Chapter Thirteen
Grace
“A…fake fiancée?”
“Correct.”
The last grains of sand slide through the hourglass. I pour the tea into our cups and slide one toward him. The caramel scent wafts over us as I drop a cube of brown sugar in and stir it to give myself time to gather my thoughts. “Don’t you have any friends you can ask?” In every romance novel I read, the guy always asks his assistant or best friend or something, not an old one-night stand.
He squints at me. “No. I’m not gay. As I believe I demonstrated when we—”
I almost choke on the tea. “I mean a female friend.”
“I don’t have any female friends.”
“Why not?” Is there something wrong with his personality?
He shrugs. “Women want to sleep with me.”
From any other guy it would sound beyond arrogant. But from him? Totally natural. Of course, women want to sleep with him. The redhead behind him has been eye-fucking him ever since she sat down, and she’s with a date.
“Okay… I can see that. But why me ? Other than the fact that I broke up with my boyfriend.”
Slight satisfaction crosses his face at the mention that I’m still single. “You seem normal. Not clingy. And we have good chemistry.”
“And if I want to sleep with you again…?” I say, half serious and half hypothetical, since he brought it up as the reason he has no female friends.
“Grace, we aren’t going to be friends.”
Why does that slide into my gut like a blade?
“You’re going to be my fiancée.”
My fiancée.
“Why do you need a fake fiancée?” I pat myself on the back for sounding cool, but my heart is fluttering like a flag in a hurricane. Am I nervous or excited? What’s happening is so unreal.
Actually, everything involving Huxley has been surreal—the ride in the rain to the most amazing sex of my life to this.
“My family is trying to force me to a marry a woman of their choice.”
“Can they do that?” I ask in surprise. He doesn’t come across as a pushover. He comes across as the type who, if you push, will push back harder.
A corner of his mouth twists into a sardonic smile, his eyes darkening with anger tinged with self-directed annoyance. “Unfortunately, they found a way. I plan to undo it, but that requires some time. Which is where you come in. They can’t force me to marry someone quickly if I already have a proper fiancée.”
His family sounds pretty… difficult , to put it mildly. Their behavior reminds me of Nelson and Karie, who are always trying to force me to do things I don’t want in order to benefit themselves and their children. “How long is the fake engagement going to last? And what’s, uh…involved?”
“A few months. No more than a year, is my guess. You just need to attend a few family dinners and social functions. I’ll limit them as much as possible so as not to disrupt your life more than necessary.”
I can feel my face heat. “I only have two dresses.” They’re black and classy, but it’s going to be obvious if I wear nothing but for those two to all of his events. Given the way he speaks of his family—and the fact that he drives an outrageously expensive car—my usual wardrobe of faded jeans and T-shirts isn’t going to cut it.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay for clothes, accessories—whatever you need. You won’t have to spend a penny, and you can keep everything we buy for the ruse.”
He adds the last part like it’s a big incentive, but I’m not too worried about who keeps the items. “Do I have to give up my job or anything?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Okay. I’d hate to give up my position.” I won’t find another job that pays as generously as my current one. If I can resell the things he buys me for the dinners and parties after we “break up,” I might be able to hit my financial goals more easily. Still, a little voice says it won’t be that simple. Life always throws you a curveball.
“What do you do that you’re so enthused about?” he asks with a curious smile.
“I work at the Pryce Family Foundation. As a junior fund development specialist. You know, help raise money for various causes. I love it. How about you?”
“I’m in advertising. The head of the 4D Agency.” His eyes sparkle.
“And you love that.”
“Yup.”
“Bet you’re good at it, too.”
“I like to think so. I fought my family to start the agency, and I’m not giving it up.”
“They don’t approve?”
He snorts. “No. If they could, they’d find a way to bankrupt it.”
“That’s terrible!” Empathy wells. His family sounds just like Nelson and Karie, who would do something similar to me, partially out of spite and partially out of a need to keep me down and control me. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they want me to join the family business. They don’t like it that I’m doing my own thing.”
My sympathy deepens. No wonder he’s desperate enough to fake an engagement. I would be, too. “So everyone in your family is awful?”
“The older ones are. But my brothers are great.” The bright smile returns to his face, making him look younger and approachable.
“How many do you have?”
