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He tosses the ring box from one hand to the other, determined. “Then I don’t see the issue.”
“You don’t see the issue with lying to everyone in your life about something this important?” I prod.
Luke studies my face. “I’d rather not lie. But they’re the ones who dragged my personal life into this.”
I nod. That makes a kind of sense. As much as any of this ridiculous plan makes sense.
Despite myself, I’m beginning to imagine what it would be like to do what Luke’s proposing.
He stands. “Is it the lying that’s holding you back? I’d say we can tell your parents, but...”
“But they can’t keep a secret if their lives depended on it,” I finish for him. Like Cooper, my parents are science people. My mom teaches high school chemistry, and my dad’s a lab tech at a local research facility. They’re brilliant, but they can also be absent minded about real life stuff when they get caught up in their work.
Sometimes that means they forget to buy groceries.
Other times it means they casually mention who you have a crush on in front of all your friends.
They definitely couldn’t keep a fake marriage a secret.
Cooper could keep a secret, but...
I shake my head. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”
That’s all the encouragement Luke needs to step forward and press the ring box into my hand. The brush of his hands against mine singes me like a wildfire. “My place is huge. You’d have your own room, your own office. My staff can take care of all your needs.”
Of course the man has staff.
I swallow. I’m trying to avoid his eyes, but he’s standing so close I just end up staring straight at his chest instead. His broad chest under his dark-gray T-shirt. I think I catch a whiff of his aftershave, and it makes my knees go weak.
The truth is, I’m not hesitating because I’m worried about lying to my parents. Or because this whole plan sounds like something out of a bad soap opera.
I’m hesitating because if I spend six months living with Luke, I might do something ridiculously stupid. Like rise up on my tiptoes so I can press my face into his neck and memorize why he smells so good. Or ask where, in this giant apartment of his, I’d find his bedroom.
When I’m only seeing him for a few hours at a time a day, I can lie to myself and downplay my attraction. But if we’relivingtogether, if I’m seeing him in the morning when he’s grouchy and unshaven before his coffee hits...
Well, I’ll probably crack and do something that lets him know how hot I think he is. Then he’ll either reject me, which would be humiliating and make the remainder of the six months excruciating.
Or, worse, he wouldn’t reject me. Which would probably be hot as hell in the moment but would make the rest of our lives awkward.
“No.” I squeeze past him, trying to ignore how aware of him I am of him in my space. “Find someone else. I write books, not marriages.” I plop down on my bed and pick up my notebook and pen, as if I can just shoo him away and go back to writing. Pretend this never happened.
“Thanks, um, for thinking of me,” I say. That’s what you say when you reject a job offer, right? And that’s essentially what this is. “But I can’t do this. You should find someone else.”
Something sternly determined flickers across Luke’s face. “It needs to be you.”
My stomach flips.
11
HAZEL
“Idon’t want anyone else,” Luke insists. “It’s you or no one.”
I toss my notebook down, frustrated. “Why?Why me?”
Luke leans back against the door and crosses his arms. “Last night proved we can stand each other’s company. And your Cooper’s sister, which means I can trust you not to take advantage of the situation.”
I frown, confused. “What do you mean?”
