling her ex by my nickname for him is progress. Small, but significant.
“It’s a good thing now,” I reassure her. “What about your family? I researched you, so I’ve got the basics. But I need to know about them, what you would’ve shared with a boyfriend.”
“Well, you already know Paisley’s awful, and... wait, what’d you say? You’ve researched me?” she says, sounding offended.