“Six. Except for me and Noah, they’re all married. Two have kids.” His expression gentles with affection. “You have any siblings?”
“No. It’s just me and my mom.” I debate bringing up Nelson, but decide not to, since there’s no way he and his family would want to be associated with me any more than I do. Their disdain for me couldn’t be clearer. If I could, I’d pull the half of my DNA that came from Nelson and give it back. Like returning defective junk you don’t want to Amazon.
Huxley holds my eyes. “I’ll do everything I can to avoid disrupting your life. You don’t even have to move in with me.”
I nod. That works—it would probably be awkward to share a space with a guy I barely know. “Is your family going to believe that we’re really engaged? What are we going to tell them? And the people I know?”
“We should stick to the truth as closely as possible. That way, there are fewer chances of screwing it up.”
He’s put some thought into this. “So, we met two years ago?”
“Right. When I gave you a ride to the ER, but then we lost touch. I was sad that I couldn’t find you because I was attracted to you…even though you were soaked through.” He grins, and I have to smile. “And when we just happened to run into each other again, and I knew you were the one I’d been looking for all my life. Love at first sight. Well, second.” He says it like he’s pitching an ad. Straight to the point, a little humor to leaven the seriousness of the business. No real sentimentality. But with such finesse that it sounds completely natural and believable.
I study him, all my nerves tingling. The easy, confident way he sits opposite me and the air of affluence about him say of course he’ll be able to forge his own path and get what he wants. No other outcome is possible in his world. A keen intelligence shines through his eyes. Despite the kindness he’s shown me, I’ve seen a hint of cynicism as well, when we first met and he almost drove away. And the brutal physicality at the bar against that ill-mannered lawyer.
But it’s doubtful that Huxley hides that side of himself from his family if they’re as big of a pain as he claims. And they’re going to know he isn’t sentimental enough for the scenario he’s presenting.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to believe that you’re the type to fall in love at first—or even second—sight.”
He cocks an eyebrow.
“I can’t picture it. I don’t think your family will be able to, either.” To be honest, I can’t imagine him in love with anybody. If he ever marries—for real—he’ll go for pedigree and credentials: somebody smart, beautiful and inoffensive.
He considers for a few moments. “Maybe you’re right.”
“So…” I nibble on my lip.
“There’s no time to set up something with a longer timeline. And I need a way to ensure my family won’t force a breakup.”
“ Force ? How powerful are they?” Andreas could command Nelson to do many things, but the latter is sort of gutless and sniveling toward his father. Mick will do as he’s told, too, because he wants to join Huxley & Webber once his stint as a DA is over. But Huxley doesn’t come across as the type to walk around with his lips smelling like somebody’s ass. He’d break anyone who tried to cross him.
“It’s not a question of power, just deviousness. And they won’t come after me.” He gives me a level look. “They’ll come after you.”
“ Me? ” I squeak.
“You’re the new element. They’ll test how malleable you are. Then they’ll do everything in their power to bend you to their will, or, failing that, break you.”
And I thought the Webbers were shitty. “They sound positively delightful.”
A wicked grin splits his face. “But I’ve got an idea. You’ll be pregnant.”
“I’ll be what ?”
“Not for real, of course. But they won’t try to break us up if there’s a baby involved.”
“The line they won’t cross?” If so, they’re better people than the Webbers.
“Correct.”
“But a fake pregnancy? Where are we going to find a baby for that?” I wave a hand. “Even if we end the fake engagement, they might want to be part of our nonexistent baby’s life. I don’t want to continue to lie to everyone forever.”
A shrug. “We can tell them the pregnancy test was defective or something.” He couldn’t care less how his family reacts as long as he gets what he wants. My instinct is right—that he’s unsentimental and much more ruthless than he lets on.
“Aren’t you afraid of disappointing them?”
His eyes narrow, and a stillness comes over him. “They’re trying to screw me over. Disappointing them will be a pleasure of biblical proportions.”
Okay… “So, do I have to fake morning sickness or something?”
“Yes. And you’re going to crave tuna and mashed broccoli.”
“Ugh.” I make a face. “Why?”
“Because that’s what my mother craved when she was pregnant with me.”
“Fine. But if I actually have to eat anything like that, the deal’s off.”
He lets out a laugh that ripples over me like delightful waves. “Deal.”