Chapter Eight
Eight
JJ
W hat could go wrong, JJ?
My dad’s voice echoed in my head as I shut down my computer that evening and got ready to go home. And pack. For Tennessee. Yeah, what could go wrong being with Nico for a month, pretending to be his girlfriend?
“Famous last words, Dad,” I mumbled under my breath as I closed my office door and headed out, trying to feel an ounce of the faith he seemed to have in me.
But it was the way Nico had looked at me when he’d said, “I’m not good enough for her.” Something dark and wounded flashed in his eyes, so fast I was almost sure it was a figment of my imagination. It had to be. I had no idea what he meant by that, but I had no business thinking he meant anything by it. Nico Santorini was a player who knew how to play the game, and I was not about to be his pawn.
I slid into my car and dialed Stassia on Bluetooth as I started home.
“Hey, girl!” she chirped. “What’s up?”
“You’re not going to believe me if I tell you,” I said by way of greeting.
“You applied for that dating show I told you about,” she guessed.
“What? No!”
“Buzzkill. Okay, what then?”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help my smile. Stassia was nothing if not adventurous. Made me wonder why she wasted her time working in an office. “Have you seen your girl in the headlines today?”
“What? No!” She echoed my words, and I heard her scramble to her laptop and clack at the keyboard. A moment later, she gasped. “Say it ain’t so, JJ!”
Something in my chest caught at her automatic dismissal of Nico but I quickly shoved it aside. “It’s all bullshit.”
“Phew. But...” A few more clicks. “Some of these shots do look a little bit cozy. I’m just sayin’.”
“Yeah, well, still. They got nothing. But...”
“But what?” Now she sounded suspicious.
“But my dad is not above using this to our advantage, and I get the play the part of the doting girlfriend while Nico goes away for the next month.” Nico’s mental health struggles were confidential, despite how much of it had been splashed all over the tabloids, and it wasn’t my place to share his treatment details... even with my best friend.
“Wait... so, you’re going away with him?” She said it like she was tasting something sour.
“Yup. I’m going to work remotely while he... does whatever.”
“Except for the part where you’re faking it as his girlfriend?”
“Except for that.”
“Has your dad had a stroke?”
I nearly choked on my laugh, grateful Stassia could make me smile in the face of this insane situation. “I have no idea. But I’m still going, and I’m determined to make the most of my time there. After all, I hear it’s beautiful in Tennessee.”
“Damn. Have you had a stroke?”
This time I did laugh.
“Well, you better send me all the details of exactly where you’re staying so I know where to tell the cops to find you in case that fucker gets any crazy ideas.”
“Stassia! He’s a drummer, not a killer.”
“Are you sure? Do you even know him?”
She had a point, but I didn’t go down that particular rabbit hole. After promising her I’d be fine and would check in regularly, we hung up so I could head into my condo to pack and face my fate.
My father insisted Nico and I ride together to the private airport the next morning and had a car pick us both up.
“Good morning.” I quelled my stupid nerves as I slid inside the dark SUV.
Nico barely acknowledged me from where he was slumped in the corner with his head down so his black hair covered much of his face as he studied something on his phone. He had on black jeans and a black hoodie with the hood over his head as if he were heading to a funeral, and from what little I could see of his face, he had dark smudges under his eyes. Someone was definitely grumpy about this trip.
I shrugged and buckled myself in as I sipped my tea from my insulated mug and watched the city fly by as we drove.
After a few minutes, I glanced over. “You know, I’m not thrilled about this either, but giving me the silent treatment isn’t going to help.”
Dark eyes slowly lifted to mine, sliding over my favorite white cashmere sweater and pale blue jeans, making me realize just how opposite we were in that moment. “I’m not giving you anything, college girl. I just don’t do mornings.”
“Fair enough. I’ll leave you alone, then.” I turned back to the window, feeling strangely sad though I had no idea why.
“I also didn’t get much sleep last night,” he added, making my head snap around.
Our eyes met and held as something passed between us that I had no name for. All I knew was that I felt it, deep in the marrow of my bones. “Me either,” I admitted. “But we can do this, right?”
He shrugged as an impossibly adorable half smile ghosted over his lips, making him look so young and innocent, I was taken aback. “Do we have a choice?”
“Not really.”
“Then I guess we’re doing it.”
My pulse thrummed loudly in my ears as it suddenly became too warm in that back seat the longer his gaze stayed locked on mine.
He only looked away at the sound of our driver honking as we pulled into the airport. Someone must’ve tipped off the press about our trip, because several people were lined up along the road near the private airport, several clearly fans of Zero Energy, holding signs above their heads as they screamed Nico’s name. There were also photographers, vying for a shot of us when we got out of the car.
“Jesus,” Nico ground out under his breath, his body going rigid.
“It’ll be fine,” I said to reassure us both. “We’ll just smile and wave and board the plane. No big deal.”
He shot me a look.
“What?”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is easy. It’s called acting.” I reached out and touched the stubble of his cheeks, pulling them up a little to mimic a smile. “Turn that frown upside down, Santorini.”
Our car pulled up a few yards from a private plane and our driver popped the trunk so the crew could grab our luggage.
Someone opened Nico’s door, letting in a gust of air that ruffled his black hair. He gave me one last look as he stepped one long leg out onto the concrete. We both knew there was no going back from this moment, but we also had no idea what landmine we were walking into. Weirdly, this felt like a trust fall we were taking together.
“You ready?” he murmured.
I nodded and scooted over so I could exit behind him.
I paused, shocked when he turned and offered me his hand, his dark eyes unreadable when I looked up at him.
I slid my palm into his and he grasped me gently, helping me to my feet.
The crowd at the gate saw us and started screaming for our attention. I knew without hearing the cameras that dozens of photos were being taken of us in that moment.
I forced a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “We got this.”
He nodded once, his face still a stone mask.
I guess I wasn’t going to get a smile and a wave after all. I turned to head to the plane, and surprisingly, he stayed right with me, his hand at the small of my back, sending heat straight up my spine. I didn’t look over at him. I couldn’t. I just moved on autopilot, hoping the motion seemed normal. Everyday. Like a regular couple to the people behind us taking in our every movement.
My breath whooshed out of me and my shoulders relaxed as soon as we were on board the plane. Still, I felt Nico’s heat at my back.
I spotted Priscilla, his therapist, at the back of the plane, chatting with the crew. She had gotten there earlier and boarded with them so nobody would suspect anything. I waved, took a seat near the front, and opened my laptop case, grateful for a few hours of uninterrupted time to work.
Then Nico Santorini plopped down in the seat across from me, his black eyes twinkling with sarcasm. “So, tell me, how’s your first day being my girlfriend going so far?”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “Can you go harass someone else for the next few hours? I have work to do.”
“I thought I was your work.” He settled back and crossed one long leg over the other, looking supremely cocky, all traces of his earlier angst seemingly dissolved.
I snapped my laptop closed and studied his face, wondering what had come over him.
When I asked him as much, he just smirked. “Not a thing.”
But I caught the way his eyes flitted toward Priscilla at the back of the plane as he shifted in his seat. He was nervous about this trip. He’d been moody on the way there, then once he was faced with the certainty of leaving, he covered with his usual flirty bravado.
“Right, well...” I glanced out the window as we began to taxi the runway. “I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda looking forward to the break from LA. I hear Tennessee is beautiful this time of year.”
He mumbled something that sounded like agreement, and we didn’t speak anymore as we took off and headed east.
Eventually, the flight attendant came our way to offer refreshments, a pot of coffee in her hand.
Before I could say a word, Nico shook his head. “She doesn’t drink coffee. Do you have hot tea? Something herbal?”
“Yes, of course. We have Earl Gray, organic green tea, hibiscus, and a lovely chamomile.”
They were waiting for me to respond, but I was struck dumb by his unexpected thoughtfulness, which was absurd. It was only tea. Still...
“Ma’am?” the attendant said.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll have the hibiscus, please.”
Nico ordered juice, then began to tap on his leg like it was part of an invisible drum kit as he stared out the window.
We were served our drinks, and I was saved from conversation when Nico popped in earbuds, so I opened my laptop again and tried to focus back on work, but my attention kept being drawn to the man across from me. The severe slant of his cheekbones in the morning light was like he’d been sculpted from marble, and it was easy for me to see why so many women thought he was beautiful. Rugged and dangerous, but beautiful. Like a predator.
Long, lean legs, encased in black denim. Calloused, tattooed fingers. Shiny midnight hair that hung past his shoulders. Eyes so dark they begged you to get lost in them...
He cleared his throat, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “You okay there, princess?”
My cheeks flamed hot at the knowing look in his eyes. “Yes. Just... thinking.”
One black brow winged up, clearly amused. “Care to share what’s got you all flustered?”
“I am not flustered.” I needed to get it together and quit ogling my client. Unprofessional didn’t begin to cover it. Unprofessional and Stupid with a capital S .
“My mistake.” He continued to smirk as he turned back to his music and ignored me the rest of the flight.
By the time we landed, I had mostly gotten myself together and managed to finish some paperwork, so I was more organized for our time in Tennessee. Feeling a bit better, my smile was genuine as we departed the plane to head to our cars.
Staying true to our cover story, Priscilla got off the plane with the crew and drove to the resort separately, while Nico and I made a show of being the happy couple for anyone who was looking. It was all going perfectly. Too perfectly. I should’ve known better.